The Patriots signed center Lecitus Smith to their 53-man roster off of the Packers’ practice squad Tuesday.

Smith provides the Patriots with a new backup center after the team released Nick Leverett on Tuesday. The Patriots seemingly found a new starter in Ben Brown, who was signed off the Raiders’ practice squad last week. Head coach Jerod Mayo called Brown the Patriots’ best offensive lineman in Sunday’s 41-21 loss to the Texans.

The Patriots also signed cornerback Miles Battle to their practice squad and released center Sincere Haynesworth, who was added last week.

Smith has two career NFL starts at guard as a rookie with the Cardinals. The 26-year-old was a seventh-round pick out of Virginia Tech in 2022. He split his time between center and guard over the last two preseason. He exclusively played guard in college before being moved to center in the NFL, also having spent time with the Eagles and Texans.

Battle provides ideal size and athleticism at cornerback. The 6-foot-3, 197-pound defensive back ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash with impressive jumps and agility testing as well (37-inch vertical leap, 10’7″ broad jump, 4.03-second short shuttle and 6.84-second 3-cone drill).

He was a four-star recruit who began his college career as a wide receiver at Ole Miss before moving to cornerback and transferring to Utah. The newest Patriots practice squader went undrafted before signing a rookie contract with the Chiefs that included $190,000 in total guarantees. He was waived in August.