Tuesday is one of the busiest days of the NFL season, as all 32 teams must have their rosters trimmed from 90 players down to 53 by the 4:00 p.m. ET deadline.
The New England Patriots have done just that, as they've placed some players on reserve/PUP and have released a number of others to make sure their roster is compliant with league rules.
While most of these moves were expected, there were a few that came as surprises.
CB Shaun Wade
Wade, 25, played collegiately at Ohio State before the Baltimore Ravens drafted him in the fifth round in 2021. He was traded to the Patriots before his rookie season even started.
He appeared in 20 games for New England in his first three seasons, recording 26 tackles (two for a loss) and a pass defensed. Wade had also been looking great in training camp, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him back one way or another.
RB Kevin Harris
Harris, 23, played at South Carolina before the Patriots drafted him in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft. He hasn't done much in his first two seasons, rushing for just 117 yards and two touchdowns on 3.4 yards per attempt and catching three passes for 58 yards in his nine games.
Still, he also looked good in training camp and caught New England's lone touchdown pass on Sunday, making a defender miss and finding the end zone. Now, the Patriots have just three running backs on the roster.
K Chad Ryland
Ryland, 24, played for Eastern Michigan and Maryland in college before New England surprisingly drafted him in the fourth round of the 2023 draft.
In his first season, Ryland was statistically the worst kicker in the NFL, making just 64% of his field goal attempts including just 50% of his attempts beyond 40 yards.
This offseason, he competed with veteran Joey Slye, and their numbers in camp and preseason weren't too dissimilar. With Ryland being younger and a draft pick from just last year, this one was a bit surprising, but it's not a bad thing at all.
Bailey Zappe
Zappe, 25, was New England's fourth-round pick in 2022 out of Western Kentucky, and he actually saw a decent amount of action in his first two seasons, playing in 14 games and starting eight. He completed 63.2% of his passes for 2,053 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
New England overhauled their room this offseason, trading Mac Jones, signing Jacoby Brissett and drafting Drake Maye and Joe Milton III.
While, this move, again, isn't terribly surprising considering the roster, it's notable because the team is completely moving on from their unit last season.
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