Patriots Make 2 More Surprise Cuts on Wednesday

The New England Patriots continued to tailor their roster on Wednesday, cutting two more players as corresponding moves for waiver wire claims earlier in the day.

The Patriots claimed four players off the waiver wire, necessitating corresponding moves to open up four roster spots.

The team claimed linebacker Curtis Jacobs from the Kansas City Chiefs, offensive tackle Demontrey Jacobs from the Denver Broncos, defensive tackle Eric Johnson from the Indianapolis Colts, and offensive tackle Zachary Thomas from the Los Angeles Rams.

Wide receiver Jalen Reagor and cornerback Isaiah Bolden are the most notable departures to make room for the new arrivals.

Reagor is the more surprising release of the two. The receiver was the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of TCU, one pick before future superstar receiver Justin Jefferson and ahead of Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins, and Michael Pittman Jr.

Reagor was jettisoned out of Philadelphia after only two seasons to the Minnesota Vikings, where he spent a lone season before signing with New England in Aug. 2023. Last season, Reagor appeared in 11 games for the Pats, catching only seven passes for 138 yards.

He also returned kicks, including a 98-yard touchdown return on the first play of the game during Week 16 in Buffalo. With the modified new NFL kickoff rules, Reagor holds the distinction of having the last touchdown return under the old rules.

Reagor caught two passes for 10 yards in the preseason, returned two kickoffs for 53 yards, and returned two punts for 13 yards.

With Reagor's departure, New England's wide receiver room consists of Tyquan Thornton, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and Javon Baker. Kendrick Bourne will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List and be eligible to return in Week 5.

The Patriots also parted ways with corner Isaiah Bolden, a seventh-round pick by the team last season. Bolden suffered a scary head injury last preseason and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. He has not appeared in an NFL regular season game.

New England's corner grouping had already been thinned out a little by the releases of Shaun Wade and Azizi Hearn. That leaves rookie Marcellas Dial Jr., Marco Wilson, Marcus Jones, Jonathan Jones, Christian Gonzalez, and Alex Austin as the corners currently on the official roster.

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