Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots wasted no time turning the page after their preseason finale. Less than 24 hours after their 42-10 loss to the New York Giants, head coach Mike Vrabel announced that his team had parted ways with 14 players in preparation of the upcoming NFL roster cutdown deadline.
As Vrabel said during a press conference on Friday, quarterback Ben Wooldridge, running backs Micah Bernard and Shane Watts, wide receiver Phil Lutz Jr., tight ends Jaheim Bell and Cole Fotheringham, offensive linemen Sidy Sow and Tyrese Robinson, defensive tackles Kyle Peko and Philip Blidi, linebackers Monty Rice and R.J. Moten and cornerbacks Jordon Polk and Isaiah Bolden were all informed of their release.
What do those moves mean for the Patriots, though? Let’s take a big-picture look at them to see how they impact the overall roster four days ahead of cutdown day.
Of the 14 players released by the Patriots on Friday, none came as a major surprise based on their standing on the projected depth chart and usage in the preseason finale against New York. Led by Ben Wooldridge, who played all 59 offensive snaps on Thursday night, the entire 14-man group saw some level of action — an indication that their spots on the roster were indeed in peril.
Half of the group let go only joined the team after it had already opened its training camp in late July. The other half, meanwhile, had not been able to carve out consistent roles since their own arrival going back as far as the 2023 NFL Draft. Add it all up, and you get a group that found itself on the outside looking in basically the entire summer.
Coming off an underwhelming performance against the Giants that saw him go complete just 10 of 20 pass attempts for 82 yards with one touchdown and pick-six each, Ben Wooldridge getting released was the expected outcome of his rookie training camp. That said, him being let go means that the Patriots might be in the market for another quarterback.
At the moment, after all, they only have starter Drake Maye and backup Joshua Dobbs on their roster. While that is sufficient to make it through the season assuming both of them stay healthy, adding another passer to the mix at some point would make sense from a practical perspective: unless the team is comfortable with Dobbs also holding scout team duties, the presence of a third QB — ideally on the yet-to-be-built practice squad — might help with practice operation.
Wooldridge ending up back in that role could happen, but it would not be a surprise if the team explored the market to see who else becomes available for the QB3 role.
Arguably the most prominent of the 14 players cut by the Patriots is offensive lineman Sidy Sow. A fourth-round draft pick by the team in 2023, he started 13 games as a right guard during his rookie season....
