After Sunday’s final game of the season against Washington, the New England Patriots had 89 players on the active roster. With the NFL roster deadline fast approaching, that meant 36 moves had to be made to get under the 53-man limit.
The Patriots ultimately made 37 changes, as listed in our Patriots Roster Cuts Tracker. The full list, broken down into different categories for easy reference, is as follows:
Patriots players released
Players with less than four years of experience are subject to waivers. This means the next 30 players must first go through waivers – where they can be claimed by any NFL team – before hitting the open market.
- LS Tucker Addington
- WR Kawaan Baker
- S Joshua Bledsoe
- EN William Bradley-King
- DT Josiah Bronson
- LB Steele Chambers
- OT Kellen Diesch
- RB Deshaun Fenwick
- OL Liam Fornadel
- Linebacker Joe Giles-Harris
- RB Kevin Harris
- CB Azizi Hearn
- OT Zuri Henry
- RB Terrell Jennings
- ED Kobe Jones
- WR Matt Landers
- OL Atonio Mafi
- ED Christian McCarroll
- TE La’Michael Pettway
- EN Sam Roberts
- ED Jotham Russell
- K Chad Ryland
- S AJ Thomas
- OL Charles Turner III
- CB Mikey Victor
- CB Shaun Wade
- WR David Wallis
- TE Jacob Warren
- TE Mitchell Wilcox
- QB Bailey Zappe
The lion’s share of the cuts made Monday and Tuesday were of the waiver variety, and as noted above, all of the players listed here must now be claimed by other clubs before they can potentially return to the Patriots’ practice squad.
As for the list itself, it mostly features backup players whose chances of making the 53-man roster were slim to begin with. However, there are a few names worth mentioning, including quarterback Bailey Zappe, running back Kevin Harris, cornerback Shaun Wade and kicker Chad Ryland.
Zappe has been a spot starter for the Patriots over the past two seasons, appearing in 14 games with eight starts since his rookie season in 2022. Harris was battling for the third running back spot and is actually one of the more surprising exclusions. Wade was used as a top rotation cornerback at times in training camp. Ryland found himself in a two-way battle for the kicker job, which he held in 2023.
Patriots players placed in reserve/NFI
The list of injuries/illnesses outside of football was expanded to include a new addition on cut day:
- DT Christian Barmore (DFR)
The Patriots’ stalwart defensive tackle was diagnosed with blood clots early in training camp, putting his future in doubt. However, the team is apparently optimistic about his prospects and has designated him for a return, and he will be eligible to rejoin the active roster after Week 4.
Patriots player placed on injured list
The players listed here were all placed on the injured list before the roster reduction deadline. One of them is expected to return, the others are out for the rest of the year:
- OT Calvin Anderson
- DT Armon Watts
- S/LB Marte Mapu (DFR)
Sophomore Marte Mapu, who is reportedly recovering “week by week” from an unspecified injury, will begin the season on the injured list, but like Christian Barmore, he can be activated off the list at a later date.
The same cannot be said for Calvin Anderson and Armon Watts, who were both placed on the injured list with no option to be activated later. They join three other players – OL Jake Andrews, OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and WR JaQuae Jackson – as players on the injured list who will be out for the rest of the season.
Patriots player placed in reserve/PUP
The following players have been moved from the active list to the reserve list due to physical incapacity. They will remain with the Patriots but will not count toward the 53-man roster limit.
- WR Kendrick Bourne
- G. Cole Strange
- LB Sione Takitaki
The Patriots began the cutdown week with three players on Active/PUP, and all three have since updated their status to Reserve/PUP. That means they will sit out at least the first four games of the season, though a comeback is of course dependent on medical clearance.
Kendrick Bourne and Sione Takitaki are both recovering from knee injuries, while Cole Strange tore his patellar tendon last December.
