Patriots Trim Roster Ahead of Camp; Cut Nine Players
Instead of waiting until Aug. 16 to trim their roster, the New England Patriots did it over the weekend.
The Patriots released undrafted quarterbacks J'Mar Smith and Brian Lewerke, wide receivers Isaiah Zuber, Sean Riley and Will Hastings, linebacker Kyahva Tezino, defensive tackle Courtney Wallace, and safeties Adarius Pickett and Malik Gant, according to a team press release.
Per the new rules agreed upon between the NFL and NFLPA this past week, teams can enter training camp with 90 men on their roster, but must reduce it down to 80 by Aug. 16. However, if a team enters camp with 90 men, they must do split-squad practices in order to limit the amount of people physically interacting with each other. So, New England opts to begin camp with full-team sessions after dropping 10 total players on Sunday (defensive back Lenzy Pipkins was released on Saturday).
Although the Patriots parted ways with several of the UDFAs they signed this offseason, there are still a few that have made it through the first wave of cuts. The undrafted rookies that are still on the roster are cornerback Myles Bryant, defensive tackle Bill Murray, linebacker De'Jon Harris, running back J.J. Taylor, defensive end Nick Coe, tight ends Jake Burt and Rashod Berry, and wide receiver Jeff Thomas. Those players will have a lot to prove over the month of August in order to survive the final cut down ahead of the regular season.
