Ben Wooldridge, Sidy Sow among first Patriots roster cuts
The New England Patriots and every other NFL team have until Tuesday afternoon to get their roster down to 53 players. The Patriots got a jump on their roster cuts Friday, as head coach Mike Vrabel announced over a dozen players have been informed they're being released.
Vrabel told reporters that he and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf met with each of the players Friday morning and told them a transaction was coming. Here are the 14 names Vrabel rattled off after he took the podium to chat with reporters at Gillette Stadium:
RJ Moten, LB
Micah Bernard, RB
Cole Fatheringham, TE
Kyle Peko, DT
Shane Watts, RB
Ben Wooldridge, QB
Phil Lutz, WR
Monty Rice, LB
Sidy Sow, OL
Philip Blidi, DL
Jordan Polk, CB
Jaheim Bell, TE
Isaiah Bolden, CB
Tyrese Robinson, OL
"Tough day. We try to have a personal side and a professional side, and this is clearly the professional side of what we have to do," said Vrabel. "Thirty one other teams are going to do the same thing between now and Tuesday, so just try to do it as respectfully as possible and continue to function.
"The next 10 days will be very fluid. There will be players who come onto our roster, maybe from other teams. Maybe they won't," added Vrabel.
Most notable in that group is Sow, whom Bill Belichick drafted in the fourth round in 2023. But Sow was never able to give the team consistent play on the offensive line, and Vrabel and company decided to move on from the 27-year-old.
Patriots cut QB Ben Wooldridge
Wooldridge was the only quarterback to play in Thursday night's preseason finale against the New York Giants. He went wire-to-wire and finished 10-of-20 for 82 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He threw a number of passes behind his intended receivers, including a throw to Jaheim Bell that Giants rookie TJ Moore snagged and returned for a 41-yard pick-six.
Cutting him leaves the Patriots with just Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs on the depth chart at quarterback. Vrabel said the team will explore adding another passer to the mix.
"There are two, and we'll decide if we plan on carrying another quarterback on the 53 or the practice squad," Vrabel said Friday. "Right now, the only thing I can tell you is we have two."
Did Javon Baker earn a spot on Patriots roster?
Javon Baker has struggled as a receiver, but he may have earned a spot on the roster thanks to his contributions on special teams. The 2024 fourth-round pick had a 23-yard kickoff return against the Giants, and also drew a penalty as New England's gunner.
"You look at the entire body of work and try to evaluate everything. Not just special teams, but what else can they do? In Javon's case, he's a wide receiver. The more he does the special teams the better he's gotten, and he'll understand how he can use his play strength, his speed -- some of the receiving tools and fundamentals -- as a gunner potentially," Vrabel said Friday.
"We tried to get him some reps at corner on a punt return. He's played on the kickoff for us. Those are new, especially for a young player who has played receiver for most of his life," added Vrabel. "The more he's done it, the more comfortable he's gotten and we'll continue to evaluate him."
NFL teams have until 4 p.m. Tuesday to get the roster down to 53 players.