Patriots Sign Former Giants Tight End Jake Ballard After Waiver

The New England Patriots yesterday signed tight end Jake Ballard, a day after he failed a physical and was waived by the New York Giants.

Ballard, 24, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the Giants’ 21-17 Super Bowl win against the Patriots in February. He spent the past two seasons with the Giants after entering the National Football League as a rookie free agent out of Ohio State University.

The 6-foot-6, 275-pound Ballard caught 38 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns last season, when he played in 14 regular-season games, with 13 starts. He had five postseason receptions, including two against the Patriots in the Super Bowl before his injury.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net