The Patriots announced today that offensive lineman Logan Mankins has reported to the team.

Coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday on a conference call that while the official transaction of Mankins' signing has yet to be filed with the NFL, he expects the team to receive a roster exemption.

"Logan came in, I met with him this morning, and it's good to have him back on the team," Belichick said. "He's been a great player and person for our football team. He's tough. He's smart. You just can't have too many guys like that on your football team. We're glad he's back."

Belichick and director of player personnel Nick Caserio explained that the Patriots will take Mankins' situation on a day to day basis and that the players that perform best in practice will play in Sunday's game in Cleveland.

"He’s in the building. It’s good that he’s here," Caserio said. "He’s really no different than any other player that’s on the team or in the building. They’ll start to prepare for the opponent, and then we’ll make the decision about who plays based on how they practice, how the meetings go, who’s healthy, etcetra. Logan’s been a good player for us. He’s been solid. He’s been reliable. I think he has a lot of the traits and characteristics that we look for in players. It’s good to have him around here in the building."

Running backs coach Ivan Fears, whose group figures to benefit from the arrival of the two-time Pro Bowler, expressed excitement at Mankins' return.

"The guys are jumping for joy," he said of his running backs. "Having another playmaker like him coming back to us, we're kind of excited about it. Plus, he's fresh."