FOXBOROUGH – When the Patriots placed Milton Williams on the injured reserve, it opened up another roster spot. The team could’ve signed another defensive tackle off their practice squad.

Instead, they opted to sign edge rusher Bradyn Swinson from the practice squad to their 53-man roster. A fifth-round pick in April, the 23-year-old was a surprise roster cut at the end of training camp, and it would appear he had options to leave New England.On Monday, Mike Vrabel was asked if the Patriots felt the need to sign Swinson to prevent him from signing with another team’s active roster.

“There’s some of that. You know, there’s some of that,” Vrabel said. “And again, it’s also about opportunity and when we feel like they’re ready for it and they’ve earned it. And you know, in that case, I think Bradyn has. We’ll have to evaluate what he can do and how he can help us and get him ready to go.”

In this case, the Patriots opted to protect their asset by signing Swinson off their practice squad. Now that he’s under contract, Swinson can’t sign with another team. That’s not the case when a player is on a practice squad. For example, this season, the Patriots signed safety John Saunders Jr. off the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad.

Swinson developed into a solid pass rusher at LSU. Last fall, he finished with 8.5 sacks and was drafted in the fifth round (pick 146) by the Patriots.

This summer, Swinson was beaten out by undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder. After the team traded Keion White, however, there was room for more depth behind Harold Landry, K’Lavon Chaisson, Anfernee Jennings, and Ponder.

“He’s worked hard, he’s improved,” Vrabel said of Swinson. “He’s worked hard in a weight room, changing his body and getting stronger, and learning special teams. Doing a good job there, giving us a great look. Those guys, coaches have done a great job of improving a lot of those guys, hopefully getting them ready here for when they have to play.”