Sportsnaut
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots finalized their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday. Tough decisions were made, and some notable names, like Bradyn Swinson and Cole Strange, were left off.
One player who initially made the roster after not being expected to is veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. Many expected Bourne to be cut due to the increased competition in the receiver room, but the team held onto eight receivers anyway… for a minute, at least.
It was announced on Wednesday morning that Bourne was released after requesting to be. A similar story happened with veteran safety Marcus Epps, who also reportedly requested his release on Tuesday.
It wasn’t surprising to hear that the veterans requested to be released, as that sometimes is the case for player seeking a larger role or fresh start. However, when asked about this on Wednesday, Vrabel refuted the claim that both players requested releases.
“That’s news to me… you break up with somebody, your girlfriend doesn’t wanna be with you, and then you say, ‘Well I don’t wanna be with you either.’ I’m not gonna get into all that,” Vrabel bluntly explained.
So, we have a classic case of he-said, he-said going on here. Vrabel implied it was strictly the team’s decision, while the players insist it was their own. We’ll never know who is actually correct, but to be fair, neither Epps nor Bourne were expected to be on the final roster.
At receiver, the Patriots clearly had Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, Kayshon Boutte, Efton Chism III, and Javon Baker ahead of Bourne. The first four on that list were always making the team, while Boutte, Chism, and Baker all had much better summers than Bourne.
As for Epps, the Patriots kept Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Craig Woodson, Jaylinn Hawkins, Dell Pettus, and Brenden Schooler at safety, so there was no spot for Epps. Dugger was featured in trade rumors, so it’s possible Epps would have made the team without Dugger, but his release still doesn’t count as surprising.
What is almost certain, however, is that neither player will be back in New England any time soon after essentially being called liars by Vrabel.
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