FOXBOROUGH -- Dane Fletcher cleared waivers and was placed on the New England Patriots' injured reserve Tuesday.

Fletcher, a backup linebacker and special teams contributor, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during New England's preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints. He was waived/injured by the Patriots Monday but was able to return to the team after the other 31 organizations passed on the opportunity to claim him.

The Patriots took a bit of a gamble by exposing Fletcher since another team could have claimed him with 2013 in mind -- similar to how New England scooped tight end Jake Ballard off waivers from the New York Giants in June -- but did so to avoid having him count against their 90-man limit until rosters are cut down to 75 on Aug. 27.

When asked about the possibility of losing Fletcher before he cleared waivers, Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said the team made a calculated risk and had moved on.

“Look, we make decisions every day on the roster. If there are any rules questions, I would direct those to the league and their interpretation,” Caserio said.