By Shalise Manza Young

Patriots fan clamoring for the team to start adding defensive players, this one is for you: New England has a four-year deal in principle with Kyle Arrington in place.

The cornerback wanted to stay with the Patriots, and the team had expressed a desire early on to keep the 26-year old in the fold.

He took to his Twitter feed to share his thoughts:

Thankful and Blessed for another opportunity. Extremely grateful for all the support from the New England community and beyond. #Patsnation

Arrington played all 16 games last season, and was moved to the slot when New England acquired Aqib Talib; he seemed to flourish in the new role.

This is quite a week for the Maryland native: in addition to the new contract, Arrington and his wife VaShonda are set to welcome their first child any day now. Their first wedding anniversary is on Sunday.

An undrafted rookie out of Hofstra in 2008, Arrington was initially signed by the Eagles and was on their practice squad out of training camp that season, but he was released little more than a week later.

Tampa Bay picked him up, and he spent the rest of the 2008 season on the Buccaneers' practice squad, stayed with the team through training camp in '09 and played the season opener for the team before being released.

It took a couple of months, but he eventually signed to the Patriots' practice squad, and was elevated to the 53-man roster for the final eight games of the season. In half a season, Arrington recorded 15 special-teams tackles.

He has played every game since his promotion in 2009. In 2011, Arrington tied for the NFL lead in interceptions, with seven.