The 27-year-old Bodden, who has 13 interceptions in six NFL seasons, was released by the Detroit Lions Feb. 9, after a season in which he had just one interception. It was the only interception by a defensive back for the Lions, who had just four total all season.
Last offseason, Detroit traded massive defensive tackle Shaun Rogers to Cleveland for Bodden (and the Browns' 2009 third-round pick) and then signed him to a four-year, $27 million contract extension. They cut him in February before an $8.6 million roster bonus was due.
Bodden started 15 of 16 games for the Lions and had 73 tackles, 11 passes defended, three forced fumbles, and also recovered two fumbles.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 193-pounder is a good fit for New England because he flourished in Cleveland when former Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was the coach, and he has a nose for the ball.
Bodden, who spent the first five seasons of his career with the Browns, had a career-high six interceptions in 2007 with Cleveland. He also recovered three fumbles that season, giving him a total of nine takeaways, which tied for second in the league.
Bodden was critical of the bumbling Lions, the first team in NFL history to go 0-16, last season. But in 2007, Bodden earned the praise of one of Patriots coach Bill Belichick's favorite players, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson.
"He's one of the better cover corners in the NFL," Johnson told Cleveland reporters. "I have to study film on him the way I do Champ Bailey, Chris McAlister, and Dre' Bly."
Familiarity with their system via Crennel was certainly one of the reasons the Patriots pursued Bodden, who was an undrafted rookie free agent out of Duquesne and wasn't even invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.
After being primarily a special teams player his first two seasons in Cleveland, Bodden picked off 11 passes and was credited with 39 passes defended in the three seasons Crennel was his head coach. During that period, Bodden started 36 of the 38 games he played.
The Patriots brought in Bodden for a visit on the first day of free agency (Feb. 27), but he departed Foxborough without a deal. Now he has one.
