The New England Patriots started finalizing their 53-man roster after their preseason game against the New York Giants last Thursday by releasing 14 players the following day, which head coach Mike Vrabel announced to kickoff his press conference the following day on Friday morning.
Since then, the Patriots continued to evaluate the roster and released 37 more players to reach the required 53-man roster, which they did just before the 4:00 PM deadline on Tuesday. In the moments after the deadline, there was a controversy over the reporting of certain players still being on the team or not after the Patriots' social media team issued a graphic that included players who were actually cut.
With the final 53-man roster made official, here are some of the biggest takeaways, surprises, notes, and concerns with the roster.
1. Bradyn Swinson Cut
After drafting Bradyn Swinson in the fifth round, all signs were trending towards him being a roster lock as a dominant edge rusher. He was considered a steal in the draft as one of the top pass-rushers in the country in 2024 at LSU.
As training camp and the preseason progressed, Swinson started to slide down the depth chart. It got to the point where undrafted free agent Elijah Ponder showed enough to make the team, as well as Anfernee Jennings, who was being floated as a potential trade candidate.
Swinson would’ve been a nice depth addition for the defense and special teams.
2. Cole Strange Released
The release of Cole Strange was a surprise after he was drafted in the first round in 2022. Strange started in 27 games over his first two seasons but a knee injury at the end of 2023 derailed his career to miss just about all of the 2024 season. He returned for the final three games where he started at center for the first time in his career.
Strange not being the most versatile lineman along the offensive line might’ve been the deciding factor in rostering him this season.
3. Offensive Guard Decisions
There has been an abundance of reporting on the offensive tackle position as a whole with starting a rookie drafted fourth overall, but there hasn’t been nearly enough about the guard position, which is dreadfully thin behind veteran Mike Onwenu, who owns the right guard position in New England.
After the 53-man roster was finalized on Tuesday, it showed there is currently no backup option behind Onwenu. The release of Strange has an impact on the depth of the position.
There are a few alternative options that the Patriots can tinker with already on the roster between Caedan Wallace, Garrett Bradbury, and Jared Wilson.
4. Rookie Offensive Linemen
Resetting the offensive line was at the top of the priority list for Vrabel when he took over as head coach knowing that protecting his second year QB is essential to a successful football team. He also knew that he was inheriting one of the worst ranked offensive lines from last season.
In doing so, they drafted three linemen with high upsides in Will Campbell (4th overall), Jared Wilson (95th), and Marcus Bryant (220th), who’ve all made the team and have legitimate roles for themselves in their rookie seasons.
There’s obviously high expectations for Campbell to be great right out of the gate as the fourth overall draft pick. He’s set to be the starter at left tackle for the season and protect Maye’s blindside, which he plans to leave it all out on the line to protect him.
Lining up next to Campbell is most likely going to be Wilson, who was drafted as a center but looks to be a better fit as a guard for the Patriots (at least for now).
And Bryant is looking to be a massive steal in this past draft. After being drafted in the seventh round, the Patriots have utilized Bryant as a swing tackle that has been the main backup for Campbell during the preseason.
5. Rookie Class
The Patriots 2025 rookie class deserves to be put on notice as the team signed 11 of their 13 rookies, that includes nine of their drafted players and two undrafted. This is noteworthy because of the poor drafts in recent years and how it has negatively impacted the team for years down the road.
6. New & Improved Roster
There are 23 new players on the Patriots roster this season, which is close to 50 percent of the football team and includes the 11 rookies that made the team.
Vrabel came to New England with a plan in mind of how he wanted to reshape the team and although it can’t all be done in one offseason, they got a bulk of the work done by drafting well and with acquiring specific veteran free agents that best fit the identity and concepts of the team.
7. Wide Receivers
When the Patriots submitted their 53-man roster at the deadline on Tuesday, it included eight wide receivers. In less than 24-hours, New England is now down to six after they cut Kendrick Bourne and Javon Baker.
Receivers currently on the roster: Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, Efton Chism III.