FOXBOROUGH -
The Patriots announced Monday the signing of veteran cornerback Derek Cox, who has interesting ties to a pair of critical contributors to New England's success.
Cox, originally selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2009, has played five seasons in the NFL, most recently with San Diego in 2013. He has 14 career interceptions.
In 2009, the Patriots owned the 73rd overall pick and traded it to Jacksonville in exchange for a 7th-round pick in 2009 and a 2nd-round pick in 2010. The Jaguars selected Cox with that pick and he spent four seasons with the Jaguars and one with the Chargers.
Julian Edelman was selected with the 7th-round pick in 2009 and the Patriots traded the 2nd-round pick and a 6th-round pick in 2010 to move up two spots and select Rob Gronkowski.
Cox signed contracts with the Vikings and Ravens in 2014 but did not play in a regular season game. He also had tryouts with the Bears and Giants during the 2014 regular season.
