Patriots Slash Their Roster by Six Already, And The Real Work Just Began

The New England Patriots have to get their roster down to the league-mandated 53 players by Sunday, August 30th at 6 p.m. ET, and they wasted no time kicking off the brutal process. Coming out of their preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns with 91 players, the Pats have already started making tough decisions, cutting six guys from the squad. This is just the beginning, with up to 37 players hitting the waiver wire or open market in the next few days.

The First Wave of Roster Moves

The first offensive lineman to get the news was Darrian Dalcourt, the team’s initial roster cut, which brought the count down to 90. Things kept moving fast from there. Undrafted rookie O-lineman Jacoby Rizy, who spent the summer working at center and served as a third-string guy in training camp, also got let go, bringing the roster to 86. Wide receiver Nick DeGennaro was informed of his release, shrinking the roster to 85.

The team also parted ways with three more players in a single swoop. Second-year tight end C.J. Dippre was waived. He was joined by a pair of undrafted rookies, wide receiver Kyle Dixon and outside linebacker Xavier Holmes, with these moves taking the roster count down to 87 at the time. It’s a harsh reality when training camp wraps up, but every team has to face these difficult choices to build their final lineup.

What’s Next for the Guys on the Bubble?

While some players are hitting the open market, there’s still hope for a few to stick around in Foxborough. Both undrafted rookie Jacoby Rizy and wide receiver Kyle Dixon are strong candidates to return to the Patriots’ practice squad. For Dixon, there’s even “a strong likelihood” of him coming back if he clears waivers.

The coming hours are going to be absolutely wild. Not only are we tracking these cuts, but other transactions like trades, waiver-wire pickups, free-agent signings, and injury list moves are all part of the chaos. The deadline is looming large, and by Sunday evening, we’ll see exactly who made the cut for the final 53-man roster. What happens in the next 24-48 hours will set the stage for the season.

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Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.