FOXBOROUGH

FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots had a busy day, besides trading defensive end Richard Seymour.
The team signed veteran guard Kendall Simmons to the active roster and started piecing together its practice squad, adding a potential third quarterback in Isaiah Stanback.
Simmons, 30, spent the last seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who selected him in the first round of the 2002 draft out of Auburn.
Simmons started 81 regular-season games for Pittsburgh and was a starter on their 2005 Super Bowl title team.
The 6-foot-3-inch, 315-pound Simmons started four games at right guard for Pittsburgh last season before he suffered an Achilles’ tendon injury that ended his season.
Terms of his deal were not released.
Stanback, a 2007 fourth-round pick by Dallas, was a quarterback for the University of Washington, but the Cowboys converted him to wide receiver. According to an NFL.com report, the Patriots, who only have Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer at quarterback, want to move Stanback back to QB on the practice squad.
The Patriots brought back a pair of released players - defensive lineman Darryl Richard, a seventh-round draft choice, and wide receiver Terrence Nunn.
They also added rookie defensive back DeAngelo Willingham. According to reports, the team had put a waiver claim on Willingham when he was released by the Buccaneers, but that claim was awarded to the Cowboys. The Cowboys cut the University of Tennessee product Saturday.
Morris lined up Running back Sammy Morris, who suffered an undisclosed injury in the first exhibition game Aug. 13 and didn’t return to practice until Aug 31, said that if Thursday’s exhibition finale against the Giants had been a regular-season game he could have played.
Morris said despite playing in just the one exhibition and having 12 rushes for 45 yards he thinks he’ll be ready for the season-opener against Buffalo next Monday.
“I’ve been doing this a while. My body feels in good shape, so I’ll go from there,’’ said Morris.
O’Connell to Jets Former Patriots quarterback Kevin O’Connell was traded by the Lions to the Jets. O’Connell, waived by the Patriots last Monday, was claimed by the Lions, who used the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft to take Matthew Stafford. O’Connell might not be long for the Jets, either, since New York has rookie starter Mark Sanchez, Kellen Clemens, and Erik Ainge. It’s possible Jets coach Rex Ryan wants to pump O’Connell for info on the Patriots, their Week 2 foe . . . The Eagles released A.J. Feeley, who has been mentioned as a possibility to be the Patriots’ backup QB . . . The Chiefs were awarded tackle Ryan O’Callaghan off waivers from the Patriots . . . Safety/special teams ace Matthew Slater was seen in the locker room without a cast or brace on his injured left arm, but the arm was hanging limply to his side.