FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The loss of James Develin to a broken right tibia left the New England Patriots without a fullback on the roster.

Sort of.

Place kicker Josh Scobee was the Jaguars fifth-round pick in the 2004 trade. His career in Jacksonville is over: He was traded to Pittsburgh. The Associated Press

“Playing fullback sometimes you see the fullback line up at tight end (and) tight ends line up at fullback,” tight end Rob Gronkowski said Monday. “It’s all what you can do as a player. You’ve got to do your job so the more you can do, the better off you are.

“If I ever got called to play fullback, I know when I lined up in the backfield a couple of times and played fullback. So it’s definitely a position that interchanges and you can play both.”

Develin, injured in Friday night’s game at Carolina, could be out 6 to 8 weeks.

The Patriots could line up backup tight end Michael Hoomanawanui in the backfield. Gronkowski could shift to the spot on certain plays and running back LeGarrette Blount, suspended for the Sept. 10 opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, is built like a fullback.

The team released fullback Eric Kettani last week and there’s always the chance New England could bring him back or add another player.

“I’m sure there are a lot of different possibilities,” Coach Bill Belichick said. “There are different possibilities. We’ve talked through different options.”

• The Patriots released five players: WR Josh Boyce, WR Jonathan Krause, TE Jimmay Mundine, DL Joe Vellano and LB Dekoda Watson. The roster must be at 75 on Tuesday and then to 53 Saturday.

BILLS: Veteran running back and respected team leader Fred Jackson was released.

With nine seasons in Buffalo, the 34-year-old Jackson had been the second-longest serving active player and one of the team’s most popular players among fans. The move came as a slight surprise, though Jackson’s tenure was in question because of his age and the team’s moves to restock its running backs this offseason.

• Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who goes by the nickname “T-Mobile,” got the call to be the Bills’ season-opening starter.

STEELERS: Wide receiver Martavis Bryant has been suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the regular season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

• The Steelers, who needed a kicker after losing Shaun Suisham (knee) and Graham Hartley (hamstring) injuries, acquired kicker Josh Scobee in a trade with Jacksonville.

BUCCANEERS: Tampa Bay acquired rookie kicker Kyle Brindza from the Detroit Lions for tight end Tim Wright.

PANTHERS: Carolina acquired wide receiver Kevin Norwood in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for an undisclosed 2017 draft choice.

WASHINGTON: Kirk Cousins will start the season as Washington’s quarterback, Coach Jay Gruden said.

With Robert Griffin III still in the NFL’s concussion protocol program, Gruden opted for Cousins, who has started nine games when Griffin has been hurt, going 2-7.

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