Gaining not only much-needed depth but also a small degree of leverage, the New England Patriots on Thursday signed unrestricted free agent center Billy Conaty, who had spent the first six years of his NFL career with the AFC East-rival Buffalo Bills.

Conaty, 30, will serve as the primary backup to starter Damien Woody, and permit the New England coaches from having to use a part-time snapper at that spot. The addition of Conaty, a starter for the Bills just two years ago, might also motivate Woody to report to camp in better physical condition than he displayed during the offseason.

Contract details on the Conaty deal were not immediately available. But league sources indicated he signed a one-year contract that included a base salary of $655,000 which is the NFL minimum for a veteran of his tenure.

Acquiring the former Virginia Tech star fills a hole the Patriots have attempted, usually with only a modicum of success, to address over the last few offseasons. The team has brought in several interior blockers in that period but only one, Grey Ruegamer, was a pure center. The others were basically guards with some center experience.

Ruegamer signed with Green Bay as a free agent earlier this offseason and that meant the Patriots faced a prospect of again having to count on starting left guard Mike Compton to fill the No. 2 center role. But getting Conaty will permit Compton to concentrate solely on playing guard now.

Another bonus is that Conaty has some experience as a deep-snapper, and will provide insurance against an injury to incumbent deep-snapper Lonie Paxton. And because he has spent his entire career in the AFC East, he brings a sense of familiarity, and will not have to learn about the defensive linemen from other teams in the division.

The move is typical of the kind of late offseason maneuvers the Patriots like to make. With very little financial investment, the team has upgraded at a position of need, and with a proven veteran.

Originally signed as an undrafted college free agent in 1997, the hard-working Conaty appeared in 67 games for the Bills, with 18 starts. He started every game at center in '01, then lost his position in '02, when Buffalo signed unrestricted free agent Trey Teague.

Until just recently, it appeared that Conaty would re-sign with the Bills, and resume his spot as backup center. The Bills opted, however, to rely on younger players to take over the reserve center role and apprised Conaty to explore other options.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.