The New England Patriots’ initial 53-man roster did not remain intact for long. Less than 24 hours after it was finalized, two spots already changed hands. The first previously belonged to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who was granted his release, with the second originally held by fellow wideout Javon Baker.
Taking over those two positions are a pair of waiver claims. Quarterback Tommy DeVito and cornerback Charles Woods, formerly of the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams, respectively, were picked
up by the fourth-placed Patriots on Wednesday.
For insight into Bourne’s release, please follow this link. Here is what the other three moves mean for the Patriots.
QB Tommy DeVito: Claimed off waivers
New QB3: The release of undrafted rookie Ben Wooldridge on Friday left the Patriots only two players deep at quarterback. The team knew that it needed to bolster the depth behind starter Drake Maye and primary backup Joshua Dobbs, and it took to the waiver wire to do just that. DeVito will slot into Wooldridge’s former role on the team, albeit now as a member of the 53-man roster.
That said, you should not expect him to be on the game day roster for the season opener against Las Vegas on Sept. 7. Unless he quickly leap-frogs Dobbs on the depth chart, he will likely be made inactive for that and subsequent games as the third emergency quarterback.
Considerable experience: Even though he originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, DeVito was pushed into action during his 2023 rookie season. The Giants had him start six games in Year 1, including a 10-7 win over the Patriots (that eventually helped New England secure Drake Maye in the following year’s draft). He added two more starts to his résumé in 2024.
In total, DeVito has gone 145-of-222 (65.3%) for 1,358 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has a rushing touchdown to his name, as well as two fumbles.
Usable traits: DeVito may never become a quarterback you win because of, but he does have some skill to add to the Patriots’ roster as a third-string quarterback. He has shown that he can perform within the framework provided by an offense, maneuver the pocket, and make sound decisions with the football. His physical limitations put a cap on his ceiling, but you can do worse when it comes to the QB3 position.
Minor cap impact (Pt. 1:) The Patriots claiming DeVito off waivers means that they will take on his contract from the Giants. That deal, which runs through 2025, is a relatively small one and comes with a non-guaranteed $1.03 million base salary and no additional investment.
CB Charles Woods: Claimed off waivers
Special teams focus: An undrafted rookie out of SMU in 2024, Woods appeared in 12 games during his rookie season. While he did see a handful of snaps at his listed position of cornerback, a vast majority of his reps came in the kicking game: seeing action on five units, he played a total of 167 snaps in the game’s third phase and registered a tackle. A combined 29 of his snaps saw him line up as a gunner on the punt coverage team — a role played by Javon Baker in training camp and preseason.
More cornerback depth: The 5-foot-11, 191-pound Woods lacks defensive experience after playing only 13 snaps at his listed position as a rookie. Still, he does provide an extra layer of depth in a cornerback room that now stands at six players deep:
Cornerback (6): Christian Gonzalez (0), Carlton Davis III (7), Marcus Jones (25 | PR), Alex Austin (28), D.J. James (30), Charles Woods (—)
As a cornerback, Woods has showcased some versatility as well. He lined up both wide and in the slot during his rookie year, even though a majority of his preseason snaps this year saw him line up in the slot.
Minor cap impact (Pt. 2): Like fellow waiver wire pickup Tommy DeVito, Woods also will not leave too big a dent in the Patriots’ salary cap. In fact, his $960,000 cap hit — a number consisting entirely of his non-guaranteed salary — is currently tied with tight end Jack Westover for the seventh-smallest on the roster.
WR Javon Baker: Waived
WR group down to six: The Patriots came out of roster cutdown day with a surprisingly large number of wide receivers on their 53-man roster. It did not take them long to reduce it: with Kendrick Bourne asking for his release and Baker following him on the way out of town just a short time later, New England is now down to six wideouts:
Wide receiver (6): Stefon Diggs (8), DeMario Douglas (3), Kayshon Boutte (9), Mack Hollins (13), Kyle Williams (18), Efton Chism III (86)
In addition to those six, the Patriots have also reportedly re-signed Jeremiah Webb and John Jiles to their practice squad. Baker joining them could very well happen, if he makes it through the waiver wire unclaimed.
Special teams fallout: His play as a wide receiver has left a lot to be desired since he joined the Patriots via a fourth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, Baker managed to sneak his way onto the initial 53-man roster due to his ability to help out in the kicking game.
Baker was a four-unit player and worked as a gunner opposite Brenden Schooler on punt coverage. His role basically going one-for-one to waiver wire pickup Charles Woods could happen.
2024 class takes another hit: There was plenty of talk about the Patriots’ 2024 draft class leading up to cutdown day, but in the end three out of the original eight selections that year made it onto the roster. One of those has now been removed, with another — third-round guard Caedan Wallace — playing a backup role along the interior offensive line.
The only member of the 2024 draft class truly locked into his spot on the roster is starting quarterback Drake Maye.
Of course, three other 2024 draft picks currently reside on injured reserve: WR Ja’Lynn Polk, OL Layden Robinson and CB Marcellas Dial Jr. are all out for the year. In addition, 2024 undrafted rookie signing Dell Pettus remains on the active roster alongside Maye and Wallace.
Minor cap impact (Pt. 3): Removing Baker from the 53-man roster also removes his base salaries from the Patriots’ books in 2025, 2026 and 2027 (i.e. the remainder of his rookie deal). That means that the team will have cap savings of $960,000, $1.075 million and $1.19 million, respectively, in each of those seasons.
His remaining signing bonus, meanwhile, will remain on New England’s books as dead cap: $204,149 in 2025 plus $408,298 — the combined sums of the next two seasons — in 2026.
