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5 takeaways as Patriots finalize 53-man roster with several cuts
A crowded Patriots receiver room and a few surprise cuts dominated the news out of Foxborough on Tuesday.
After an eventful day featuring over 20 roster cuts, the Patriots’ 53-man roster has taken shape.
Here is the Patriots’ current 53-man squad ahead of the 2025 season:
QB (2): Joshua Dobbs, Drake Maye
RB (3): Antonio Gibson, TreVeyon Henderson, Rhamondre Stevenson
WR (8): Javon Baker, Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, Efton Chism III, Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams
TE (3): Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jack Westover
OL (9): Garrett Bradbury, Ben Brown, Marcus Bryant, Will Campbell, Morgan Moses, Vederian Lowe, Mike Onwenu, Jared Wilson, Caedan Wallace
DL (5): Christian Barmore, Joshua Farmer, Jeremiah Pharms Jr., Khyiris Tonga, Milton Williams
EDGE (5): K’Lavon Chaisson, Anfernee Jennings, Harold Landry III, Elijah Ponder, Keion White
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LB (4): Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens, Marte Mapu, Robert Spillane
CB (5): Alex Austin, Carlton Davis III, Christian Gonzalez, D.J. James, Marcus Jones
S (6): Kyle Dugger, Jaylinn Hawkins, Jabrill Peppers, Dell Pettus, Craig Woodson, Brenden Schooler
ST (3): Julian Ashby, Bryce Baringer, Andres Borregales
Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, and the rest of New England’s top brass might still have some decisions to make when it comes to adding additional talent via the waiver wire over the next few days.
Still, there are several surprises already worth examining from New England’s wave of cuts — especially when it comes to which players the Patriots prioritized ahead of a new football campaign.
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Here are five takeaways regarding New England’s roster reshuffle:
Patriots carry eight receivers
Entering Tuesday, it looked as though it was a given that New England was going to retain at least six wide receivers on the 53-man roster between Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, and Efton Chism III.
Chism, an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington, escaped the roster bubble by stuffing the stat sheet during preseason action — reeling in 12 catches off 14 targets for 121 yards and two touchdowns over two games.
The real question on Tuesday was whether or not New England’s largely pedestrian receiver corps was actually going to carry another wideout beyond those six players, with 2024 fourth-round pick Javon Baker’s future in Foxborough seemingly up in the air.
But not only did the Patriots keep Baker, they ended up carrying eight wide receivers on the 53-man roster, as the team also opted to not cut veteran Kendrick Bourne as well.
Allocating over 15 percent of your roster to one position group — especially one with plenty of question marks when it comes to high-end skill at wideout — stands as an interesting choice by Vrabel and Co.
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Even though Baker didn’t produce during preseason action (one catch for 13 yards, two penalties), he did catch the eye of Vrabel and his staff as a gunner on special teams.
“When you have players, especially receivers, that can create a role, that can help you be big, physical, everything that we see out of Javon as a receiver – when they can embrace that as sp30-ecial teams players – guys that are big and physical and fast and willing, that translates to special teams,” Vrabel said after Baker doled out a few tackles during New England’s preseason win over the Commanders.
That versatility carved out a spot for the 23-year-old Baker, who still has some potential as a boundary receiver capable of winning 50-50 balls.
The more surprising move was the decision to retain Bourne, who has been sidelined for over three weeks after suffering an injury during New England’s in-stadium scrimmage on August 1.
Bourne — who impressed under Josh McDaniels’ tutelage in 2021 (55 catches, 800 yards) — was seemingly due for a bounce-back season after fighting his way back from a torn ACL last season.
But, Bourne’s limited participation this summer raised questions about whether or not the 30-year-old would be a fit in an already crowded Patriots wideout room.
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It remains to be seen if New England will actually carry eight wideouts on the roster once Week 1 commences.
Given his health, Bourne seemed like a candidate to be placed on IR to open the year with the intention to return later this season. But, the Patriots opted to grant their two IR designations to both Ja’Lynn Polk and Jahlani Tavai — with Polk expected to miss the entire 2025 campaign.
Ultimately, the Patriots might also be biding their time and waiting to see if a trade suitor sprouts up for Bourne in the coming weeks — as it seems unlikely that New England sticks with eight wideouts for the entire season.
Speaking of which ….
Kyle Dugger sticks around
Another veteran whose future in Foxborough looked as though it was in doubt was safety Kyle Dugger.
A longtime starter in New England’s secondary, Dugger dropped down to second-team and scout-team reps as camp carried on, with the 29-year-old also playing well into the fourth quarter of New England’s preseason games against the Vikings and Giants.
As evidenced by his strong play against New York (six tackles, two pass breakups, one interception), Dugger is still a good player — even if he may not fit in with the new scheme in place under Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams.
Giving Dugger a fresh start elsewhere would seem like the best-case scenario for New England. But despite the several trade rumors hovering over the safety, no deal was struck — likely due to the sizable amount of money left on Dugger’s contract, which has three years left on the four-year, $58 million extension he originally inked with New England.
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According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Patriots received “multiple trade offers” for Dugger, but “his $9.75M guaranteed salary – and how much of it New England would absorb – was a hurdle” in those trade talks.
Rather than cut Dugger outright (and incur a sizable dead cap hit this season), the right move was to keep Dugger on the 53-man roster, see if he adjusts to a new role under Williams, and then revisit a trade later on this season if he boosts his value.
That same approach likely carries over to another veteran in Anfernee Jennings, whose production (three sacks against Minnesota) was undercut by his slide down the depth chart. Jennings, like Bourne and Dugger, could eventually be traded later on this season if the right deal arises.
Borregales wins the kicker battle
One of the top surprises on Tuesday involved the kickers, as rookie Andy Borregales edged out veteran Parker Romo and seized the role as New England’s starting kicker.
In some respects, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that New England opted for Borregales — considering they made him the first kicker off the board during the 2025 NFL Draft (sixth round, No. 182 overall).
But over the course of training camp and preseason action, Romo was the more consistent option on special teams.
According to MassLive’s Mark Daniels, Romo converted on 90.1 percent (38-of-42) of his kicks during preseason action, while also connecting on a 57-yard field goal against Washington at Gillette Stadium.
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Borregales, meanwhile, hit 85.7 percent (42-of-49) of his kicks during camp while missing both a 57 and 49-yard field goal during preseason action.
Ultimately, it looks as though New England was not ready to move on from a kicker they invested a draft pick in, but there’s some risk with opting for the rookie over a steady veteran like Romo.
Cole Strange gets cut
One of the top draft whiffs in recent Patriots history was let go on Tuesday, as New England opted to move on from 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange.
Deemed a reach on draft night when New England selected Strange out of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, those high expectations were soon undercut by injuries and underperformance in Foxborough.
Strange started 29 games on the offensive line for New England across three seasons, with a torn patellar tendon ending his 2023 season and forcing him to miss nearly a year while rehabbing back.
Even though he only appeared in three games last season, Strange entered camp as the odds-on favorite to start at left guard this year — only to get leapfrogged by both rookie Jared Wilson and Ben Brown on the depth chart.
With Strange now cut, Marcus Jones is the only player remaining from New England’s 2022 NFL Draft class, which initially featured 10 total players: Strange, Tyquan Thornton, Marcus Jones, Jack Jones, Pierre Strong, Bailey Zappe, Kevin Harris, Sam Roberts, Chasen Hines, and Andrew Steuber.
The Patriots’ 2024 draft class also took some hits on Tuesday, as the only players on the 53-man roster from that draft year are Drake Maye, Javon Baker, and Caedan Wallace.
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New England also waived two rookies from their 2025 NFL Draft class in DE Bradyn Swinson and CB Kobee Minor. Swinson’s release was a bit of a surprise, given that the former LSU standout was a fifth-round selection who was given a third-round grade by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler entering the draft.
More moves to come
Despite Tuesday’s moves, expect Vrabel, Wolf, and the rest of the Patriots decision-makers to be busy in the coming days when it comes to adding talent via the waiver wire.
Even if Tavai returns from his IR designation later this year, New England could use some reinforcements at the linebacker position — as well as at tight end and the offensive line.
Players like Bourne and Jennings in particular could still get dealt as other NFL teams readjust their respective rosters, while players on the roster bubble like a Baker or tight end/fullback Jack Westover might be on unsteady ground if New England thinks they can find an upgrade outside of the organization.
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