New England Patriots: 3 biggest surprises from 2022 final roster
New England Patriots roster surprise No. 1: Neither Tre Nixon nor Lil’Jordan Humphrey make the team
Despite being a supposed weakness of the team, the wide receiver room was fiercely competitive throughout training camp. The top group was pretty much set in stone, but there were a few players putting up quite a fight for one of the final roster spots available. Among them were Tre Nixon and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
Nixon showed his talent early and often in camp, although he was somewhat inconsistent in preseason play. Still, it was clear him and Mac Jones had some chemistry, and he is an extremely shifty route-runner who can get open on underneath routes, which is always a useful trait to have as a slot receiver.
Humphrey put together maybe the strongest preseason of anyone fighting for a roster spot. He was dynamic as a receiver, and made plays on special teams. It was pretty surprising considering Humphrey’s initial signing was initially forgot about by most Pats fans.
It was assumed that one of these guys would fill in the final wide receiver spot, but both ended up getting cut. Humphrey in particular was believed to have pretty good odds at making the roster, but it was very surprising to see neither of them make the initial 53-man cut.
Next. All in on a Julian Edelman comeback attempt. dark
Both guys made it on the practice squad, and chances are one of them will find their way onto the roster when Tyquan Thornton is placed on the injured reserve list over the next couple of days. But it was easily the biggest surprise of the day to see both of them get the ax despite their strong play throughout training camp.