The Patriots are on their way to 53.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf met with 14 players Friday morning and informed them they would be released. New England now has 77 players on its roster and therefore must cut another two dozen players before Tuesday.
The players released included quarterback Ben Wooldridge, offensive linemen Sidy Sow and Tyrese Robinson, running backs Micah Bernard and Shane Watts, wide receiver Phil Lutz, tight ends Jaheim Bell and Cole Fotheringham, defensive tackles Kyle Peko and Philip Blidi, linebackers R.J. Moten and Monty Rice, as well as cornerbacks Isaiah Bolden and Jordan Polk.
“So, tough day,” Vrabel said some 12 hours after the Patriots suffered a 42-10 loss to the Giants in their preseason finale. “Again, we talked about this. Try to have a personal side to this and a professional side, and this is clearly the professional side of what we have to do. Thirty-one other teams are going to do the same thing between now and Tuesday. So, again, just try to do it as respectfully as possible and continued to function.”
The most recognizable name among the group arguably is Sidy Sow, a fourth-round pick by Bill Belichick’s Patriots in the 2023 NFL Draft. Sow started 13 of the 15 games he played his rookie season. He entered the 2024 campaign expected to start at guard, but ultimately ended up seeing more time on special teams than on New England’s putrid offensive line.
The league’s 53-man cutdown deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
