Patriots bring back RB Tyler Gaffney

Tyler Gaffney resurfaced in the NFL last year, parlaying a late-summer workout into a practice squad gig with the 49ers. The former minor-league baseball player, however, will return to the NFL team with which he is most associated.

The Patriots are signing the veteran running back, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Pats employed Gaffney from 2014-17, picking him up off waivers after the Panthers cut him. New England will now give the 30-year-old back another opportunity.

A former 24th-round Pittsburgh Pirates draft choice, Gaffney has seen far more game action in baseball. Yet to play in an NFL regular-season game, the Stanford alum left football for farm-system life in 2018. He split time between the Pirates’ High-A and Double-A teams that year, slashing .291/.391/.470 with the Pirates’ High-A team before struggling with the higher-level ball club. Following that season, Gaffney made the decision to return to football for a second time.

His most notable football contributions came at Stanford. Gaffney rushed for 1,709 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior in 2013, a season that came after he spent 2012 in the Pirates’ minor-league system. The 49ers signed Gaffney in August but released him in January.