Sportsnaut
The Patriots wrapped up their preseason slate last night with a game at MetLife Stadium against the Giants. It wasn’t the prettiest game, as the Patriots’ defense was gashed by the Giants as the team fell 42-10.
Several players had their final shot to impress as the roster cut deadline is just days away. However, teams aren’t required to wait until cut day to make decisions, and the Patriots have begun cutting players on Friday.
One of the most interesting players to watch this offseason has been quarterback Ben Wooldridge. Wooldridge latched on with the Patriots this summer as an undrafted free agent and got more playing time than Drake Maye or Joshua Dobbs in the preseason. At times, Wooldridge impressed and even looked like he could possibly beat out Dobbs for the backup spot.
However, that will not be the case, as Mike Vrabel announced that Wooldridge has been cut. This would seem to indicate that Dobbs has won the QB2 spot and the team won’t keep a third passer on the roster initially.
The #Patriots released the following players, per HC Mike Vrabel:
QB Ben Wooldridge
RB Shane Watts
RB Micah BernardWR Phil Lutz
TE Jaheim Bell
TE Cole FotheringhamOL Sidy Sow
OL Tyrese RobinsonDT Kyle Peko
DT Philip BlidiLB RJ Moten
CB Isaiah Bolden
CB Jordon Polk pic.twitter.com/YP0BjvLXHe— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) August 22, 2025
The hope is probably that Wooldridge clears waivers and ends up on the practice squad. That way, the team could continue developing Wooldridge in practice and could add him to the main roster in the event of an injury.
In the preseason opener, Wooldridge completed nine of his 12 passes for 132 yards and one touchdown. The Louisiana product struggled in the second game though, completing just seven of 13 attempts for 55 yards. The finale didn’t help Wooldridge’s case either, as the quarterback completed 10 of his 20 attempts for just 82 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Dobbs, meanwhile, performed well in camp and has familiarity with Vrabel as the two spent time together with the Titans. Dobbs also has starting experience with multiple teams, which is something that definitely helped his case to be Drake Maye’s backup.
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