Patriots place rookie DB Dawson on IR

The New England Patriots placed rookie defensive back Duke Dawson on injured reserve, the team announced Thursday. Dawson, the team's second-round pick in this year's NFL Draft, suffered a hamstring injury after the preseason opener and has been limited since. In a corresponding move, New England promoted wide receiver Riley McCarron from the practice squad. Dawson played in all 48 games over four seasons at the University of Florida. He had 82 tackles, 23 passes defensed and returned three of his six interceptions for touchdowns during his career. As a senior in 2017, the 5-foot-10, 202-pound Dawson started 11 games and registered 34 tackles, four interceptions and nine passes defensed. He returned one of the picks for a touchdown. McCarron was among the final cuts earlier this month as the Patriots trimmed their active roster to 53. He spent the majority of last season on New England's practice squad. At Iowa, McCarron had only eight receptions in his first three seasons before enjoying a breakout senior year with 42 catches for 517 yards and four touchdowns in 2016. In another roster move, the Patriots signed tight end Stephen Anderson to the practice squad. Anderson spent his first two seasons with the Houston Texans, pulling in 25 receptions for 342 yards and a touchdown in 15 games in 2017.