The Patriots went into their preseason finale hoping a few fringe roster hopefuls would make the night memorable. Instead, they walked out of Cleveland with their roughest outing of the summer, a flat showing against a Browns team sitting near the bottom of the league.
That kind of game leaves little room for debate. The losses piled up, the good moments were rare, and the list of players who helped themselves was short. Still, a handful of names stood out for better or worse as New England heads toward cutdown decisions.
Matt Haack was the surprise bright spot. The newly signed punter looked nothing like a stopgap, handling the job cleanly while filling in for injured Bryce Baringer and taking over for Behren Morton, who had punted last week thanks to his high school experience.
Haack drilled three punts inside the 20 and uncorked a 63-yarder midway through the third quarter. Compared with Baringer’s recent form, it was a strong case for Haack to stick around, at least for now.
On the other side of the ledger, Gabe Jacas had another rough night. The rookie edge defender has already lost valuable time this offseason because of contract issues and possibly an injury, and that slow start has shown up in his play. Against Cleveland’s backups, he again looked behind the curve, which is a problem for a defense that needs edge help with Harold Landry still sidelined.
Kyle Dixon kept making his case for a practice squad spot. The receiver has been steady throughout camp, and he backed that up by catching all 8 of his targets for a team-high 71 yards. Most of that work came in the second half, but it was enough to keep him in the conversation as roster cuts approach.
Lan Larison, meanwhile, took a hit in the running back competition. He had been one of the top challengers in a crowded battle earlier in the summer, and he flashed enough in the first two preseason games to look like a real contender behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. But Hassan Haskins looked like the clearer winner in this one, and that pushes Larison into a tougher spot, especially after last year’s season-ending injury.
Behren Morton also had a night to forget. After several encouraging weeks while filling in for Tommy DeVito, the rookie quarterback stumbled badly, missing 10 passes and throwing two interceptions.
At one point this summer, there was real talk that he might challenge the former Giants starter for the job. Thursday night did not help that case, and it may have been the kind of performance that separates a QB3 spot from a practice squad role.
Bradyn Swinson gave the Patriots something to work with on the edge. The 24-year-old, who was cut last year before being brought back, continued his strong summer by showing up at key moments against the Browns.
He came through with a few third-down stops, including one that forced a 47-yard field goal, and even jumped over Gabe Jacas on one snap. He didn’t record a sack, but the timing, tackling and drive-ending plays stood out.
Kindle Vildor didn’t completely sink his chances, but he did enough to take a step back. The veteran corner had been one of camp’s better stories, piling up interceptions and looking close to locked in.
Against Cleveland, though, he gave away too much, including a defensive pass interference penalty that handed the Browns 28 free yards. That’s the kind of mistake that can erase all the good work in a hurry.
In Other News...
Patriots May Have Just Revealed Their Safest Roster Spots
Ahead of the Patriots preseason finale against the Browns, Mike Vrabel made the most telling roster move of the week before a snap was even taken: no starters were going to play. With several notable receivers and tight ends already spotted on the sideline in street clothes, the message was hard to miss. This was less about evaluation in the final exhibition and more about confirming what the staff already seems to know about who belongs on this team.
For a roster still headed toward final cuts, those absences offered a useful peek at the safest spots on the depth chart. When a coaching staff chooses caution over one more look in August, it usually means the competition has already started to narrow in other areas. The Patriots still have decisions to make, but the way they handled the Browns game suggested some of the clearest answers may already be in place. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Roster Cuts Put One Group Of Players In Real Danger
The Patriots are in the thick of roster-cut season, and the most vulnerable names are the young players who do not have enough NFL service to avoid the waiver wire. New England must trim from 90 to 53 by the Aug. 30 deadline, which means a wave of moves is coming fast, and for anyone with fewer than four years in the league, release day does not end the story. Those players have to pass through waivers first, giving other teams a chance to swoop in before the Patriots can even think about bringing them back.
For vested veterans, the path is different, since they become free agents immediately if New England lets them go. The real tension for the Patriots is not just who survives the cuts, but who becomes available to the rest of the league along the way, especially with waiver priority still tied to the current draft order. As the front office sorts out the final roster, the next few days could turn a few marginal decisions into roster losses elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Roster Battles Suddenly Feel Bigger After Flat Preseason Finish
The Patriots closed out their 2026 preseason with a 37-13 loss to the Browns, a game that mostly featured backups and rookies with many of New Englands starters sitting out. Cleveland put 27 points on the board in the first half, leaving the Patriots to spend one last August night sorting through depth-chart questions rather than building much momentum.
Kyle Williams at least kept giving the staff something to think about, with the second-year wide receiver finding the end zone in each of the teams three preseason games. Even in a preseason finale that turned flat quickly, performances like that tend to linger as the roster decisions tighten, especially for players trying to turn late-summer production into a real role once the games count. [Read more 🡒]