Fansided
Fansided

New England Patriots Begin First Wave of Roster Cuts

By David Olanipekun

Aug 18, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the sideline against the Chicago Bears in the second half at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Bears 23-22. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 18, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the sideline against the Chicago Bears in the second half at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Bears 23-22. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Consensus amongst fans and pundits alike has been that the cut down to the 53-man roster for the New England Patriots will be one of the toughest they have had in recent years as the depth of the entire team has been extremely stout. NFL teams do not have to begin trimming their roster down to 75 players until August 30 but the depth has enabled head coach Bill Belichick to begin getting rid of the deadwood even before he is required to. Here are the cuts that the Patriots have made recently:

Bear Pascoe, TE: Veteran tight end Bear Pascoe signed a $600,000 contract with the Pats last July and was expected to just be a camp body who could coach up the young guys and possibly provide a push to make the roster. The emergence of AJ Derby in free agency as a reliable pass catcher combined with the contract given to Clay Harbor during the offseason (the two tight ends expected to duke it out for the 3rd tight end role complementing pro-bowlers Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett) surely made it an easier decision to get rid of Pascoe who failed to register any output in his three games with the Detroit Lions last offseason.

Brock Vereen, S: Saying Bill Belichick does entertain players making absurd antics while under contract with the Patriots is like saying the Pope is Catholic or that rain is wet, it’s so obvious that it does not need to be stated. The brother of Shane Vereen, Brock Vereen is a versatile player who can play safety and adds additional value as a nickel cornerback and is an exceptional gunner on special teams. It came as a shock when he decided to retire at the prime age of 23 years old but it was extremely puzzling when he decided to unretire a day later and Belichick welcomed him back by releasing him. The former fourth rounder out of Minnesota was having a strong camp and is now trying to make it with the Kansas City Chiefs who have claimed him off waivers.

More from NFL Mocks

V’Angelo Bentley, KR/CB: The competition at cornerback for the Patriots this offseason has been spirited and the Patriots were quick to cut their losses with the undrafted cornerback out of Illinois. The undersized cornerback who was the only player in Illinois history to return a punt, kickoff, fumble and interception for a touchdown was one of the more frequently used return men for the Patriots during camp but has always been viewed as a longshot to make the roster because of the stacked depth and competition at the position.

Cedric Thompson, S: Another Minnesota Golden Gopher defensive back taken quite high in the draft, Thompson caught a bad break signing onto the Patriots practice squad in January who have no less than four safeties (Devin McCourty, Duron Harmon, Patrick Chung, Jordan Richards) who are locks to make the 53-man roster, as well as safeties Nate Ebner and Brandon King who are expected to make the roster as well because of their value on special teams.

Home/NFL News