Tag: Patriots roster cuts

Every NFL team’s most surprising roster cut (or trade)

Highlighting the most shocking roster cut (or trade) for each NFL team.

With the preseason in the books, every NFL team has now trimmed their roster to the league-mandated 53 players. While these rosters will certainly undergo changes over the next couple of days, each team has their initial 53-man roster set.

But when going from 90 to 53 players, there are some tough calls NFL general managers have to make in the process. And there were certainly some shocking moves across the league during the final roster cuts, which should make for some interesting moves on the waiver wire.

We’ve rounded up our NFL Wires editors to highlight the most surprising roster cut from every NFL team.

Stunned Patriots Twitter reacts to QB Bailey Zappe being cut

Patriots fans were completely caught off guard by Bailey Zappe’s release.

There was always the possibility of a Bill Belichick surprise, but not even New England Patriots fans could prepare themselves for the shocking roster news that dropped on Tuesday.

Second-year quarterback Bailey Zappe, who turned into a fan-favorite when stepping in for an injured Mac Jones last season, was released by the team.

Zappe served as Jones’ top backup on the roster, and that was expected to remain the case throughout the 2023 season. But the Patriots are seemingly going in a completely different direction considering they also released rookie Malik Cunningham and veteran Trace McSorley.

Jones is currently the only quarterback on their roster.

Of course, that left Patriots Twitter with plenty to debate about in the aftermath of one of the most shocking headlines regarding the 53-man roster deadline. Here’s what people were saying after the move.

Report: Patriots released QB Trace McSorely on Monday

The Patriots are now down to three quarterbacks.

The New England Patriots released quarterback Trace McSorley on Monday afternoon, ahead of Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline. This was reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

McSorley was signed by the Patriots to a one-year deal on April 13. His play was limited in the preseason, where he recorded a completion for four yards.

The emergence of Malik Cunningham throughout the course of the preseason certainly did not help McSorley’s case in the quarterback room. Cunningham’s positional versatility was praised by coach Bill Belichick earlier Monday, and that versatility could translate in the quarterback room, assuming he sticks around on the roster.

McSorley started his career as a sixth-round draft pick in a backup quarterback role for the Baltimore Ravens in 2019. Only time will tell what the future holds for the former Penn State standout.

As for the Patriots, another release means the team is one step closer to finalizing their 53-man roster and setting their sights on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Sept. 10 regular season opener.

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Report: Patriots cutting veteran P Corliss Waitman

The Patriots have made a decision at punter.

The New England Patriots have made their decision at punter.

Per the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed, the team opted to cut veteran Corliss Waitman on Monday, ahead of Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline.

Waitman competed valiantly throughout training camp and the preseason, but the Patriots have ultimately decided to go with rookie sixth-round draft pick Bryce Baringer as the starter.

It isn’t a surprise considering what the team invested in Baringer, who showed off a strong leg with kicks being blasted as far as 65 yards. There is tremendous upside with the former Michigan State Spartan.

As for Waitman, another opportunity will surely come elsewhere, if he doesn’t end up back in New England as a member of the team’s practice squad.

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Patriots roster cuts: Tracking the path to 53 players

Tracking all of the Patriots’ roster cuts.

It’s one of the toughest times of the year for NFL teams to cut their 90-man rosters down to 53 players by Tuesday’s deadline. That means New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is going to have to make some hard decisions, and he won’t have long to make them.

NFL teams must have their rosters in compliance by 4 pm. ET.

The Patriots got a head start over the weekend by making multiple roster cuts after the preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans. Perhaps the biggest question marks involve the fates of rookies Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and Malik Cunningham.

Given Belichick’s history, we are likely due a surprise or two with the final roster. Here’s every player that has reportedly been cut by the Patriots so far.

Did multiple practice absences reveal Patriots’ next round of cuts?

Patriots might have indirectly revealed recent round of roster cuts.

The New England Patriots returned to the practice field on Sunday with several notable absences.

With the 53-man deadline slated for Tuesday, the team has been hard at work whittling down their roster. Cornerback Quandre Mosely, defensive lineman Carl Davis and linebacker Carson Wells have all reportedly been cut by the team.

Here’s the full list of players that were missing at practice, per NESN’s Zack Cox:

TE Johnny Lumpkin

S Brad Hawkins

TE Scotty Washington

OL Micah Vanterpool

CB Rodney Randle

DL Justus Tavai

RB C.J. Marable

LB Diego Fagot

All of the above players were considered potential roster cuts in training camp. So none of the names on this list would come as any surprise if they don’t make the team.

The Patriots have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to get their roster down to 53 players. That means coach Bill Belichick still has more work to do before turning the page to the regular season.

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Reading the room: Evaluating running backs on Patriots’ roster

Not having Damien Harris on the roster opens the door for a new star to emerge at the Patriots’ running back position.

After the departure of Damien Harris, the New England Patriots have a wide open running backs room behind budding star Rhamondre Stevenson.

Some teams like similar scheme fit running backs, and some like having situational backs who have different roles. Meanwhile, other teams like clones of their top guy so the game plan stays the same.

It’ll be hard to predict just exactly what the Patriots do, but one thing is for sure: They like to have variety and flexibility. This is why we started this series. It was so we could look at the position group with a wider lens, rather than just wanting four running backs on the roster.

Today, we’re diving into what roles the running backs play and why the Patriots philosophically have them on the roster in 2023.

3 salary cap moves for Patriots if they land DeAndre Hopkins

Here are some other moves the Patriots could make to maintain a healthy salary cap situation if they land DeAndre Hopkins.

With the New England Patriots rumored to have a visit lined up with All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins, there are potential cap casualties and players who could be on the bubble to make room.

The Patriots have some options to maneuver the cap and bring in the star wideout.

As of now, the Patriots have around $13,287,568 in cap space, according to Miguel Benzan (@PatsCap on Twitter), and it would be enough to fit Hopkins on the roster.

However, each year the Patriots reserve around $13-$18 million in cap space for moves throughout the season, like practice squad salaries, incentives and other player operation costs.

So even if they were to give Hopkins the money he wants, assuming it’s within the $13.2 million per year range, they would likely need to clear up an additional $15 million at some point. This is easier for the Patriots than other teams to do, since they have less on the books for future years, and less roster spots in 2024 and 2025. They also have less dead money than a lot of teams who have been pushing money around to compete.

Even if Hopkins were to sign and they were to structure the contract to have a low Year 1 cap hit, there are a few likely moves that would happen in a ripple effect for the team.

Using Over The Cap’s interactive cap tool, we’re going to work off the assumption that Hopkins could sign a three-year, $39 million contract with $29 million guaranteed and $21 million due at signing.

Hopkins’ cap hits would be $8 million in 2023, $15 million in 2024 and $16 million in 2025, which is more than fine for one of the best NFL receivers of the past decade, even if he will be 33 years old at the end of the contract.

In 2025, the team could save $7 million with a $9 million cap hit for cutting him outright. They would then have Hopkins, Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas under contract for 2024.

To get back down to the $13-$15 million range, the Patriots would have some options after signing Hopkins to this hypothetical deal.