5 takeaways from Patriots’ roster cuts, selections on 53-man roster
New England Patriots
New England nonetheless has some critical considerations about depth throughout a number of areas of its roster after making almost 40 cuts over the weekend.
Mike Vrabel, Elliott Wolf, and the remainder of the Patriots’ prime brass had a busy weekend — with New England chopping almost 40 gamers from its coaching camp roster to get to a 53-man squad earlier than common season motion.
Right here is New England’s present 53-man roster:
Because the Patriots now probably comb the remainder of the NFL for waiver-wire pickups or different roster additions, listed here are 5 takeaways from an eventful couple of days in Foxborough:
Patriots get readability on murky roster battle with commerce
The Patriots may like what they’ve within the floor sport with their 1-2 punch of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
However who slots in behind these two was an ongoing query all through the summer season, particularly after each Terrell Jennings and Myles Montgomery have been misplaced for the yr on account of damage.
Coming into the weekend, it seemed as if that RB3 spot was going to return right down to both Hassan Haskins — a bodily, between-the-tackles runner with a decrease ceiling than different choices — or Lan Larison, a flexible, pass-catching again who didn’t impress all that a lot throughout preseason play.
Fairly than probably accept Haskins, New England as a substitute struck forward of any waiver-wire purchasing by buying and selling for former Cardinals again Corey Kiner — dealing away the 2028 seventh-round decide it acquired within the Kayshon Boutte commerce to usher in reinforcements at RB.
Kiner might not be poised for a featured function on Josh McDaniels’ offense.
However there may be a minimum of extra upside with the 2025 undrafted free agent — and his profile as a shifty working again with pass-catching capabilities provides New England an added wrinkle that might come in useful to spell each Stevenson and Henderson at occasions.
Although Kiner’s stats final season in Arizona could not essentially leap off the web page (12 rushes for 48 yards over 4 video games), he did pop throughout preseason motion with the Cardinals this summer season — recording 180 dashing yards and two touchdowns whereas additionally posting 28 receiving yards.
The writing was seemingly on the wall that Kiner was a lower candidate for the Cardinals. However with New England thirty first on the waiver-wire order this summer season, the Patriots primarily coughed up a seventh-rounder with a view to lower the road and ensure they solidify some depth in its working again room.
Landry’s begin on PUP checklist a foul signal for New England’s prime Achilles’ heel
Vrabel tried to sign some optimism on Thursday night time when requested in regards to the possibilities of each veteran edge rusher Harold Landry and special-teams ace Brenden Schooler making the 53-man roster.
Landry and Schooler missed all of coaching camp and preseason motion whereas on the bodily unable to carry out (PUP) checklist and non-football damage/sickness (NFI) checklist, respectively.
“These guys stayed again, Brenden Schooler and Harold each stayed again, and so they have to have the ability to go sure issues, as a result of as soon as you are taking them off, that’s form of what it’s,” Vrabel stated after New England’s preseason finale in opposition to the Browns. “And so we simply wish to be very cautious and good with them and never power them into something.
“However on the identical observe that if they will do and comparatively carry out the place we anticipate them to, or the place they anticipate themselves to, that may very well be a risk that we may have the ability to deliver these guys off.”
In the end, each Landry and Schooler ran out of runway — with New England holding each Landry (PUP) and Schooler (NFI) on their respective lists to open the 2026 season. As such, each gamers will miss a minimum of the primary 4 video games of the 2026 season.
Dropping Schooler is a heavy blow to New England’s special-teams unit, the place he has thrived because the crew’s gunner over the previous couple of years. However the uncertainty surrounding Landry’s well being is a serious setback for a Patriots’ edge-rushing group that was already skinny coming into the yr.
New England has a couple of key cogs within the trenches that may generate strain in Milton Williams and Christian Barmore. However the personnel behind that D-line isn’t precisely all that stacked, particularly with Landry (8.5 sacks) now on the shelf on account of a knee damage.
Even when Landry does return in some unspecified time in the future this season, the 30-year-old Boston School product goes to wish a while to ramp up — and it’s unclear simply how regular that ailing knee is, particularly after his manufacturing declined sharply within the second half of final yr.
Had Landry been wholesome, there would nonetheless be a variety of query marks surrounding New England’s pass-rushing crew this season — contemporary off a yr the place solely six NFL franchises recorded fewer sacks than the Patriots (35.0) throughout common season play.
Dre’Mont Jones is a pleasant pick-up in free company, however does New England also have a substitute for offseason departure Okay’Lavon Chaisson (7.5 sacks) — not to mention Landry’s anticipated absence?
New England goes to must financial institution on a second-year leap from Elijah Ponder, whereas 2026 second-round decide Gabe Jacas may be handed regular reps out of the gate — even when the Illinois product continues to be very, very uncooked.
If there may be excellent news on the damage entrance, New England didn’t must designate both punter Bryce Baringer or offensive lineman Ben Brown for a stint on injured reserve or the PUP checklist — which may sign each may very well be again throughout the subsequent 4 weeks.
Swing sort out a sneaky space of concern for New England
With regards to depth considerations on New England’s roster, many of the focus has revolved across the protection — particularly in relation to the Patriots’ backup corners, linebackers, and edge rushers.
However New England is enjoying a harmful sport with their backup offensive line at this level, particularly after the Patriots positioned second-year professional Marcus Bryant on injured reserve on Sunday.
Bryant must be considered as one in every of New England’s prime success tales this summer season, with the 6-foot-7, 320-pound sort out going from a possible roster-bubble participant into New England’s anticipated swing sort out after a really sturdy coaching camp.
However Bryant suffered an damage throughout New England’s preseason sport in opposition to the Eagles, placing him on the shelf for a minimum of the primary 4 video games of the 2026 season.
Although New England may like what it has in beginning tackles Will Campbell and Morgan Moses, having Bryant in place as a security blanket was much more reassuring than New England’s present depth chart — which could have rookie Caleb Lomu as the following man up if accidents come up.
A few of these fears have been bolstered when the Patriots acquired a third-year professional in sort out Walter Rouse on Sunday as a possible stop-gap choice to additional insulate Lomu away from common reps.
Lomu has had an up-and-down summer season for New England, with the 2026 first-round decide each holding his personal at occasions and getting beat decisively in 1-on-1 drills and on blitzes throughout preseason motion.
The Patriots possible aren’t sounding the alarms on Lomu fairly but, however the 21-year-old sort out would seemingly profit from a real “redshirt” kind of season in 2026 earlier than getting a shot at stepping right into a larger function in 2027.
Such a situation was fairly viable had Bryant not been injured. But when Bryant is sidelined for an prolonged stretch and Lomu is thrown right into a baptism by hearth this fall on account of different accidents, issues may get fairly ugly within the trenches for New England.
Three UDFAs make the lower
The Patriots have had loads of success through the years in bringing in undrafted free brokers (UDFAs) who carve out key roles — together with Malcolm Butler, David Andrews, Jonathan Jones, JC Jackson, Jakobi Meyers, Brenden Schooler, and others.
In whole, New England has had a UDFA make its preliminary 53-man roster in 22 of the final 23 seasons.
And this yr, New England had three UDFAs make the lower: tight finish Tanner Arkin, cornerback Channing Canada, and linebacker Khalil Jacobs.
Arkin, an Illinois product, wasn’t a lot of a shock, as New England has desperately wanted a hard-nosed, blocking tight finish to switch free-agent pickup Julian Hill — who suffered a season-ending damage throughout OTAs earlier this summer season.
He’s not flashy, however Arkin ought to have the ability to land some welts and clear an area within the floor sport this yr when referred to as upon.
Jacobs, a rotational participant at Missouri who had just one pre-draft go to (in New England) this spring, was an early standout in camp.
Whereas it seemed as if Chad Muma or Okay.J. Britt have been the early favorites to snag the third linebacker spot behind Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss, Jacobs stood out on account of his versatility this summer season — dialing up strain on blitzes whereas additionally dropping again in protection to interrupt up passes.
Jacobs has been sidelined with an damage as of late, however he may very well be a extremely versatile software in Zak Kuhr’s protection this yr.
Canada — a promising defensive again out of TCU — was a little bit of a shock, with the 24-year-old nook leapfrogging veteran Kindle Vildor to seize a spot on the 53-man roster.
Granted, nearly all of New England’s backup corners labored on Thursday in opposition to the Browns — which possible harm Vildor’s inventory forward of cutdown day.
However Canada nonetheless has some upside, whereas his worth on particular groups additionally possible separated him from the pack.
In whole, 11 of New England’s 53-man roster are rookies — together with eight of the crew’s 9 draft picks from April.
2024 is wanting like a catastrophe of a draft … kind of
The excellent news? The Patriots discovered their franchise quarterback with the third-overall decide within the 2024 NFL Draft in Drake Maye.
The unhealthy information? The remainder of New England’s eight-player draft class that yr has been an entire catastrophe.
It wasn’t essentially a lot of a shock that cornerback Marcellas Dial didn’t make the lower this weekend, with the 25-year-old defensive again unable to leapfrog different depth choices like Kindle Vildor.
However Dial’s launch implies that New England doesn’t have any of its personal 2024 draft picks left on its roster past Maye.
Right here’s a painful reminder of that draft class:
- Spherical 1 (third total): Drake Maye, QB – Nonetheless in New England
- Spherical 2 (thirty seventh total): Ja’Lynn Polk, WR – traded after one season, now retired
- Spherical 3 (68th total): Caedan Wallace, OT – traded to Miami throughout ‘26 camp
- Spherical 4 (103rd total): Layden Robinson, G – waived after one season
- Spherical 4 (one hundred and tenth total): Javon Baker, WR – launched after one season
- Spherical 6 (one hundred and eightieth total): Marcellas Dial Jr., CB – waived after two seasons
- Spherical 6 (193rd total): Joe Milton III, QB – traded to Dallas after one season
- Spherical 7 (231st total): Jaheim Bell, TE – launched after one season
Contemplating the entire discourse over the previous couple of weeks about New England’s lack of depth throughout the roster, it’s unattainable to disregard how years of poor drafting underneath Invoice Belichick and Eliot Wolf — particularly in 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024 — have left a seemingly contending roster nonetheless missing when it comes to each reliable replacements and cost-effective inside choices.
New England’s reliance on utilizing free company to shore up a number of holes throughout the depth chart hasn’t stung this crew thus far, however issues may get ugly transferring ahead because the Patriots brace for record-setting offers for Christian Gonzalez and Maye.
In what may be a telling signal of the turnover in Foxborough as of late, 41 of the 53 gamers on New England’s present roster is made up of gamers acquired since Vrabel took over in January 2025.
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