The Patriots released DL Jonathan Fanene, OL Kyle Hill and PK Chris Koppelin, the team announced Tuesday.
Fanene signed a three-year, $9.85 million contract with the Pats in the offseason and received a $3.85 million signing bonus. According to ESPN’s John Clayton, Fanene might need arthroscopic surgery later this week on a troublesome knee.
Last season, Fanene played in every game for the Bengals and had a career-high 6½ sacks. He played for Cincinnati from 2005-11 and has 103 tackles and 13½ sacks.
Hill was an undrafted rookie. Koepplin is a first-year player who had three kickoffs, which went for touchbacks, in the team’s two preseason games.