CINCINNATI

The New England Patriots acquired linebacker Marquis Flowers from Cincinnati on Tuesday for a seventh round draft pick next year, getting a player that the Bengals planned to release.

Flowers was a sixth-round pick out of Arizona in 2014. He had a promising rookie season, filling in after Vontaze Burfict got hurt. He also replaced starter Emmanuel Lamur for one game.

Flowers suffered a shoulder injury in the final preseason game in 2015 and missed the season. He was limited to special teams last year, playing in 16 games. He was listed as Burfict’s backup on the depth chart, but Vincent Rey is expected to move into the spot while Burfict serves a five-game suspension to start the season for an egregious hit on a Chiefs player during the preseason.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Flowers wasn’t going to make the team in the final roster moves this weekend, which would have left Flowers free to be claimed off waivers.

“The Patriots felt he may not get to them through the waiver chances, so they traded for him,” Lewis said.

Steelers

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin scouted Vance McDonald before the 2013 NFL draft and liked what he saw from the big tight end. Though San Francisco grabbed McDonald in the second round that spring, Tomlin kept tabs on McDonald, monitoring his progress from afar.

The Steelers acquired McDonald from the rebuilding 49ers on Tuesday, sending a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft to San Francisco.

“He’s an NFL-capable tight end, another guy to add to that mix and some competition there,” Tomlin said. “We’ll quickly get him up to speed.”