Marcus Cannon signed to Patriots' 53-man roster

FOXBORO -- As expected, Marcus Cannon is back on the Patriots' 53-man roster.

The Patriots signed the practice squad offensive lineman to their active roster on Wednesday, a promotion that Cannon earned with some strong blocking in last Sunday's overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers. He took over for the struggling Isaiah Wynn in the second half against the Packers, and the offense operated much better with Cannon at right tackle.

It was a true group effort by the New England offensive line, which provided rookie QB Bailey Zappe time to work and Patriots running backs plenty of holes to run through. But Cannon's play -- and its impact on the offense -- was noticeable when he took over for Wynn.   

The Patriots signed Cannon to the practice squad in mid-September, and he was elevated to the game day roster ahead of Sunday's loss. He revered back to the practice squad after the game, but is back to being part of New England's 53-man roster. 

Now we'll see if the 34-year-old Cannon, whom the Patriots originally drafted back in 2011, will get the start at right tackle this weekend when New England hosts the Detroit Lions at Gillette Stadium.

In addition to Cannon's promotion, the Patriots also announced that they have signed quarterback Garrett Gilbert and offensive lineman Sebastian Gutierrez to their practice squad.