Pats Pulpit
Cole Strange and Marcus Epps, who were among the 21 players cut by the New England Patriots on Tuesday, will not be back with the organization in 2025.
Strange will join the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, according to a report by Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Epps, meanwhile, is headed to the Philadelphia Eagles, as first mentioned by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Strange, 27, originally joined the Patriots as the 29th overall selection in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. A starter at left guard right out of the gate, he flashed promise during his first two seasons but eventually saw his development halted by a torn patellar tendon suffered in December of his sophomore campaign. The injury forced him to spend 12 months on the sidelines.
When Strange returned, the Patriots’ coaching staff led by Jerod Mayo inserted him at center. He moved back to his old position under new head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels earlier this year, but despite starting training camp as a starter was unable to hold onto the job. Relegated to backup duty, he was eventually waived ahead of the NFL’s roster cutdown deadline on Tuesday.
The expectation is that Strange, who is leaving New England with 29 starts on his résumé, will make a serious push for the active roster in Cleveland. For now, however, he will start his Browns career on the practice squad.
Epps, 29, entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft choice by the Vikings in 2019. After spending time in Minnesota, Philadelphia and Las Vegas, he joined the Patriots on a one-year, $2.03 million free agency pact earlier this offseason.
Coming off a torn ACL, Epps never emerged past reserve status in a deep safety room. Even with former starter Kyle Dugger being demoted to scout team duty in practice, he failed to make a serious push for a starting spot. Epps subsequently asked the team to release him ahead of the cutdown deadline. Just 24 hours later, he finds himself back with his former team.
The Patriots’ current roster after the NFL roster deadline and a pair of waiver claims currently stands at a full 53. They do have an open spot on their practice squad at the moment.
