FOXBOROUGH, Mass. � With cornerbacks Asante Samuel and Randall Gay leaving as free agents, the New England Patriots began rebuilding their secondary today by signing cornerback Jason Webster.

The 5-foot-9, 187-pound Webster has 393 tackles and 11 interceptions in 87 career games, 74 of them starts.

He played in one game last season for Buffalo before being placed on the reserve/injured list with an arm injury on Sept. 13.

The eight-year veteran was a second-round draft pick of San Francisco in 2000 and played four years with the 49ers before signing as a free agent with Atlanta, where he played for three years.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick says Webster is "an experienced veteran who will add good depth to our secondary."