Reports: Patriots release Eric Kettani, Matt Kopa

The Patriots have released fullback Eric Kettani and offensive lineman Matt Kopa.

Kettani, 25, is a 5-foot-11, 235-pound running back/fullback out of Navy who was in his second stint with the Patriots. He hadn’t appeared in a regular-season game for the Patriots. The news of Kettani’s release was first reported by ESPN Boston.

As for Kopa, he’s a 25-year-old tackle out of Stanford. Thought to be in the mix for a backup tackle spot, he struggled with an ankle injury over the course of the camp. The 6-foot-6, 310-pounder has yet to play in a regular season game with the Patriots. The news of Kopa’s departure was first reported by the Boston Herald.

To this point, the Patriots have released Kettani, Kopa, safety Sergio Brown, defensive back Derrick Martin, defensive end/linebacker Aaron Larvarias, wide receiver Deion Branch, quarterback Brian Hoyer, offensive lineman Dan Koppen and defensive back James Ihedigbo in their attempts to get down to 53 players before the league mandated deadline of Friday at 9 p.m.