Even after officially announcing their 53-man roster on Tuesday, the New England Patriots weren’t down making cuts. On Wednesday, Kendrick Bourne and Javon Baker were the next two to be released,
Now, the cut process is over, and this is the 2025 Patriots. Although they decided to keep a couple of names that were on the bubble, likely these three Patriots won’t be in New England following this season.
1. Kyle Dugger
It’s crazy how much can change in a year. Last year at this time, Kyle Dugger was the full-time starting safety and was beginning the first year of his four-year, $58 million contract. Flash forward to now, Dugger is playing with the second-team defense and barely survived the Patriots' roster cuts.
Out of nowhere, during the middle of training camp, Dugger was moved from the first-string to the second-string defense, with Jaylinn Hawkins taking over his reps. This continued throughout the rest of camp and preseason, as Dugger would play the majority of the last two preseason games deep into the 4th quarter.
During this time, his name was thrown around in trade rumors, as the Patriots wanted to move on from him. Although there were some teams interested, dealing his contract would’ve been a hard maneuver for the Patriots, and they opted to retain him.
But with these trade rumors swirling last week, it’s evident that the Patriots don’t want to keep him. Mike Vrabel and company believe Dugger doesn’t fit in their new scheme, and with the addition of rookie safety Craig Woodson, this is likely his last season with the Patriots.
While things can change, and Dugger remains solely focused on this season, it’s hard to rebuild that trust once trade talks are involved. Both sides would benefit from a split.
2. Anfernee Jennings
Anfernee Jennings is in the same boat as Kyle Dugger. He signed a contract extension with the previous regime, was a quality starter under them, and is now at the back of the depth chart with the new one.
Jennings discussed that the transition to the new scheme has been a challenge, and like Dugger, he played a majority of the preseason games with the backups. Jennings was productive in two games, recording three sacks and four total tackles.
Like Dugger, Jennings’ name was also thrown in trade rumors the past few days, but the Patriots ultimately decided to keep him. Although Jennings is happy to remain a Patriot, it’s hard to rebuild trust once your team tries to trade you.
Mike Vrabel and Terrell Williams have a certain vision for their edge rushers, and they feel that Jennings doesn’t fit their mold. In this scheme, Jennings is too small to be a defensive end and doesn’t have the pass-rush skills to be an edge.
With the additions of Harold Landry III and K’Lavon Chaisson, this is likely an indicator that this is Jennings’s last year with the team. Jennings has two years remaining on his three-year, $12 million contract, giving the Patriots flexibility to move on from him, whether it’s through a trade or a release.
3. Jahlani Tavai
Jahlani Tavai falls into the same mix as Dugger and Jennings. Tavai signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the previous regime after a career-best season and is now competing for reps with the backups in the new scheme.
The linebacker room saw a handful of changes this offseason. They signed Vrabel’s former players, Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens, and moved Marte Mapu to linebacker. Not only that, but the Patriots also matched the Raiders' offer sheet to Christian Elliss, who’s taken Tavai’s top reps alongside Spillane.
With Vrabel and Williams running the defense, they want their linebackers to be fast, versatile, and capable of dropping into coverage. Tavai is not that. He’s a bigger linebacker who’s good against the run and pass-rush, but he’s also slower than the others and isn’t good in coverage.
The Patriots already released Tavai’s running mate, Ja’Whaun Bentley, and all signs point to him being next. With Tavai currently on the injured reserve and will miss at least four games, this leaves more reps for the other linebackers.
Although Tavai still has some good football left in the tank, it’s clear that the new regime wants agile linebackers, and Tavai is not that. There could be some interest for Tavai in the trade market, but Tavai will likely be released following this season.