As of Tuesday the Patriots cut down their preseason roster and named a 53-man squad. On cutdown day, there were over a dozen moves made to get New England to the 53-person team.
There were some surprises like the Patriots deciding to keep seven wide receivers on the team, eight if you include Kendrick Bourne who is starting the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Bourne is returning from a torn ACL injury and was always viewed to start the season on PUP to give him more time to recover.
In the wide receiver room, the Patriots have Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, Tyquan Thornton, DeMario Douglas, KJ Osborn, Jalen Reagor, and Kayshon Boutte. It was a given that the likes of Douglas, Baker, and Polk were going to make the roster. I’m surprised that both Raegor and Thornton made the team since they’re both similar players who fill one hole on the team. Raegor at least was serviceable in special teams while Thornton is strictly a speed wide receiver who should excel in Alex Van Pelt’s offense.
The biggest surprise from cut-down day was waiving the likes of Kevin Harris. The third-year running back out of South Carolina showed glimpses of his potential during his tenure in New England. With Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson locking up the top two running back positions on the depth chart, I was surprised to see JaMycal Hasty beating out Harris on the depth chart.
With Van Pelt being the new offensive coordinator, his playbook is extremely run-heavy so I was taken aback when I saw New England only kept three running backs on its initial roster. Granted, there is a chance the Patriots either sign a free agent or if Harris clears waivers, they can sign him to the practice squad to keep him in-house.
Despite some surprising moves, one move I was glad to see was an undrafted free agent (UDFA) Dell Pettus made the team. Look, he may only play special teams this season and to be honest, if he plays any more than special teams that means the Patriots safety room is having a bad year or they’re hurt.
However, the reason why I like this move is because it starts up their UDFA streak. Under Bill Belichick, he was renowned for keeping at least one UDFA on the initial 53 roster. Belichick went 19 straight years having an UDFA make the team, a streak that was snapped in Bill’s final season.
About a week ago, head coach Jerod Mayo said that Pettus was “making a case for himself” in making the team. It’s important to have streaks like this so when talent goes undrafted, they see New England as a great destination knowing they have a history of keeping UDFA’s.
The team still has a lot of work to do, especially with its offensive line. However, I’m excited for the season to start in less than two weeks. Whether it’s Drake Maye or Jacoby Brissett out there, I’m ready to order some wings, relax, and enjoy some Sunday football.
