With 91 players on the active roster coming out of their preseason finale last Friday, the New England Patriots and their players were in for a few busy days. Before Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline, they needed to make at least 38 moves to get below the 53-player threshold mandated by the NFL.
The first 15 of those moves happened over the weekend. The rest — a total of 23 additional transitions — took place on Tuesday, as charted by our Patriots roster cuts tracker.
The full list, split in different
categories for easier digestion, looks as follows.
Patriots players waived
Players with less than four years of accrued experience are subject to waivers. This means that the following xx will first have to pass through the waiver wire, where they might get claimed by any NFL team, before entering the open market.
- QB Ben Wooldridge
- RB Micah Bernard
- RB Shane Watts
- RB Terrell Jennings
- WR Phil Lutz Jr.
- WR John Jiles
- WR Jeremiah Webb
- TE Jaheim Bell
- TE Cole Fotheringham
- TE C.J. Dippre
- TE Gee Scott Jr.
- OT Demontrey Jacobs
- OT Jack Conley
- OL Sidy Sow
- OL Layden Robinson
- OL Tyrese Robinson
- OL Mehki Butler
- OL Alec Lindstrom
- OL Cole Strange
- DT Philip Blidi
- DT David Olajiga
- DT Jahvaree Ritzie
- ED Truman Jones
- ED Bradyn Swinson
- LB R.J. Moten
- LB Cam Riley
- CB Jordan Polk
- CB Isaiah Bolden
- CB Miles Battle
- CB Brandon Crossley
- CB Kobee Minor
- K Parker Romo
The lion’s share of cuts made on Monday and Tuesday were of the waiver variety. As noted above, all of the players listed here are now subject to being claimed by other clubs before they could potentially return to the Patriots practice squad.
As for the list itself, it mostly includes depth players whose odds of making the 53-man roster were slim to begin with. The few names worth pointing out include offensive lineman Cole Strange, the 29th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. Despite opening training camp as starting left guard, Strange has found himself on the chopping block just five weeks later — a disappointing end to what was one of the team’s most polarizing draft picks in recent memory.
Patriots players released
The following players were let go as vested veterans, meaning that the do not have to pass through waivers. They become free agents right away, meaning that they can sign with any team now.
- RB JaMycal Hasty
- DT Kyle Peko
- LB Monty Rice
- S Marcus Epps
None of the players on this list come as a particular surprise, even though Marcus Epps asking for his release was somewhat unexpected.
Patriots players placed on injured reserve
The players listed here were all sent to injured reserve ahead of the roster cutdown deadline. Of the two placed on IR, one has been designated for return:
- WR Ja’Lynn Polk
- LB Jahlani Tavai (IR-R)
The return designation means that veteran linebacker Jahlani Tavai will be eligible to be reactivated to the 53-man roster after the first four games of the season. Sophomore wideout Ja’Lynn Polk, on the other hand, is out for the year.
Not on this list is offensive lineman Layden Robinson even though the 2024 fourth-round draft pick is expected to end up on New England’s injured reserve list. Robinson, after all, was waived with an injury designation on Sunday and will move to IR once he makes it through the waiver wire unclaimed.
