The Patriots have informed rookie punter Corey Bojorquez of their intention to waive him, per a source. He didn't punt in a preseason game, but showed a big leg in practice. — Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 1, 2018<doc-sep>The New England Patriots are under the NFL’s 53-man roster limit. In fact, the team has elected to carry only 52 men on its current squad, which means that there will be more moves coming over the next few hours to finalize the roster heading into the regular season. In order to get to the limit, the Patriots announced that the following players have been released in addition to the ones that have already been reported: OL Cole Croston RB Kenneth Farrow OL James Ferentz DT Trent Harris FB Henry Poggi OL Brian Schwenke The biggest name on this list is offensive lineman Cole Croston, who was kept on the 53-man team last year as a versatile depth piece. However, it seems as if the team has elected to keep only three offensive tackles around for now: starters Trent Brown and Marcus Cannon, and top backup LaAdrian Waddle. Furthermore, New England has placed to additional players on injured reserve: OL Isaiah Wynn LB Christian Sam While Wynn was expected to get moved to injured reserve, Sam is a bit of a surprise since there were no reports of him suffering an injury. Still, his season is now over: as both players were moved to injured reserve before the cutdown deadline, they cannot be reactivated during the season. Finally, the Patriots have also placed wide receiver Julian Edelman on the reserve/suspended list. The veteran will miss the first four games of the season and not count against the 53-man roster limit.<doc-sep>One of the NFL’s busiest weekends is upon us: by Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET, every one of the league’s 32 franchises will have cut its roster down to 53 men. This means that hundreds of players are about to hit waivers and the open market over the next few hours. Consequently, there will not only be plenty of releases but also a lot of other transactions: trades, waiver wire pickups, and free agency signings will all take place. To not get lost in all the craziness, make sure to regularly visit our New England Patriots roster cuts tracker: we will compile the latest rumors, news, and instant analysis here, and also count down to how many more men will have to go in order for the team to bring its squad under the 53-man regular season limit. All in all, the team will have to move 36 of the currently 89 players under contract. There are multiple ways of doing that: Release Releasing players is the most common option on cutdown weekend to reduce the number of players under contract: a player’s deal is terminated and he either hits open market if he has more than four seasons on his résumé, or the the waiver wire if he is less experienced than that. After having played in last year’s Super Bowl, New England is 31st on the waiver wire order. Reserve list To reduce the number of men under contract, teams can also place players on one of the various reserve lists. Injured reserve the most common one: players that have suffered an injury and will be out for an extended period of time get placed there – and possibly return if they get moved to the list after 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Some of the Patriots’ candidates to be placed are offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn (Achilles) and linebacker Harvey Langi (kidney). New England also will place wide receiver Julian Edelman on the reserve/suspended list at the cut-down deadline: the veteran is banned for the first four weeks of the season, which means that he will not count against the team’s roster but simultaneously can also not communicate with the team or its staff in any capacity. Trade New England made plenty of trades during last year’s roster cutdowns: two players were moved off the team, three others were acquired. While this does not automatically mean that the Patriots will again be active on the trade market this year, it shows that they are willing to use trades to bolster their roster or draft capital. Trades should therefore be expected to happen. Patriots releases/departures/etc. SS Jordan Richards: traded to Atlanta for a 2020 seventh round pick WR Paul Turner: released RB Khalfani Muhammad: released OG Jason King: released WR Devin Lucien: released DT Frank Herron: released CB Ryan Lewis: released RB Ralph Webb: released SS Damarius Travis: released OG Luke Bowanko: released with injury settlement OT Ulrick John: placed on injured reserve DT John Atkins: released DE Eric Lee: released DT Vincent Valentine: released WR K.J. Maye: released CB Cyrus Jones: released WR Braxton Berrios: placed on injured reserve RB Mike Gillislee: released CB Jomal Wiltz: released P Corey Bojorquez: released QB Danny Etling: released DB A.J. Moore: released LB Marquis Flowers: released OT Matt Tobin: released LB Harvey Langi: released RB Brandon Bolden: released WR Riley McCarron: released TE Will Tye: released with injury designation OL Cole Croston: released RB Kenneth Farrow: released OL James Ferentz: released DT Trent Harris: released FB Henry Poggi: released OL Brian Schwenke: released OT Isaiah Wynn: placed on injured reserve LB Christian Sam: placed on injured reserve WR Julian Edelman: placed on reserve/suspended list Patriots acquisitions None so far. Patriots cut-down tracker August 31 moves New England has traded former second-round draft pick Jordan Richards to the Atlanta Falcons. The Patriots now have 88 players on their roster. New England has released wide receiver Paul Turner, who has had a quiet preseason and training camp. The Patriots now have 87 players on their roster. New England has released running back Khalfani Muhammad, who was recently signed to the team. The Patriots now have 86 players on their roster. New England has released offensive lineman Jason King. The Patriots now have 85 players on their roster. New England announces the release of cornerback Ryan Lewis, wide receiver Devin Lucien, and defensive tackle Frank Herron. The Patriots now have 82 players on their roster. September 1 moves New England has released running back Ralph Webb. The Patriots now have 81 players on their roster. New England has released strong safety Damarius Travis and offensive guard Luke Bowanko. Bowanko is dealing with a foot injury and received a settlement. The Patriots now have 79 players on their roster. New England is expected to place offensive tackle Ulrick John on injured reserve. He tore a tendon in his foot in the final preseason game. The Patriots now have 78 players on their roster. New England has released defensive tackle John Atkins. The undrafted rookie was a long shot to make the team. The Patriots now have 77 players on their roster. New England has released defensive edge Eric Lee. A mid-season addition last year, Lee had a quiet summer. The Patriots now have 76 players on their roster. New England has released defensive tackle Vincent Valentine. The former third-round draft pick spent all of 2017 on injured reserve. The Patriots now have 75 players on their roster. New England is expected to place tight end Ryan Izzo on injured reserve. The Patriots now have 74 players on their roster. New England has released wide receiver K.J. Maye. A late free agency signing, he was not expected to make the team in the first place. The Patriots now have 73 players on their roster. New England has released cornerback Cyrus Jones. The former second-round pick spent all of 2017 on injured reserve. The Patriots now have 72 players on their roster. New England will place wide receiver Braxton Berrios on injured reserve. The undrafted rookie was fighting for a spot as a depth wideout and punt returner.<doc-sep>The NFL’s cut-down day came and went on Saturday. As usual, the Patriots made a few surprising moves to set their first 53-man roster of the 2018 season. Perhaps the most surprising was that the Pats roster currently only has 52 players on it meaning there’s more moves to come. The Patriots cut 26 players - Mike Gillislee, Cyrus Jones, Marquis Flowers, Brandon Bolden, Will Tye, Riley McCarron, Matt Tobin, Vincent Valentine, Eric Lee, John Atkins, Jason King, Ralph Webb, Luke Bowanko, Damarius Travis, K.J. Maye, Jomal Wiltz, Corey Bojorquez, Danny Etling, A.J. Moore, Harvey Langi, Cole Croston, Kenneth Farrow, James Ferenz, Trent Harris, Henry Poggi and Brian Schwenke. The team also placed Isaiah Wynn, Braxton Berrios, Christian Sam and Ulrick John on the injured reserve. Julian Edelman will be placed on the suspended list. Here’s how the Patriots roster shakes out: Quarterback Tom Brady Brian Hoyer The Patriots are set here as long as Brady wants to play and can play at a high level. The Patriots ‘depth’ hinges on Brady and his health. At 41, he still looks elite. Hoyer knows the system and is a fine backup quarterback. Etling, a seventh-round pick, didn’t make the cut and could be bound for the practice squad. Running back Rex Burkhead James White Sony Michel Jeremy Hill Gillislee started last year as the Pats starter, but was inactive by the end of the season and now cut. The Pats also let go of Bolden, core special teamer. Burkhead and Michel are both dealing with knee injuries, but the Pats must feel comfortable with White and Hill. White could have a big year as a receiver with Edelman out. Wide receiver Chris Hogan Phillip Dorsett Cordarrelle Patterson With Julian Edelman suspended, this group will be under a watchful eye to start the season and they’re currently thin. McCarron was a surprise cut. It was thought he’d add depth in the slot and help as a punt returner. Hogan will be forced to step up. Dorsett and Patterson had solid summers and have a chance to contribute. Tight end Rob Gronkowski Dwayne Allen Jacob Hollister James Develin Ryan Izzo The Pats have good depth at tight end. Gronk says he feels better this year than he did last. Allen took a pay cut to stick around. Hollister looked improved this summer. Develin is one of the best fullbacks in the NFL. Izzo will be placed on the injured reserve after Saturday, which will allow him to come back this season. Offensive line Trent Brown Joe Thuney David Andrews Shaq Mason Marcus Cannon LaAdrian Waddle Ted Karras According to The Athletic, Cannon should be ready to play in Week 1. The Patriots are light here with just Waddle and Karras as their backups. Croston and Tobin were minor surprise cuts. Expect Brown, Thuney, Andrews and Mason to start with Cannon. It’ll be interesting to see if Cannon can stay healthy. If not, Waddle will be needed at right tackle this season. Defensive end Trey Flowers Adrian Clayborn Deatrich Wise Derek Rivers Keionta Davis Geneo Grissom Davis was a big surprise this offseason. He wasn’t drafted due to a neck injury and sat out last year. The Pats have good depth here with Flowers, Clayborn, Wise and Rivers. Grissom is a surprise here. We’ll see how long he sticks. The group looks improved from a year ago. An improved pass rush could work wonders and even help the secondary out. Defensive tackle Danny Shelton Malcom Brown Lawrence Guy Adam Butler Shelton looked like the best run stuffer this preseason. He headlines a deep and talented group with Brown, Guy and Butler. The Patriots are deep here so they cut ties with Valentine, a 2016 third-round pick. Linebacker Dont’a Hightower Kyle Van Noy Ja’Whaun Bentley Elandon Roberts Nicholas Grigsby Bentley, a fifth-round pick, looked like the Patriots best rookie this summer. The hope here is that Hightower can stay healthy. Van Noy is coming off his best season in the NFL. Grigsby beat out Flowers for a roster spot. Roberts is back after starting last year at middle linebacker. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore Eric Rowe Jonathan Jones Duke Dawson Keion Crossen JC Jackson The Patriots had a lot of competition at the bottom of the depth chart this summer. Gilmore is poised for a breakout year. Rowe also looked solid this preseason. It looks like Jones won the slot corner spot. Since Jackson made the team, the Patriots have now had an undrafted free agent on their initial 53-man roster for 15 years straight. Crossen, a seventh rounder, shows elite athleticism and potential. Safety Devin McCourty Patrick Chung Duron Harmon Jason McCourty Nate Ebner By trading away Jordan Richards on Friday, the Patriots had a spot left for Jason McCourty, who switched to safety two weeks ago. The Pats are loaded at this position with Devin McCourty, Harmon and Chung. Expect them to play those three safeties a lot this season. Special teams Stephon Gostkowski Ryan Allen Joe Cardona Matthew Slater Brandon King This went as expected as undrafted punter Corey Bojorquez didn’t take any snaps this preseason. Could he be bound for the practice squad? It looks like that might be the case. The trio of Gostkowski, Allen and Cardona return for another season.<doc-sep>
The NFL’s roster cut deadline has come and gone and the New England Patriots are now under the 53-man deadline. In fact, the team currently has only 52 players under contract, with one of them – rookie tight end Ryan Izzo – expected to be headed to injured reserve soon. With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the Patriots’ first active roster of the season. Quarterback (2): Tom Brady , Brian Hoyer No surprises at the quarterback position: Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer were the clear-cut top two entering the year, with rookie Danny Etling not showing enough over the summer to warrant a spot on the active roster. Running back (5): James White , Rex Burkhead , Sony Michel , Jeremy Hill , James Develin One of the deepest positions on the roster, the running back corps appeared to be set in stone the moment Sony Michel suffered an injury in practice that allowed Jeremy Hill to see additional snaps and make the most out of them. Special teams ace Brandon Bolden has been released but could return at a later point. Wide receiver (4): Chris Hogan , Phillip Dorsett , Cordarrelle Patterson , Matthew Slater The lightest position on the team features only three pure wide receivers: Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson will all see plenty of playing time until fellow wide receiver Julian Edelman returns from his suspension, and moves to add more depth behind them should be expected over the next few days. Tight end (4): Rob Gronkowski , Dwayne Allen , Jacob Hollister , Ryan Izzo Even with Ryan Izzo expected to get moved to injured reserve, this is as solid a tight end group as any in the NFL – especially because of Rob Gronkowski. But even behind the league’s best player at the position, New England is deep with Dwayne Allen a strong blocker and Jacob Hollister a high-upside receiving option. Offensive line (7): Trent Brown , Joe Thuney , David Andrews , Shaq Mason , Marcus Cannon , Ted Karras , LaAdrian Waddle While the top five have been set since spring practices, the players behind them had to beat out their competition to earn spots on the team. While Ted Karras and LaAdrian Waddle did just that, New England could still add more backup options especially at offensive tackle. Defensive tackle (4): Malcom Brown , Danny Shelton , Lawrence Guy , Adam Butler Despite the release of former third-round draft pick Vincent Valentine, the Patriots have plenty of depth at the defensive tackle spot: Malcom Brown and Danny Shelton are the big run stuffers in the middle, with Adam Butler primarily a pass rusher. It will be interesting to see how the team uses Lawrence Guy this year. Defensive edge (6): Trey Flowers , Adrian Clayborn , Deatrich Wise Jr. , Derek Rivers , Keionta Davis , Geneo Grissom Compared to last year, the defensive edge might be the most improved position group on New England’s roster: Adrian Clayborn, Derek Rivers and Keionta Davis were all not on the active team one year ago but project to play prominent snaps alongside Trey Flowers and Deatrich Wise Jr. in 2018. The Patriots keeping Geneo Grissom around behind the top six is a minor surprise. Linebacker (5): Dont’a Hightower , Kyle Van Noy , Ja’Whaun Bentley , Elandon Roberts , Nicholas Grigsby Rookie Ja’Whaun Bentley being one of the top performers during the preseason is encouraging news for a linebacker corps that looks very similar to the one the Patriots fielded last year. Getting Dont’a Hightower back, however, makes the whole group better. Cornerback (7): Stephon Gilmore , Eric Rowe , Jonathan Jones , Jason McCourty , Duke Dawson , J.C. Jackson , Keion Crossen Another particularly deep group, the Patriots opted to keep seven cornerbacks around. One of them, training camp standout J.C. Jackson keeps New England’s streak of undrafted free agents making the opening day roster alive: for the 15th straight year, an unselected rookie has survived cutdown day. Safety (5): Devin McCourty , Patrick Chung , Duron Harmon , Brandon King , Nate Ebner While the group looks a bit thin on paper after the trade that sent Jordan Richards to the Atlanta Falcons yesterday, Jason McCourty could serve as an additional depth option behind the starting trio of Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon.