Patriots Predicted to Make Two Jarring Roster Cuts

The New England Patriots are projected to make a couple of surprising roster cuts before Week 1.

Jan 13, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; A pair of New England Patriots helmets sit in front of the podium before a press conference at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots have added a ton of new players to their roster heading into 2025, overhauling a unit that was probably the worst in football last season.

While that is definitely exciting news for Patriots fans, it's also nerve-wracking for some of the holdovers whose jobs are now in jeopardy.

That's perhaps the case more defensively than anywhere else, particularly at linebacker, where new head coach Mike Vrabel has entirely changed New England stylistically.

The Pats brought in a couple of free agents at the position back in March, signing Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens, the latter of whom Vrabel coached in Tennessee.

Pat Lane of Pats Pulpit recently published a 53-man roster projection for the Patriots, and he is predicting New England to keep three linebacker: Spillane, Gibbens and Christian Elliss. On the chopping block? Veterans Jahlani Tavai and Marte Mapu, two players who were key cogs in the Pats' defense last year.

"I have the Patriots only keeping three inside linebackers here, because I think that these are the only three worth keeping," Lane wrote. "Marte Mapu is finally getting reps at linebacker, where he belongs, but he hasn’t shown much in camp. Jahlani Tavai just doesn’t fit into the defense that Mike Vrabel and Terrell Williams want to run."

Marte moved from safety to linebacker earlier this offseason, due much in part to the fact that the Patriots' depth chart at the former position was getting very crowded (and because Marte was just too big to consistently play safety).

As for Tavai, the 28-year-old is probably too heavy for Vrabel's preference, coming in at 255 pounds. Vrabel prefers lighter, quicker linebackers who are able to make plays all over the field, and Tavai — who registered 115 tackles and a sack in 2024 — simply does not fit that criteria.

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