Patriots Practice Absences Give Spoilers for Remaining Roster Cuts

Today is a hectic day across the NFL as teams race to pare down their rosters to 53 players by the 4 p.m. ET deadline.

While some roster cuts can be seen coming, others are total surprises. Just look at Austin Watkins Jr. of the Cleveland Browns, for instance, who was released despite having a monster preseason.

One way to tell who’s going to get cut is to see who is absent from practice today. Since some players receive the news the night before, they don’t show up for practice if they’ve already been released or are about to be.

In that case, the list of players missing from New England’s practice today is quite telling and telegraphs some players who may be cut.

Patriots Roster Cuts

According to Patriots reporter Brian Hines, a number of players were missing from Tuesday’s practice session. While some were due to injury reasons, a couple of absent players such as guard Chasen Hines and tight end Anthony Firkser were already reportedly released.

Among the names on Hines’ list, Tyquan Thornton stands out as a potentially big one. Thornton was a second-round pick in 2022 and has dazzled onlookers with his speed, but he may be the odd man out in New England’s receiving room after an underwhelming rookie campaign last year.

It would be surprising to see the Patriots move on so quickly from Thornton, especially since injuries set him back last year. But if Bill Belichick doesn’t think he’s a good fit for the roster anymore, then it’s better to part ways now rather than waste a depth spot on him.

Keep an eye out this afternoon to see which New England players make the final roster cut.

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