New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots took a significant step toward getting their 53-man roster finalized on Friday.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel met with reporters on Friday afternoon and announced that the team had cut 14 players.
“Patriots releases: LB R.J. Moten, RB Micah Bernard, WR Phil Lutz, DT Kyle Peko, TE Cole Fotheringham, RB Shane Watts, DT Philip Blidi, QB Ben Wooldridge, CB Jordan Polk, LB Monty Rice, G Sidy Sow, TE Jaheim Bell, CB Isaiah Bolden, G Tyrese Robinson,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss posted on Bluesky.
None of the names that Vrabel mentioned were shocking.
Each of the 14 players cut on Friday were slated to be on the outside looking in on NESN.com’s Keagan Stiefel’s latest Patriots roster projection.
Among the more notable cuts, however, were quarterback Ben Wooldridge, cornerback Isaiah Bolden and guard Sidy Sow.
Despite an underwhelming preseason, Joshua Dobbs was expected to serve as Drake Maye’s backup under center. Wooldridge is still likely to be a member of the practice squad as the reigning Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year. The 25-year-old went 26-for-49 with 269 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception across three preseason games.
Bolden was the team’s seventh-round draft pick in 2023 and after missing all of that season due to injury, he played in 14 games last year. Bolden played 141 defensive snaps and 113 more on special teams during the 2024 campaign, recording 10 tackles and one fumble recovery.
The Patriots selected Sow in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and he played 15 games, making 13 starts as a rookie. Sow committed just one penalty (a false start) in his 772 offensive snaps in 2023 and one infraction across 12 games (155 offensive snaps) in 2024.
All NFL teams must cut their roster down to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
