How a player performs during a team's organized team activities (OTAs) or minicamp doesn't necessarily reflect how well they will play once the season begins.
It is, however, an early sign of what they might look like the rest of the offseason/preseason, providing a glimpse into what might come the rest of the summer.
It's a lot for newer players to live up to, like the several who signed with the Patriots in free agency earlier this year. Many were brought in to be upgrades at their position, or solid depth pieces to weaker units on the team, which might make it easier to inevitably make the roster.
However, there are already a few recently added players who are looking like potential cut candidates at training camp next month.
3 recently added Patriots who are already cut candidates
WR K.J. Osborn
The Patriots are in a unique situation this offseason with a loaded wide receiver room, which will require many hard decisions before the regular season begins. Although they didn't acquire the top-name player most fans were hoping for, they still have 12 receivers signed to the roster, many of whom are upgrades from a year ago.
Free agency was a bit scarce, especially after they lost their pursuit of Calvin Ridley to the Tennessee Titans, which brought them to former Viking K.J. Osborn. He wasn't the desired receiver from the NFC North team, but he was still a solid signing.
Since being drafted in 2020, Osborn has shown he could be a playmaker in the NFL. The problem, however, is that the Vikings took Justin Jefferson the same year, and he has since become one of the best players in the league.
Although he had to take a backseat to Jefferson, Osborn performed at a high level, which made him an intriguing signing for the Patriots. His versatility on special teams makes him stand out above his teammates, but his lack of highlights in spring practices makes him an easy cut candidate this summer.
He will have to demonstrate all he can do on the practice field during training camp and preseason, competing against nearly every other pass catcher on the team. The receiver room is nearly wide open, with only Kendrick Bourne and DeMario Douglas as the likely roster locks.
We know what kind of player Osborn can be, but we need to sit it in a Patriots uniform to believe he's a good fit. Otherwise, he might play for another team in 2024.
TE Mitchell Wilcox
The Patriots tight end roster is a bit unexciting entering this season, with Hunter Henry as the clear TE1 for the foreseeable future. Eliot Wolf's re-signing was good; without Henry, there was an empty tight end room.
That's why signing guys like Austin Hooper and Mitchell Wilcox in free agency made sense. They were welcomed additions in the hopes that at least one would become Henry's number two. Bill Belichick tried that with Mike Gesicki during the 2023 season, but much like the Jonnu Smith experiment, it didn't work out as hoped.
Given Hooper's connection to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and his lengthier experience in the NFL, it seems unlikely he will be a cut candidate unless he stinks it up on the field, which leaves a lot of focus on Wilcox.
The tight end went undrafted in 2020 but was signed to the Bengals practice squad not long after. He then played nearly every game over the next three seasons in Cincinnati and signed with the Patriots earlier this year. He is yet to make much of an impression at practice since his arrival, other than getting Patriots fans in their feelings over the jersey number he was assigned.
Like Osborn, Wilcox will need to have a fantastic summer to secure a spot on the 2024 roster. It's another somewhat open position outside of Henry, and he could lock up his place if he outshines his teammates.
The most significant seems to be Hooper, but there's also an early impressive rookie he will need to keep up with, Jaheim Bell, which might not be so easy. However, given the questionable state of the offensive line and only one tight end being a lock, Wilcox will have plenty of opportunity to show what he's capable of and prove he should make the team this fall.
K Joey Slye
One of the most anticipated roster battles of the 2024 preseason will undoubtedly involve the kickers. After Chad Ryland had a rough going during his rookie season last year, it was inevitable that the Patriots would bring in another specialist or two to compete with him for the role this fall.
That's what they did by signing Joey Slye in free agency, who most recently spent the last two seasons with the Washington Commanders.
Although the five-year veteran is far from perfect, he has a longer resume to impress the coaches and has already beaten Ryland during spring practices and field goal exercises. That doesn't bode well for the 2023 fourth-round pick, who has a lot of making up to do to get them to look past his rookie mistakes.
Yet, at the same time, because Ryland is on a rookie contract and Jerod Mayo might believe he deserves another chance, Slye instantly becomes a cut candidate. His reliability is a smidge better than Ryland's, but it is still far from comforting, which might show up when the team returns to Foxboro next month.
Once practice picks up and competition starts to heat up, Slye will need to outperform Ryland to show he is the better kicker for the job. If what has already occurred earlier this offseason, with Ryland missing field goals daily, it shouldn't be too hard for Slye to do.
However, things in the NFL are far from guaranteed, so Slye will need to do all that he can not to lose a potentially good spot on a team by messing up just enough to lose his place.