Insider hints the Patriots could be active on waivers during roster cuts.
In the coming weeks, the New England Patriots may go to the waiver wire for some aid.
The controversial roster cuts in the NFL are just around the horizon as we get closer to the start of the new season. Typically, it’s a period when each team must make difficult decisions about who to keep in a hotly contested roster war, whittling down their roster from 90 to 53 players.
However, for the New England Patriots, this might be a season-defining moment in which one team’s garbage becomes another team’s treasure.
As this roster appears to be in the bottom half of the league’s standings this season, there are a few obvious holes that might be filled to help this squad add a few more victories to the board, and the NFL roster cut deadline could be a great opportunity to do so.
According to Patriots insider Mike Reiss of ESPN, New England’s high priority on the waiver wire to begin the season may provide a perfect opportunity for the team to address some glaring areas of need before the 2024 season begins:
“All teams are required to trim rosters from 90 players to 53 by 4 p.m. on Aug. 27, but some of those moves will come earlier than that. The Patriots have the third-highest priority in the waiver-wire order and given some of the obvious needs on the roster (e.g. offensive line, defensive tackle, tight end, etc.), it sets up a critical stretch for the team’s pro personnel staff led by Patrick Stewart and Sam Fiorini to add roster-worthy players from teams who maybe didn’t have room for them due to depth.”
– Mike Reiss, ESPN
Because of an awful 4-13 finish the previous season, New England is now at the top of the priority list for any team looking to profit on the league’s waiver wire moves–aside from the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders, the only teams with a worse record for 2023.
While we don’t know who might be available to pick up off waivers, as with any year, there will be numerous contributors with the skillset to make a 53-man NFL roster but are dropped by their respective teams for a variety of reasons.
For the Patriots, if there are any quality offensive linemen (particularly at tackle) or figures who can disrupt New England’s weak pass rush, it may be a wonderful guy to capitalize on and bring into the building. This rebuilding group is well-equipped with a few emerging young players to help address those voids if necessary, but if a quality player becomes available, it will be difficult to pass up the opportunity.
The Patriots, like the rest of the NFL, will face difficult decisions when the league’s cut deadline arrives on August 27th. However, don’t expect the front office to be quiet in their efforts to strengthen the roster after the fact.
