Updated at 3:03 p.m.

On their official Twitter account, the Patriots announced they released reserve offensive lineman Kendall Simmons. The Patriots signed Simmons to a three-year contract on Sept. 6 after he spent his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who released Simmons in February.

Simmons was inactive for six of the Patriots' seven games this season, seeing time only as a substitution in their 59-0 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 6. The release of Simmons leaves the Patriots with nine offensive linemen on their roster.

"Kendall really worked hard," Coach Bill Belichick said. "Really had a lot of admiration for him. He's a pro. Came to work early, stayed late, worked hard. Just managing the roster here. It's definitely not something we were looking to do, but we've got to try to manage our team."

The Patriots need to replace Simmons on their roster by Sunday. Belichick said the Patriots will meet this afternoon to figure out who that player will be.