The Patriots’ first round of roster trimming offered a pretty clear message: some battles are still open, but a few rooms in this roster are already getting crowded out.
New England had to get from 91 players down to 53 before Sunday’s deadline, and on Saturday it made 19 cuts and one addition. A few of the moves were easy to see coming, including the team parting with three undrafted wide receivers. Others, like the trade for Corey Kiner, came out of nowhere.
The running back picture is the one that changed the most. The Patriots had four backs competing for the third spot, with Jam Miller, Lan Larison and Hassan Haskins all flashing at different points, while JaMycal Hasty brought some special teams value into the mix. None of them separated enough to claim the job, so New England sent a future seventh-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for Kiner.
Kiner spent time with three teams as a rookie last year, and his preseason showed enough juice to stand out. He forced nine missed tackles in the preseason and now looks positioned to handle RB3 snaps in New England.
That doesn’t necessarily close the door on the others, though. The Patriots released both Haskins and Hasty on Saturday, and there’s still a path for some of those interior backs to return in a practice squad role next week.
Up front, the cuts were even heavier. The Patriots reportedly moved on from five backup offensive linemen: center Jacob Rizy, guards JonDarius Morgan, Darrian Dalcourt and Mehki Butler, and tackle Lorenz Metz.
The starting five is already set with Will Campbell, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses. But after a preseason that featured plenty of injury issues along the line, the purge of the backups still stands out.
At the same time, it may actually improve the odds for a few other linemen still in the mix, including veteran guard Greg Van Roten, tackle James Hudson and rookie tackle Dametrious Crownover. The last spot may come down to whether Ben Brown and Marcus Bryant are dealing with cloudly outlooks on their lower-body injuries.
Cornerback is another spot where the numbers matter. Behind Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones, there are more bodies than guaranteed jobs, and heading into the weekend, Charles Woods, Kindle Vildor and Karon Prunty looked like the best bets for the three backup roles.
That still appears to be the direction this is heading. The Patriots cut both Marcellas Dial - one of the last two players left from the 2024 draft class - and Brandon Crossley. Depending on how the rest of the roster settles, New England could carry six corners, or even seven if undrafted rookie Channing Canada sneaks through.
This group will be worth watching closely, especially after a rough showing in the preseason finale. And if Christian Gonzalez’s contract negotiations spill into the regular season, that only adds another layer to monitor. Prunty may wind up hanging around near the end because of his willingness to play special teams.
In Other News...
Patriots Lose A Captain At The Worst Possible Time
Brenden Schoolers status is a reminder that the Patriots are already carrying some early-season uncertainty in key spots before the games even start. The defensive back and special teams standout has been on the non-football injury list since training camp, missed the preseason, and now has been moved from the active roster to reserve, which means New England will be without him for at least the first four games of the 2026 season.
For a team that has leaned on depth and versatility to survive roster churn, losing a captain-like presence on special teams at this stage is hardly ideal. The Patriots are also still waiting on veteran linebacker Harold Landry III, who has remained on the physically unable to perform list since camp opened, leaving two experienced defenders sidelined as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Bubble Battles Are About To Claim Some Tough Cuts
The Patriots are heading into the final stretch of roster decisions with the 53-man deadline looming, and there are still plenty of battles left to sort through. Across quarterback, running back, the defensive line and the secondary, camp has produced enough competition to make the last few days feel less like housekeeping and more like a full-on evaluation of who fits, who can help right away and who might still have a path back through the practice squad.
Injuries have only added to the uncertainty, and the picture gets even more complicated once the staff starts weighing depth against upside. Some players who look like long shots now could still be in the conversation for a developmental spot, but the hardest part of these final cuts is always finding the line between keeping enough depth and admitting some tough choices have to be made. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Letting Khyiris Tonga Walk Already Looks Worse Than Expected
Khyiris Tonga was one of the quieter success stories on the Patriots defense last season, a sturdy defensive tackle who helped hold things together up front. Instead of bringing him back, New England let him move on, and he quickly landed with the Kansas City Chiefs. The part that has made the decision stand out even more is how modest the gap apparently was, with Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal reporting that the difference keeping Tonga from returning was only in the $350,000 to $400,000 range.
That kind of number feels even smaller when set against the Patriots current cap flexibility and the issues that have surfaced on the defensive line this preseason. A move like this does not always look so significant in March, but it can age quickly when a familiar, dependable body is no longer around and the replacements have not yet answered the bell. For a team trying to stabilize the front, Tongas exit is already looking like one of those roster choices that may linger longer than expected. [Read more 🡒]