The Green Bay Packers have re-signed veteran offensive tackle Barrett Brooks, GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman announced Tuesday.
Cornerback Erwin Swiney was placed on waivers to make room for Brooks on the team's 53-player roster.
Brooks, a seventh-year professional, originally been signed as a free agent September 26. Terminated on September 28, he was re-signed October 1 and released October 12.
Originally a second-round draft selection out of Kansas State by Philadelphia in 1995, he has played in 95 career games - including a streak of 88 consecutive games to begin his NFL career - and started 62, spending his first four years with the Eagles and two subsequent seasons with the Detroit Lions.
Brooks, 6-5 and 314 pounds, has been reassigned jersey number 77.
Swiney, a rookie free agent from the University of Nebraska, had been re-signed October 12. He originally had been signed as a free agent April 26, 2002, and gone through training camp and the preseason before being waived September 1 in the team's final roster reduction for the regular season. Swiney, who played in Sunday's victory over the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, had been on the team's practice squad when signed to the active roster on Saturday.
In another transaction, the Packers have signed cornerback Bruce Branch, a rookie free agent from Penn State, to the practice squad. Branch, 5-11 and 189 pounds, replaces cornerback Brandon Jennings, who was terminated.
The 24-year-old Branch, originally signed by Jacksonville as a free agent, was with the Jaguars in the preseason until the first mandated roster reduction to 65 players (August 27) and had been out of football since. A four-year letterman at Penn State, the first (1998) at wide receiver and the last three (1999, 2000-01) at cornerback, Branch also was a productive punt returner, returning 109 punts for 1,170 yards, an 10.7-yard average, and 4 touchdowns.
The newcomer has been assigned jersey number 29.
