It's still relatively early in the 2024 offseason, with only rookie minicamp having been this past weekend, so projecting who will or will not make the Patriots roster is more of a guessing game than a certainty at this point.
However, because a handful of players had less than impressive performances last year, it's easy to believe they are the first names to be considered by Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf as cut candidates when the time comes.
Unfortunately, most of those presumed to be on the chopping block are on the offense, which the Patriots can't necessarily afford to thin out at the moment.
But they put together a decent free agency and impressive draft class, which makes it easier to move on from at least the four players on this list.
4 Patriots already on the chopping block before OTAs
JuJu Smith-Schuster
With an emphasis on improving the offense this offseason, the Patriots have the opposite problem with the receiving corps they've dealt with in recent years. Instead of not having enough talent to make up the roster, they currently have 11 receivers signed for the 2024 season.
Not all will make the team, obviously, and JuJu Smith-Schuster is one of the players at the highest risk of being traded before Week 1.
The longtime Steeler was a problematic signing from the start. Not because he was coming off an injury-riddled season with the Chiefs but because signing him meant Bill Belichick was no longer extending Jakobi Meyers, who had become the most productive weapon over the previous three seasons.
Although most fans and even Robert Kraft are yet to get passed Meyers no longer being on the team, there was hope that Smith-Schuster could be a surprisingly solid addition. Unfortunately, that never happened and he finished the year on injured reserve.
Because Kendrick Bourne was extended in free agency, K.J. Osborn was signed, DeMario Douglas being expected to step into an even bigger role, and Javon Baker and Ja'Lynn Polk were drafted, an opening for Smith-Schuster seems to be closing.
Because of how his contract is written, it seems unlikely he will be cut before the season begins and instead be traded. The problem is finding a team that still believes he could add something to their offense after how he performed last year.
4 Patriots already on the chopping block before OTAs
Bailey Zappe
Over the last two years, the Patriots seem to have a love/hate relationship with backup quarterback Bailey Zappe. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and expected to backup Mac Jones, but was thrown into the game as a rookie when Jones injured his ankle in Week 4.
Zappe looked impressive stepping in, even nearly taking home a win against the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers at Lambeau Field.
He helped keep the team afloat in Jones's absence and even began to receive tremendous support from Patriots fans, many of whom wanted him to remain the starting quarterback moving forward.
That's not what happened, as Jones was put back under center once he returned and assumed that role until midway through the 2023 season. Because he had become a liability on the field for the Patriots, helping ensure they lost games more than helping to win them, he was benched for Zappe, who went on to finish the season as the QB1.
He, too, had his fair share of struggles and put together some standout moments like the impressive win over the Broncos in Denver. But he didn't look good enough to become the starter in New England permanently and is now fighting for a spot as one of the backups for the season ahead.
His chances are becoming more improbable by the day, as Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, and Joe Milton III have all been deemed the top 3 at the position. Zappe can remain with the team if he has a good summer, but it seems more likely he will be traded to a team needing a solid backup.
4 Patriots already on the chopping block before OTAs
Chad Ryland
It was a rough rookie season for Chad Ryland last year, who earned Belichick's trust early on as he cut Nick Folk to keep the young kicker on the roster. It was a questionable decision given how well the veteran had performed during his time with the Patriots, but Ryland had looked pretty good during the summer to potentially have won the job.
Unfortunately, whatever Belichick saw in him never really saw the light of day during the season.
Special teams has always been a bright spot for the Patriots during the Belichick tenure. They set trends with the unit and made teams around the league more aware of how important it was to have a rock solid third unit on your team.
They were constant proof that special teams can single-handedly win or lose your games, and they were the latest example of that during the 2023 season, a lot of which fell on Ryland's shoulders.
Because the offense had an aversion to the end zone, they heavily relied on field goals to get some points on the board. That put a lot of pressure on the rookie to deliver, and although he only missed one extra point on the year, he missed nine total field goals through 17 games.
To make matters worse, he missed from nearly every measure: two from 30-39 yards, five from 40-49 yards, and two from 50+ yards. It became such an issue that Belichick started having the offense go for it on fourth and long simply because he couldn't rely on Ryland to make a successful kick.
He will enter the 2024 training camp fighting to keep his job, even more so after an undrafted free-agent kicker was invited to try out for the team.
4 Patriots already on the chopping block before OTAs
Kayshon Boutte
When the Patriots drafted Kayshon Boutte in the sixth round last year, he was immediately deemed the steal of the draft. The LSU receiver had previously been projected as a first-round pick, but after a rough couple of seasons and problems with the coaching staff, his stock plummeted, resulting in him falling to pick No. 187.
Expectations were high because of his past, and after falling behind DeMario Douglas in training camp and preseason, Boutte shined and looked like he would become a great addition to a needy offense.
The first game of the season was a rough one for the rookie, but the rest of the year didn't get much better. Belichick even made him a healthy scratch in several games, which is never a good sign. And now he's found himself in legal trouble this offseason, putting his NFL future in doubt.
Mayo hasn't said anything about cutting Boutte and has actually said the opposite. He addressed that he has things he needs to sort out in court but that he has the potential to be a productive player for their team.
It is hard to say whether he was being completely truthful or trying to be politically correct, but it seems fair to assume that Boutte will have a difficult path to securing a spot on the Patriots' 2024 roster.