New England Patriots get a jump-start on trimming down their roster by making several cuts ahead of Tuesday’s deadline

On the way to getting to 53 players for the season.

Nick Roesch NFL Trending News Writer
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel during the third quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel during the third quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. © Mark Smith-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots wrapped up their 2025 preseason schedule against the New York Giants on Thursday night, now the focus is squarely on roster construction for the regular season.

All teams must be down to 53 players by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline. The Patriots are off to a quick start in getting there, as coach Mike Vrabel announced they released the following players on Friday:

  • LB RJ Moten
  • DT Kyle Peko
  • RB Shane Watts
  • WR Phil Lutz Jr.
  • OL Sidy Sow
  • CB Jordon Polk
  • TE Jaheim Bell
  • RB Micah Bernard
  • QB Ben Woodridge
  • DT Philip Blidi
  • LB Monty Rice
  • CB Isaiah Bolden
  • OL Tyrese Robinson
  • TE Cole Fotheringham

Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs will be the two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, and Woodridge will likely have the opportunity to join the practice squad. All in all, none of these cuts come as a major surprise.

The Patriots now have 77 players on their roster, meaning they’ll need to release 24 more by the deadline. It’s going to be a busy next few days for New England’s front office and coaching staff as it attempts to assemble the most competitive roster possible.

With expectations high for the 2025 season, Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf recently stated that the Patriots are willing to give up significant draft capitol to make a splash trade before the beginning of Week 1. With two high profile players such as WR Terry McLaurin and DE Trey Hendrickson currently on the trading block, we’ll see if which one the Pats target the most.