The New England Patriots will surely put a lot of brainpower into making their final decision for the 53-man roster. Every year, Bill Belichick toils over the puzzle of cutting down to 53 Patriots.
This year, we are likely to see a handful of truly difficult decisions from the Patriots, with Belichick seemingly understanding how stressful these days can be for his players.
“Every team is going to have to release players and that’s always hard when players have come in and have done the best they can and given you everything they have,” Belichick said Sunday. “There are some players that you’re going to have to say we don’t have a spot for it, but I think we all knew that when we signed up for it. I’ve been on waivers a few times myself, so I’m familiar with that process. That’s part of the competitive nature of pro sports.”
So let’s look at eight players who missed the cut in our 53-man roster projection.
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Here’s the toughest cut, by far. Not only is Olszewski a Pro Bowl punt returner, but he is also a great story, converting from cornerback to receiver upon entering the NFL. And I cut him without great confidence. The Patriots could put J.J. Taylor at kick returner and punt returner, which would eliminate the need for Olszewski. Because Gunner hasn’t been able to develop at receiver — struggling noticeably with a drop and an incorrectly run route in the preseason finale — he may miss the cut this year.
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The arrival of Shaun Wade was a bad sign for Williams. Wade is a 6-foot-1 defender who excelled in the slot in college. He can play both safety and cornerback. That’s a similar story to Williams’ scouting report coming out of college. And Wade, who joined the team in a trade last week, was solid in the preseason finale, even though he let up a touchdown that Belichick clearly believed was a product of a push-off. Wade is likely to bump Williams off the roster. Williams simply isn’t trustworthy as a defensive player. He hasn’t developed into the player the Patriots hoped he’d be.
(AP Photo/Stew Milne)
Jennings might not be one of the worst players on the team, but he has also struggled to shine in his 16 months with the team. With the Patriots boasting a deep linebacker group, New England has to part ways with one of its younger prospects. Jennings just hasn’t flashed enough potential, and if the Patriots can stash him on the practice squad, they will definitely do that.
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Langi was extremely productive in the preseason, but again, the Patriots only have so much room at the linebacker spot. Because Langi is a core special teams contributor, he could absolutely sneak onto New England’s roster (or one elsewhere). But it’s most likely they cut him and put him on the practice squad.
(AP Photo/Steven Senne, Pool)
The 2021 sixth-round pick was always a longshot to miss the cut. The 2021 draft class was likely to lack depth considering this year’s draft had half the number of prospects that 2020 had. Sherman would have probably gone undrafted in most years. And so this move would come with little surprise, even though the Patriots spent a pick on him in 2021.
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Though Spence spent a lot of time with the top defensive unit at the start of training camp, he quickly faded with the rise of Carl Davis. It’s hard to see the Patriots keeping Spence after watching the team push him down the depth chart throughout camp.
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
In this case, I traded for Derek Barnett and kept Henry Anderson, which bumped Davis. He is currently the 54th man on my depth chart projection. And frankly, he will probably make the team after playing just 11 snaps in the preseason finale, an indicator he’s among the team’s top options at defensive tackle. But in the event the Patriots can find another option, they might avoid Davis, who has a history of concussions.
(AP Photo/John Minchillo)
There’s no doubt Nordin has more physical talent than Nick Folk. It’s just that Nordin missed a pair of point-after attempts in the second preseason game, appearing to go off the rails a bit. Nordin has otherwise been quite impressive. But with a kicker, there’s no room for error, especially not when competing against Folk, the king of consistency.