FOXBORO - The ongoing rebuilding of the Patriots' secondary took another step Tuesday with the signing of ex-Bear Brandon McGowan.

The 5-foot-11, 207-pound safety, originally signed as a rookie free agent by Chicago in 2005 out of the University of Maine by way of Jersey City, N.J., has battled a history of injuries since starting three games as a rookie.

He was put on injured reserve with a knee injury just prior to the Bears' only playoff game that season. He was inactive through the first half of the 2006 season before being activated Nov. 5, and then suffered an Achilles' tendon injury in his first game back and was lost for the rest of the season.

McGowan also played in just two games in 2008 before an ankle injury sent him back to the injured list on Sept. 19. His only healthy NFL season came in 2007, when he played in 14 games with nine starts and made a career-high 80 tackles (52 solo), two interceptions and 10 special teams tackles. He started six times at strong safety, twice at free safety and once as a third safety.

He has 115 career tackles (74 solo), two interceptions, five passes defended, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 16 special teams tackles over his career. With the Patriots, he is likely to be battling with Ray Ventrone for a fourth safety spot behind James Sanders, Brandon Meriweather and 2009 draftee Patrick Chung. Terms of McGowan's deal were not released.

At the same time, the Patriots cleaned up the punting situation by releasing Tom Malone, who has had two stints on their practice squad. Incumbent Chris Hanson will have competition in camp from UCLA's Aaron Perez.

Ticket sale June 4

The Patriots will put a limited number of tickets for individual 2009 games on sale on June 4 through the Ticketmaster service. The sale will begin at 10 a.m. and be conducted either online (www.ticketmaster.com) or by calling 800-745-3000. As part of a promotional agreement with the NFL, Visa credit or debit cards will be the only means of payment accepted.

There will be no tickets on sale at the Gillette Stadium ticket office. Fans will face a limit of eight regular-season tickets per person, with no more than four tickets sold to any one game.

Those seeking wheelchair accessible seating should call 508-384-9191.

Act fast; tickets are usually gone within minutes of the start of the annual sale.