Patriots cutdown day tracker: Bailey Zappe the surprise cut of the day
FOXBORO -- Tuesday is a tough one in the NFL, as a lot of players will find out they are no longer employed by a team. It's cutdown day, with a 4 p.m. deadline for all 32 teams to have their roster down to 53 players.
The Patriots got their roster trimming started over the last few days, but still have a lot of work to do. There are 77 players on New England's roster, meaning the team will have to move on from 24 more players before this afternoon.
And some very intriguing questions remain with the deadline approaching.
Will New England carry six receivers into the 2023 season, with rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte both making the team? (Yes they will and yes they did.) Will Malik Cunningham make the team as a third quarterback and keep Bill Belichick's UDFA streak going? (No and no.) Will the Patriots make another trade to help along the offensive line? (No they did not.)
We'll have these answers in a few short hours. (We have them now!) Stick right here for all of New England's cuts and roster moves throughout the day.
7:08 p.m.: The Patriots officially announced their roster cuts to finalize the 53-man roster for the 2023 season:
S Joshuah Bledsoe
QB Malik Cunningham
OL James Ferentz
TE Anthony Firkser
LB Joe Giles-Harris
RB Kevin Harris
OL Chasen Hines
RB Ty Montgomery II
LB Calvin Munson
OL Bill Murray
LB Ronnie Perkins
DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
WR Thyrick Pitts
OL Kody Russey
TE Matt Sokol
OL Andrew Stueber
RB J.J. Taylor
WR Raleigh Webb
QB Bailey Zappe
In addition to releasing 19 players, the Patriots also placed DB Cody Davis and DL Trey Flowers on the Physically Unable to Perform List and CB Isaiah Bolden and OL Conor McDermott on injured reserve. The team also announced the trade of kicker Nick Folk to Tennessee.
Got all that? Here's a quick breakdown of what the roster looks like in some important areas.
At the moment, the team is going with just one quarterback in Mac Jones, and only Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott at running back. That should change sometime in the near future.
Six receivers are on the team, including rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki are the only two tight ends.
There are 11 offensive linemen on the initial 53-man roster: David Andrews, Trent Brown, Cole Strange, Mike Onwenu, Riley Reiff, Calvin Anderson, Sidey Sow, Atonio Mafi, Jake Andrews, Tyrone Wheatley Jr., and Vederian Lowe.
There were no real surprises on the defensive side of the ball, but New England's 19-year streak of having an undrafted free-agent make the roster has come to an end.
While the roster is down to 53, there is a lot of work to do before September 10. The Patriots now will put together a 16-player practice squad, and will definitely be looking to add at least one more quarterback and a running back to the roster ahead of Week 1.
5:13 p.m.: Multiple reporters have confirmed that Demario Douglas has made the team. That much has been clear for a month, though.
Converted offensive lineman Bill Murray did not make the team though.
4:52 p.m.: Rookie receiver Kayshon Boutte has made the team, according to Andrew Callahan.
4:43 p.m.: Add wide receiver Thyrick Pitts to the list of cuts, per Doug Kyed.
4:34 p.m.: After the surprising quarterback news, a flurry of cuts have been reported. Running back J.J. Taylor (source), linebacker Calvin Munson (source), special teamer Raleigh Webb (source), running back Kevin Harris (source) and O-lineman Andrew Steuber (source) have been cut.
4:20 p.m.: Things are getting nuts now. Malik Cunningham has also been cut, according to Tom Pelissero.
Who is going to back up Mac Jones this season? That's a great question.
New England is reportedly hoping to get both Zappe and Cunningham on the practice squad, according to Mass Live's Karen Guregian.
4:12 p.m.: Well here is a shocker. The Patriots are moving on from Bailey Zappe, waiving the quarterback according to Ian Rapoport.
At the moment, Mac Jones is the only true quarterback on the New England roster, though we don't yet know the fate of Malik Cunningham. Stay tuned...
4:00 p.m.: Safety Joshuah Bledsoe is out, according to Doug Kyed. The Patriots drafted the safety in the sixth round in 2021.
3:58 p.m.: With minutes ahead of the deadline, we have one cut and one player who is making the roster.
First, the cut. That would be tight end Matt Sokol, according to Doug Kyed, meaning the Pats will go with just two tight ends on the roster heading into the 2023 season.
But it's a good day for defensive tackle Sam Roberts, who is reportedly making the team, according to Mark Daniels.
3:51 p.m.: With less than 10 minutes until the deadline, the Patriots have moved on from offensive lineman Kody Russey, according to The Boston Herald's Doug Kyed.
While the deadline is 4 p.m., it should be noted that the Patriots didn't announce their 53-man roster last year until closer to 7 p.m. So we may not know the team's 2023 roster for a few more hours.
3:27 p.m.: Defensive lineman Jeremiah Pharms has been released, according to multiple reports. The 26-year-old is a candidate to join New England's practice squad.
1:42 p.m.: Tight end Anthony Firkser has been cut, according to Mark Daniels.
1:18 p.m.: We have some clarity at kicker! The job now belongs to rookie Chad Ryland, with the Patriots reportedly trading Nick Folk to the Tennessee Titans for a 2025 seventh-round pick.
So New England will be relying on a rookie with a booming leg to put the ball through the uprights this season.
1:05 p.m.: The offensive line is getting a big reinforcement soon. Calvin Anderson, who has been on the NFI list all summer after signing with the team in the offseason, will be activated today and can begin practicing immediately, according to ESPN's Field Yates.
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound tackle started 12 of the 41 games that he appeared in with the Denver Broncos over the last three seasons. He played 47 percent of Denver's offensive snaps in 2022.
Anderson getting on the field will be a welcome addition to a New England offensive line that has struggled to stay healthy all summer. The 27-year-old will have to get up to speed with his new team and may need to get into game shape, but the Patriots depth at tackle looks a lot better right now than it did a few hours ago.
12:56 p.m.: We have our first cut of the day, with the Patriots cutting ties with offensive lineman Chasen Hines, according to Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald.
Hines was a sixth-round pick out of LSU in 2022, but spent a good chunk of his first NFL training camp on the NFI list. He was activated on Aug. 8, but landed on IR on Oct. 29 without having played in a game.
He's a candidate to land on the practice squad, but it's an interesting move given the current state of the Patriots offensive line.
10:57 a.m.: One player the Patriots will NOT be trading today is receiver Kendrick Bourne. Teams have called about him, and the Patriots have shot them all down, according to a report from The Athletic.
8:05 a.m.: With the Patriots drafting kicker Chad Ryland, Nick Folk's time in New England is likely over. But it looks like New England is looking to move the veteran kicker rather than outright release him.
7: 30 a.m.: The Patriots cut two players on Monday: quarterback Trace McSorley and punter Corliss Waitman. Those moves followed the team's 11 cuts on Sunday evening:
DL Carl Davis Jr.
LB Diego Fagot
DB Brad Hawkins Jr.
TE Johnny Lumpkin
RB C.J. Marable
DB Quandre Mosely
DB Rodney Randle Jr.
DL Justus Tavai
OL Micah Vanterpool
TE Scotty Washington
LB Carson Wells
In addition to releasing those players, the Pats also traded running back Pierre Strong Jr. to the Browns for offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. In a separate move, New England picked up tackle Vederian Lowe from the Vikings for a future draft pick.
