Veteran Carl Davis Jr. among first round of Patriots roster cuts
FOXBORO -- The next day-and-a-half is the most difficult time of the year for NFL teams. By 4 p.m. Tuesday, all teams need to have their roster down to 53 players.
That requires a lot of trimming between now and then, and teams saying goodbye to a lot of players. The Patriots got the ball rolling on Sunday, releasing 11 players:
DL Carl Davis Jr.
LB Diego Fagot
DB Brad Hawkins Jr.
TE Johnny Lumpkin
RB C.J. Marable
DB Quandre Mosely
DB Rodney Randle Jr.
DL Justus Tavai
OL Micah Vanterpool
TE Scotty Washington
LB Carson Wells
The only somewhat surprising move is the release of the 31-year-old Davis, who played in 33 of the team's 34 games over the last two seasons.
Bill Belichick spoke of making early roster decisions on Monday morning, and hopes that it helps deserving players find a new home.
"In some cases where the decision is clear cut, it helps the player get a head start on their future. If we don't have a spot for them here, because of the relationship we've had with those guys, maybe there is a spot for them somewhere else," said Belichick. "Giving them a chance to get out there ahead of the pack, put some feelers out or their agents can get a start on it."
Tavai and Washington are strong candidates to land on the New England practice squad once the cutdown dust settles.
In addition to Sunday's cuts, the Patriots also traded running back Pierre Strong Jr. to Cleveland for offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr., who they'll try to develop along the offensive line. New England also acquired offensive tackle Vederian Lowe, who will also be a project player along the line.
With Sunday's cuts and the pickups of Wheatley Jr. and Lowe, the Patriots roster currently sits at 79 players. So New England has a lot of work to do to get the roster down to 53 players before Tuesday afternoon.
