The New England Patriots came out of Thursday’s preseason finale a total of 38 players over the NFL’s 53-man roster limit. In order to get the team below that number, head coach Mike Vrabel and company needed to make several moves.
And make moves they did. For a full rundown of the transactions this weekend, please head over to our Patriots roster cuts tracker. We already discussed what Saturday’s moves meant for the team, now it’s time to find out more about Sunday’s.
Rookie class largely intact
The Patriots selected nine players
in this year’s NFL Draft, but only three of them came in what is traditionally considered the “safe zone” for rookies to make the team: the first four rounds. Those three — OT Caleb Lomu, ED Gabe Jacas, TE Eli Raridon — all unsurprisingly are part of the initial 53-man roster.
The other six did not uniformly make the cut, but a vast majority of them did. The only player to get cut was seventh-round running back Jam Miller, who was let go with an injury designation and therefore remains a candidate to return should he clear waivers. The rest all made the 53, as did undrafted free agents Tanner Arkin, Khalil Jacobs and Channing Canada.
For comparison, two of 11 draft picks — Day 3 selections Bradyn Swinson and Kobee Minor — failed to make it onto the initial 53-man roster last year.
Momentum not maintained
The old saying about the NFL season being a marathon and not a spring is also true for training camp. Just because you look good early doesn’t mean you will remain on an upwards trajectory toward earning a spot on the 53-man roster. Just ask the likes of Bradyn Swinson, Chad Muma, Kindle Vildor and Mike Brown.
All four looked to be on their way to earning spots on the roster at various points early in training camp. For one reason or another, however, they now find themselves on the outside looking in — be it because they never emerged past reserve status (Swinson), struggled in preseason (Muma), were inconsistent throughout the summer (Vildor), or never made the expected push (Brown).
Leadership void
Even though they will remain around the team, two of the Patriots’ captains from a year ago will not be on the active roster to start the season. Outside linebacker Harold Landry will open the year on the physically unable to perform list, with special teams safety Brenden Schooler on the non-football injury/illness list. Both were sent to their respective lists to open training camp, and remain there for at least the first four weeks of the regular season as well.
This means that the Patriots will not only miss their contributions on the field, but also off it. Who will replace that part of their presence will be seen, but there are several candidates — from Milton Williams to Kevin Byard or Craig Woodson.
“You can’t replace an All-Pro type of guy, so it’s always a loss from that leadership on the field,” Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer said about Schooler last week. “But he’s always around, he’s around helping us out, and when we get him back, we get him back. But until then, as long as he continues to progress and help our young guys out, that’s what I’m looking for.”
Return candidates emerge
Including Harold Landry, Brenden Schooler and backup offensive tackle Marcus Bryant — he will start the year on injured reserve with a return designation — the Patriots did move on from 21 players on Sunday. Of those, a large portion can be expected back via the practice squad.
The prime candidates include running back Lan Larison, linebacker Chad Muma, safety John Saunders Jr. and punter Matt Haack. All of them were let go on Sunday, with the first three all having to pass through the waiver wire before possibly being retained. Chances are most if not all of them will end up in a position where they could re-sign with New England if they so choose.
All eyes on waivers
Of the 37 players cut by the Patriots on Saturday and Sunday, all but six — RB Hassan Haskins, RB JaMycal Hasty, OL James Hudson III, ED Jesse Luketa, CB Kindle Vildor, P Matt Haack — are subject to waivers. This means that other teams can bring them aboard via the waiver claim process; they can put in claims in the draft order in hopes of adding as much talent as they please (i.e. as many players as they can fit onto their 53-man roster).
As noted above, however, a majority of the players waived by New England will end up passing through the wire without receiving any interest.
Salary cap impact
The Patriots’ business over the last two days also impacted their salary cap. According to cap expert Miguel Benzan, the team lost a total of $7.395 million through Sunday’s moves alone.
New England probably is not overly worried about that number, though. The team still has $24.2 million in cap space at the moment while accounting for 62 contracts: the 53 on the active roster (despite the Top 51 rule officially still being in place until next week) as well as the salaries of seven players on injured reserve, and the aforementioned Harold Landry and Brenden Schooler on the PUP and NFI lists, respectively.
