FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have signed undrafted wide receiver Riley McCarron to the practice squad, with McCarron taking part in his first practice with the team on Friday.

The addition of McCarron, who at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds projects to the slot and also has experience as a punt returner and kickoff returner, figures to draw more attention than the norm because he was released from the Houston Texans' practice squad on Monday. The Patriots host the Texans on Sunday.

But this doesn't appear to be about gathering any type of game-specific intelligence, as the Patriots didn't make contact with McCarron until Wednesday, flew him to town for a workout late Thursday afternoon and didn't sign him until Friday morning.

The Patriots have been scouring the wide-receiver market for weeks as they try to build depth. Julian Edelman sustained a season-ending knee injury on Aug. 25, second-year receiver Malcolm Mitchell landed on injured reserve before the start of the season, and veteran slot receiver Andrew Hawkins, who was with the team in the offseason, retired.

As for McCarron, Texans coach Bill O'Brien nicknamed him "The Iowa Flash," a reference to McCarron's alma mater, during joint practices with the Patriots in mid-August.

"He's the spitting image of [Wes] Welker, wearing number 83 and all," O'Brien said at the time. "He's smart and tough, he's played through injury already with a sore thumb. ... He just needs to continue to get better."

McCarron reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 at Iowa's pro day, and had a 6.47 time in the three-cone drill and 40.5-inch vertical leap.

To make room for McCarron on the practice squad, the Patriots are expected to promote defensive end Geneo Grissom to the active roster. Grissom will provide depth on the edge and another capable player on special teams.

Grissom's anticipated promotion would also force the Patriots to make another transaction to make room for him, which could be related to the team's injury situation.