Patriots sign Brian Hoyer in 53-man roster

Brian Hoyer continues to be a yo-yo, a ping-pong ball.

Currently, he’s back on the New England roster. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports that Hoyer signed a one-year contract with the Patriots.

Last week, the Patriots used the prerogative to elevate Hoyer from the practice squad to the roster for the first week game against the Dolphins, with Hoyer immediately returning to the practice squad after the game. Now he’s officially on the active list.

In the end, that doesn’t mean much. He could (and probably will) be cut again and then re-signed, either on the active roster or on the training squad. This is just one of the games that creative coaches can play to have, in practice, more than 53 guys on the team.

Since Hoyer is an acquired veteran, the Patriots can play the cut, signed, recut, re-signed, cut again, re-signed game with Hoyer until the trade deadline. After that, he will be subject to waivers whenever he is released from the 53 player roster.