The New England Patriots just made their first big move right before training camp kicks off, waving goodbye to defensive tackle Travis Shaw on Friday. This dude, 22 years old, only got to the club after a successful tryout at rookie minicamp back in May, but now he is already gone. So what does his departure actually mean for the Pats? Let’s break it down.
A Massive Loss on Paper, Less So on the Field?
Shaw was a mountain of a man, no joke. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 335 pounds, he was literally the tallest and heaviest defender on their roster before the cut. His size alone, plus his college ball at North Carolina and Texas, made you wonder if he could snag that nose tackle job. That spot has been wide open ever since Khyiris Tonga bounced to the Chiefs as a free agent back in March. Shaw was a total long shot for a roster spot because he was an undrafted free agent with zero real college production. But man, that physical profile? Intriguing. Now, the next guy even close to that size is Eric Gregory, who is 6-foot-3 and 319 pounds. Still big, but not Shaw big.
Eight D-Tackles Remain, But the Real Story Is the Salary Cap
Even as a long shot, Shaw added another body to the practice squad, you know? Now they are down to eight defensive tackles. We are talking Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Leonard Taylor III, Eric Gregory, Jeremiah Pharms Jr., and David Blay Jr. Williams and Barmore are absolute locks, no question. They are one of the best interior duos in the whole NFL. Durden, who was a part-time DT3 last season, looks ready to step up in his second year. Here is the wild part though: despite cutting a player, it did not even ding their wallet. Shaw had a standard three-year undrafted free agent contract with zero guarantees. That meant his $885,000 salary cap hit was all non-guaranteed. Thanks to the NFL’s Top 51 rule and no guarantees, his net impact on the cap was exactly $0 before he was let go. So, his release changes absolutely nothing for their cap room. Miguel Benzan says they still have $34.2 million in cap space. Wild, right?
Shaw being waived means the Patriots are now at 90 players on the roster, even counting international player Lorenz Metz. That leaves them an open spot to fill just a week before training camp officially kicks off. What is Mike Vrabel going to do with it? Who is next up? It is gonna be interesting to see how they use that flexibility heading into camp.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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