Patriots release 16 players to reach 53-man roster
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots and the rest of the NFL made some tough decisions on Tuesday, as every team had to trim its roster down to 53 players ahead of the league's 4 p.m. deadline.
Patriots announce Tuesday's roster moves to get roster to 53 players
That's a wrap, folk. The Patriots have officially announced that the following 16 players were released on Tuesday:
S Joshuah Bledsoe
T Kellen Diesch
OL Liam Fornadel
LB Joe Giles-Harris
RB Kevin Harris
RB Terrell Jennings
LB Kobe Jones
WR Matt Landers
G Atonio Mafi
DE Jotham Russell
K Chad Ryland
S A.J. Thomas
CB Shaun Wade
WR David Wallis
TE Mitchell Wilcox
QB Bailey Zappe
Three players will start the season on the PUP list: WR Kendrick Bourne, G Cole Strange, and LB Sione Takitaki.
Defensive tackle Christian Barmore was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List (designated to return) and OL Calvin Anderson, S Marte Mapu (designated to return) and DT Armon Watts were all placed on Injured Reserve.
Going back to Monday, the Patriots made 37 roster moves. As for the players who made the cut, receiver Kayshon Boutte made it after spending the last few days on the roster bubble.
We'll have much more on New England's initial 53-man roster for the 2024 season in a bit.
Pats release Joe Giles-Harris
The deadline has come and gone, but cuts continue to trickle in. The Pats have released linebacker Joe Giles-Harris, who made a strong push for a roster spot during the preseason.
In addition, linebacker Sione Takitaki will start the season on the PUP list, while Christian Barmore has been placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List (with a designation to return) and safety Marte Mapu on IR (designated to return).
All of those moves were reported by The Herald's Doug Kyed, who also reported that Calvin Anderson and Armon Watts have been placed on injured reserve.
Offensive lineman Atonio Mafi waived
Another lineman has been set free, with 2023 fifth-round pick Atonio Mafi being waived, according to the Herald's Doug Kyed. The Pats tried him out a center this summer, but the results were not very good.
With less than 15 minutes to the deadline, we're still waiting on decisions on players like linebackers Marte Mapu (who will likely start the season on IR) and Sione Takitaki (a PUP candidate), and receiver Kayshon Boutte.
Patriots waive cornerback Shaun Wade
The Patriots have made another somewhat surprising move, waiving corner Shaun Wade, according to The Herald's Doug Kyed. Wade had been the team's top slot corner for chunks of the summer, and has been in New England since the Pats traded for him in 2021.
The Pats have a few more moves to make to get the roster to 53 players.
Patriots waiving tackle Kellen Diesch
Despite their thin depth at tackle, the Patriots are reportedly waiving Kellen Diesch, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. Diesch was on the Steelers practice squad last season, and could be back in New England soon on the Patriots practice squad.
Patriots releasing veteran tackle Calvin Anderson
Calvin Anderson is being released by the Patriots with an injury designation, according to The Boston Globe's Christopher Price.
It's unfortunate that it never worked out with the Patriots and Anderson, who battled malaria last summer and then had his season end in November because of a heart contusion. He can now be claimed by another team, or he could revert to the New England injured list. The Patriots could opt to outright release him at that point with an injury settlement.
Joey Slye wins kicker competition as Patriots move on from Chad Ryland
The Chad Ryland era is over in New England, as the team is reportedly moving on from the second-year kicker, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Thank you for helping the team land Drake Maye.
Bill Belichick traded up to draft Ryland in the fourth round last year, but he was just 16-for-25 on his field goal attempts during his rookie season. He missed a 35-yard, potential game-tying field goal in the final seconds of a New England's Week 11 loss that helped the Patriots secure the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and land Maye.
The Patriots brought in Joey Slye in the offseason to complete with Ryland during camp, and the veteran beat him out by outkicking him at practice and going 3-for-3 on his field goal attempts in the first two games of the preseason. Slye was 0-for-2 on his kicks in Sunday night's finale, but both were from 60-yards out.
Slye has hit 82.3 percent of his field goal attempts over his five-year NFL career, split between the Panthers, Texans, 49ers, and Commanders.
The Patriots are also waiving defensive end Jotham Russell, according to The Boston Herald's Doug Kyed, with the hopes of bringing back former Australian rugby player to the practice squad.
Seven move to go before the Patriots' roster sits at 53.
Landers, Jones released by Patriots
Two more cuts, via Mark Daniels of MassLive.com: wide receiver Matt Landers and linebacker Kobe Jones.
The Pats signed Landers last week after JaQuae Jackson was placed on IR. Landers had a nice 34-yard reception against the Commanders in Sunday night's preseason finale.
The Pats are also parting ways with safety AJ Thomas (via The Boston Herald's Doug Kyed) and receiver/return man David Wallis (also from Kyed) the Patriots have seven more moves to make to get to a 53-man roster.
Wallis had some nice returns during the preseason, and should be back on the New England practice squad in a few days.
Surprising move: Kevin Harris released by Patriots
The Patriots are releasing running back Kevin Harris, according to Mark Daniels of MassLive.com, which would indicated that JaMycal Hasty has made the team.
Harris ran for just 37 yards on his 12 rushing attempts in the preseason, though he did make a nice move on Drake Maye's touchdown pass in Sunday night's finale. While the 2022 sixth-round pick never solidified a role for himself in New England, his release still comes as a bit of a surprise on Tuesday.
Hasty ran for 34 yards on his 11 carries during the exhibition season, but brings a lot more as a pass-catching back. He caught six passes for the Patriots during the preseason for 63 yards, which included a 23-yard catch-and-run from Maye against the Eagles.
The Patriots are also waiving offensive lineman Liam Fornadel, according to Christopher Price of The Boston Globe. The guard could potentially join the practice squad.
Bailey Zappe waived by Patriots
The Patriots are down to three QBs on the roster, as Bailey Zappe has reportedly been waived by New England. We'll see if Zappe ends up back on the team's practice squad, as he did last season when he was waived ahead of the regular season.
But chances are this is it for "Zappe Fever" in New England. With several teams looking for a backup quarterback, the 25-year-old could get a fresh start elsewhere.
Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, and Joe Milton III currently make up New England's depth chart at quarterback. The roster is at 69 players at the moment, so the Pats have 13 more moves to make over the next five hours.
Terrell Jennings waived by Patriots
The Boston Herald's Doug Kyed has reported three roster moves: Running back Terrell Jennings and safety Joshue Bledsoe are being waived, while defensive tackle Armon Watts is being released.
Jennings averaged 6.2 yards per carry during the preseason, and the undrafted rookie out of Florida A&M is a prime candidate to land on New England's practice squad.
Watts signed a one-year deal in the offseason, but fell behind the likes of Daniel Ekuale and Jeremiah Pharms Jr. on the depth chart. He did not play in the final preseason game because of an injury.
Patriots waive tight end Mitchell Wilcox
The Pats are moving on from Mitchell Wilcox, reportedly waiving the tight end according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
While that's not great for Wilcox, who played the previous three seasons for the Bengals, it's good news for sixth-round pick Jaheim Bell, who did all he could to secure a roster spot with a solid training camp and preseason.
Kendrick Bourne to start 2024 season on PUP
Receiver Kendrick Bourne will begin the year on the PUP list as he continues to receiver from the torn ACL he suffered last October, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Bourne played just eight games last season, but was one of the team's more productive receivers over that time. He's been solid in his three seasons with the team, catching 127 passes for 1,640 yards and 10 touchdowns over 41 game.
He won't be eligible to return until Week 5.
Cole Strange to start 2024 season on PUP
Patriots guard Cole Strange is going to start the season on PUP as he continues to recover from a knee injury, according to Mark Daniels of MassLive.com.
This is no surprise as Strange was sidelined for all of training camp with the injury, which ended his 2023 season after 10 games. The team does expect Strange to return during the 2024 season. He has started all 27 games he's appeared in for the Patriots since the team drafted him 29th overall in 2022.
Patriots release 14 players on Monday
The whole process started for New England on Monday, with the Patriots releasing the following 14 players:
LS Tucker Addington
WR Kawaan Baker
DE William Bradley-King
DT Josiah Bronson
LB Steele Chambers
RB Deshaun Fenwick
CB Azizi Hearn
T Zuri Henry
DE Christian McCarroll
TE La'Michael Pettway
DT Sam Roberts
C Charles Turner
CB Mikey Victor
TE Jacob Warren
None of those cuts are very surprising, as each of those 14 players spent training camp on the roster bubble. Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo will have much tougher decisions to make Tuesday afternoon.
Some names to keep an eye on include fourth-string QB Bailey Zappe, second-year receiver Kayshon Boutte, and second-year kicker Chad Ryland. The New England roster sits at 76 players heading into Tuesday.
Other ways NFL teams can get to a 53-man roster
Teams won't just be making cuts to get their roster to the mandated 53 players. Players will also be placed on IR, and there is a new rule in place this year that allows teams to designate two players on IR as eligible to return at the cutdown deadline. Those players will miss at least four games.
In past years, a player had to be on a team's initial 53-man roster for a business day in order to be eligible to return.
Teams will also use the PUP list, as players who remain on PUP don't count toward the 53-man roster. But they are ineligible to return to game action before Week 5 of the regular season.
Waiver process begins Wednesday
Waiver claims will start being processed by the league at noon on Wednesday. The Patriots are third in the waiver claim order, and Mayo expects the team to be busy once the process gets underway. He made it clear that the team will be scouring the waiver wire for help along the offensive line.
"I would also say looking out the front windshield, we have an opportunity to improve our team through the waiver wire. We're in a very unique situation right now where we're third on the waiver wire and there will be some good players that get released from their team. We're going to try to take advantage of that," Mayo said during his Monday morning appearance on WEEI.
"The starting guard or the starting tackle may not be on our team today, but we'll be able to see over the next couple of days who we're able to pick up," added Mayo.
