The New England Patriots began the process of cutting their roster down to 53 players on Saturday. After starting the day with 91 players, including roster-exempt offensive tackle Lorenz Metz, they currently stand at 73 following a series of releases and acquiring running back Corey Kiner via trade.
Let’s find out what it means for the Patriots from a big-picture perspective.
New England’s first wave of cuts did not include any surprises, as the Patriots largely released undrafted free agents who were buried on the depth chart. The harder decisions will come Sunday. Among them:
Did rookie Behren Morton do enough to warrant keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster? How will the offensive and defensive depth shake out in the trenches? Did a young pass rusher do enough to stick behind Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder? And who will emerge as the top backup cornerback in the secondary?
Practice squad candidates
The Patriots will finalize their initial 53-man roster by Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. The roster movement doesn’t stop as they will need to make space for any awarded waiver claims and then begin the process of putting together their 16 player practice squad.
New England’s developmental squad will primarily be built by players they have released over the last two days that clear waivers, which includes wide receiver Kyle Dixon, who impressed in the preseason finale hauling in all eight of his targets for 71 yards. Dixon could be joined by fellow wideouts Nick DeGennaro and/or Cameron Dorner.
Among the other players to watch are offensive lineman Jacob Rizy and Mehki Butler, linebacker Riley Wilson and safety Peter Manuma.
As the Patriots released cornerback Marcellas Dial Jr. on Saturday, Drake Maye is now the only remaining member of the 2024 draft class. The team had previously traded the only other member of that draft class to make it to 2026, offensive lineman Caedan Wallace, to the Dolphins.
From the 2022 to 2024 NFL Drafts, the Patriots have just four total players remaining — Maye, wide receiver DeMario Douglas, punter Bryce Baringer, and cornerback Marcus Jones. For a team that lacks depth, as admitted by head coach Mike Vrabel after the preseason game versus the Eagles, that is a the top reason why.
Salary cap considerations
Saturday’s cuts did little to change New England’s salary-cap picture, as most of the players released or waived were carrying minimum-salary contracts, with several not counting toward the team’s top-51 cap number. Perhaps the most notable change was replacing Hassan Haskins’ $1.145 million cap charge with that of trade acquisition Corey Kiner, who carries a $1.005 million charge.
In total, the Patriots still have more than $30 million in cap space, giving them plenty of flexibility moving forward.
The Patriots released/waived 19 players on Friday night and Saturday, leaving their current roster at 73 players. They must make at least 20 more cuts by Sunday at 6 p.m. ET to get down to 53 players.
In order to stay on top of all the latest cuts and releases, please make sure to regularly visit our Patriots roster cuts tracker.
