3 experienced Patriots players who could be cut

NFL GMs are a bit like Pokémon; they all have different abilities. The Colts' Chris Ballard is an absolute wiz at the draft, Howie Roseman is great at making trades to improve the Eagles without breaching the salary cap, and Eliot Wolf, well, what is Eliot Wolf good at? His background is as a personnel exec; he drafted Aaron Jones in the fifth round so it’s safe to assume he was in charge at the back end of the draft when the Patriots did their best work.

Hopefully, Wolf's abilities include realizing when to say goodbye to players. It might be the worst part of the job, but it has to be done if those players aren’t going to improve the team. 

Every team has a slightly lopsided roster in the early stages of the preseason, but the Patriots' roster seems more “interesting” than most. Everyone knows that four quarterbacks are vying for three spots, but there are also 11 cornerbacks on the 89-man roster! The team will have to release 36 players before the season starts. Who could be in the firing line? 

3 experienced Patriots players who could be cut

Raekwon McMillan 

Raekwon McMillan was a second-round pick for the Dolphins in 2017, but the 28-year-old has only started once since the Patriots signed him in 2021. The former Ohio State standout tore ligaments in his knee before the 2021 season began.  

He recovered in time to begin the 2022 season at middle linebacker alongside Ja’Whaun Bentley. But by the end of 2022, the Butkus Award winner had been relegated to a special teams role. In March last year, the Georgia native signed a contract extension but tore his Achilles tendon in May and spent another entire season on the Injured Reserve list. 

The Patriots have 12 linebackers signed to the roster right now, and new addition Sione Takitaki seems like a tailor-made replacement for McMillan. Cutting McMillan would accrue $330,000 in dead cap space, but it would save the team $945,000 overall. Hopefully, McMillan can stay healthy and find a new team, but his time in New England has been bedeviled by bad luck.

Jalen Reagor 

Jalen Reagor only signed his new contract in March, but the Patriots have since signed K.J. Osborn, re-signed Kendrick Bourne, drafted two receivers, and added JaQuae Jackson to the receiving corps. 

The son of a former Denver Bronco, Reagor was an Eagles first-round pick in 2021, but his career has progressed at a somewhat staccato pace since then. After a 98-yard touchdown return against the Bills, he appeared to have found a home in New England as a returner. Then, the Patriots signed Antonio Gibson. Gibson’s role in New England seems uncertain, but he did return 35 kicks during his time in Washington.

With Isaiah Bolden’s recovery from his awful head injury, the 24-year-old is another leading candidate to return punts and kicks. The Florida native averaged 26 yards per return during his career at FSU. New Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer has many options to return kicks or punts. There could be as many as seven different contenders. 

Reagor only saw 23 targets on the Patriots' offense in 2023 but only caught seven. And with 11 receivers battling for presumably six openings on the team, he will have to dramatically improve on that 30.4% catch rate to win a spot. Reagor is only on a one-year deal, and cutting him would incur a $442,500 dead cap penalty.  

Shaun Wade 

Unless they convert one or two of them to free safeties, the Patriots will need to cut around half of the 11 cornerbacks they have now. Despite playing a career-high 14 games in 2023, Wade’s contract status makes him a leading candidate for the chop in 2024. 

Wade is entering the last season of his current deal, and releasing him would cost nothing while saving $1,055,000. 

Of the passes thrown in Wade's direction during the 2023 season, 64.7% were caught, with the average going for 11.1 yards. He only missed two tackles all season but conceded 224 passing yards in total. 25-year-old Wade was solid but not great, and competition for a spot in the defensive backfield promises to be fierce. Wade may well find himself on the practice squad this year. 

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