What their first wave of roster cuts means for the Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, MA - AUGUST 22: Marcellas Dial Jr. #27 of the New England Patriots during a preseason game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles on August 22, 2026, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The New England Patriots began the process of cutting their roster down to 53 players on Saturday. After starting the day with 91 players, including roster-exempt offensive tackle Lorenz Metz, they currently stand at 73 following a series of releases and acquiring running back Corey Kiner via trade.

Let’s find out what it means for the Patriots from a big-picture perspective.

No surprises

New England’s first wave of cuts did not include any surprises, as the Patriots largely released undrafted free agents who were buried on the depth chart. The harder decisions will come Sunday. Among them:

Did rookie Behren Morton do enough to warrant keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster? How will the offensive and defensive depth shake out in the trenches? Did a young pass rusher do enough to stick behind Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder? And who will emerge as the top backup cornerback in the secondary?

Practice squad candidates

The Patriots will finalize their initial 53-man roster by Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. The roster movement doesn’t stop as they will need to make space for any awarded waiver claims and then begin the process of putting together their 16 player practice squad.

New England’s developmental squad will primarily be built by players they have released over the last two days that clear waivers, which includes wide receiver Kyle Dixon, who impressed in the preseason finale hauling in all eight of his targets for 71 yards. Dixon could be joined by fellow wideouts Nick DeGennaro and/or Cameron Dorner.

Among the other players to watch are offensive lineman Jacob Rizy and Mehki Butler, linebacker Riley Wilson and safety Peter Manuma.

Lonesome Drake Maye

As the Patriots released cornerback Marcellas Dial Jr. on Saturday, Drake Maye is now the only remaining member of the 2024 draft class. The team had previously traded the only other member of that draft class to make it to 2026, offensive lineman Caedan Wallace, to the Dolphins.

From the 2022 to 2024 NFL Drafts, the Patriots have just four total players remaining — Maye, wide receiver DeMario Douglas, punter Bryce Baringer, and cornerback Marcus Jones. For a team that lacks depth, as admitted by head coach Mike Vrabel after the preseason game versus the Eagles, that is a the top reason why.

Salary cap considerations

Saturday’s cuts did little to change New England’s salary-cap picture, as most of the players released or waived were carrying minimum-salary contracts, with several not counting toward the team’s top-51 cap number. Perhaps the most notable change was replacing Hassan Haskins’ $1.145 million cap charge with that of trade acquisition Corey Kiner, who carries a $1.005 million charge.

In total, the Patriots still have more than $30 million in cap space, giving them plenty of flexibility moving forward.

20 cuts to go

The Patriots released/waived 19 players on Friday night and Saturday, leaving their current roster at 73 players. They must make at least 20 more cuts by Sunday at 6 p.m. ET to get down to 53 players.

In order to stay on top of all the latest cuts and releases, please make sure to regularly visit our Patriots roster cuts tracker.

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49ers News: And then there were 53

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 13: Jaden Dugger #53 and Gracen Halton #93 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate during a preseason NFL game against the Tennessee Titans on August 13, 2026 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Predicting the 49ers roster before Sunday’s cutdown to 53: Who stays, who plays, who’s out? (Paywall)
“Of the six here, the selection that appears most iffy is Hobbs, who has barely practiced this camp and sports an already long injury history. He was supposed to offer nickel depth behind Stout, and perhaps he can still do that, but Robinson is a younger option who showed some flashes after his rookie camp (and season altogether) was derailed by a broken forearm. Recent side workouts seemed promising for Hobbs. There is a good chance, if he is the pick, the 49ers try to stash Robinson on their practice squad. Luter had his opportunities over three seasons with the organization. The signing of Jones and drafting of Prysock this past offseason put him squarely on the bubble. Luter doesn’t play nickel so whose spot could he take?”

Unranked and unloved by scouts, Jaden Dugger might be 49ers’ new late-round find (paywall) 
“On Jan. 23, 2023, his brother, Dajuan, the oldest of five siblings, died in his sleep. He was 24. Dajuan had been a quarterback at Division II Lock Haven University, setting the example for his football-playing brothers, Jaden, Dalen and Julian, a sophomore quarterback at Washington State….“Time makes it easier, but you never forget,” Dugger said. “Some days are harder than others. … Something like that is terrible, but I feel like it taught me a lot about myself. I kind of feel like I’m not playing the game for myself anymore. I definitely was before.”

…[KJ] Wright was convicted by Dugger’s feel for the position. While studying video, Wright was impressed by how Dugger reacted to a reverse — taking off as if he had heard the play in the opponent’s huddle. 

Wright made it the second play of a highlight reel presented to head coach Kyle Shanahan. To Wright, it was evidence that the former wide receiver, cornerback, safety and pass rusher was, unquestionably, a linebacker — one who was raw but could become a star with seasoning.

“He’s going to be a guy that will anticipate plays and see them before they happen,” Wright said. “That’s just a gift he has. It’s hard to coach. You just have to have the gift.”

Dugger admits he once viewed another of his assets — his versatility — as a curse. When he was moved from the secondary to the defensive front after arriving at Louisiana, he was frustrated.

“It was like, ‘Dang, I’m a safety. Why are they switching me?’” he said.

But his mindset shifted. And his fortunes changed. Now, after overcoming Division I rejection, personal tragedy and skepticism from scouts about what, exactly, he was, he has a shot to become more than anyone imagined.”

Matt Maiocco’s 53-man 49ers roster projection 4.0 ahead of the 2026 NFL season
“And the medical reports will determine how the 49ers piece it together ahead of their trip to Melbourne, Australia, to face the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, Sept. 10.

“That’s why you want as long as possible,” Shanahan said. “They’re moving it up this year on Sunday with us leaving for Australia so soon. So it just makes it a little bit harder to guess where those guys are going to be.

“Most of our guys, besides Ricky, are going to be all right. How good are they going to be Week 1? How good are they going to be Week 2? Those are things we’ve got to balance out.”

4 Winners and 2 losers: Is the 49ers’ defensive line depth good enough?
“This kid is worth investing in. On Dinkins’ second play, the team trusted him to stay in and pass protect. He ended up helping right tackle Brandon Parker on a defensive lineman. On the next play, Dinkins drove the safety about seven yards from where he started.

On the play where Jordan James ran for 17 yards, Dinkins worked to the linebacker and secured him, paving the way for James. Who knows if Dinkins ever turns into a viable pass catcher, but he is the exact type of prospect the team has drafted in the sixth round under this regime.

Dinkins is a keeper. The aggression he plays with is palpable. Dinkins blocks with the intent that George Kittle would admire. He should stick on the practice squad.”

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Jason Sanders’ job with Jets in jeopardy after missed field goal, extra point

The Jets have a kicker problem.

Jason Sanders beat out Cade York in this summer’s kicking competition, but the Jets have to be searching for another kicker to bring in before they play the Titans on Sept. 13.

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Sanders missed an extra point and a 54-yard field goal attempt Friday night against the Giants.

The 54-yarder came up well short.

Sanders has done little to inspire confidence this summer, but he was slightly more consistent than York so the Jets kept him and cut York last Tuesday.

That came one day after Sanders went 2-for-5 in practice field goal attempts. Sanders has not shown a big leg at all and now is even missing shorter kicks.

“Am I worried about it?” Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said after the Jets’ 23-6 preseason loss to the Giants at MetLife Stadium. “I didn’t like the fact that we missed these field goals. But the thing is we’re not going to panic and we’re going to make sure we make the right decision to make sure either we fix those issues or we get the right person in here.

“Jason’s been good for us. He’s been good in practice. I’m going to evaluate that and see exactly what direction we’ll go.”

The Jets did not re-sign Nick Folk in free agency after he had an outstanding 2025 season.

Jason Sanders misses a kick in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ 23-6 preseason loss to the Giants on Aug. 28, 2026 at MetLife Stadium. Bill Kostroun / New York Post

Folk instead signed with the Falcons.

The Jets now may be searching for another kicker either through a trade or on the waiver wire after teams make cuts this weekend.

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Edge rusher Joseph Ossai started, one of the few players expected to have a big regular-season role to play.

But Ossai left with a foot injury after 11 plays and did not return.

Ossai was on the sideline and looked OK, but it is an injury to watch since the Jets expect him to have a role on defense after signing him to a three-year, $34.5 million contract in March.

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Rookie guard Anez Cooper left the game with a shoulder injury.

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CB Tre Brown (finger) and RB Dominic Richardson (elbow) also left the game.

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CSR Weekend Warriors: 8/29-8/30

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

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Kevin O'Connell doesn't rule out keeping four quarterbacks on 53-man roster

With all teams cutting to 53 players on Sunday afternoon, with a current maximum of 90, most if not all franchises will be making tough decisions.

The Vikings will likely be making tough decisions at quarterback, where the team has four quarterbacks. After Friday night's preseason finale, coach Kevin O'Connell opened the door to the possibility of keeping all of them on the 53-man roster.

"I don’t think it is out of the question that we try to keep all of those guys," O'Connell told reporters after the game (via a transcript generated by Minnesota's opponent, the Broncos), "but at the same time, we got to do what’s best for our team. So we’ll work through that and that will definitely be part of the conversation because there was a reason why we wanted to have a deep quarterback room, and all four of those guys had their moments throughout the last month and six weeks or so, and that’ll definitely be a part of the evaluation as we go throughout each position — making sure that our 53[=man roster] and the practice squad are exactly what we want them to look like.”

Earlier in the session, O'Connell was specifically asked where 2025 starter J.J. McCarthy stands.

“We're going to obviously evaluate our entire depth chart now," O'Connell said. "First and foremost, we got to cut down our football team. It's just going to be a tough couple of days and figure out our practice squad and potential additions to the roster at different positions. But we're going to work through that as a staff and see where he's at from a health standpoint, first and foremost. We don't have any long term concerns, still consider him day-to-day and see what that looks like."

That's hardly a firm guarantee McCarthy will be on the roster. When asked point blank about the player's status, O'Connell didn't say he's the backup to Kyler Murray. Then, O'Connell mentioned roster cuts and the practice squad.

The response opens the door to a possibility we hadn't considered: The Vikings cut McCarthy, he goes to waivers, he clears waivers (given his fully-guaranteed contract through 2027), and they offer him a spot on the practice squad.

Of course, he may not take it. But if he's going to be third on the depth chart, he's not going to play. And if an opportunity emerges with another team that would get him closer to the field, he could take it.

Would it be a major blow to the ego of a top-10 pick to be on the practice squad? Sure. But how much worse is that than not being the starter — and possibly being No. 3 behind Carson Wentz?

Regardless, the Vikings have a decision to make. Murray is QB1. Wentz may indeed have won the backup job. What will happen with McCarthy and Max Brosmer? We'll find out by Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET.

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Fernando Cruz keeps spirits up despite likely facing Tommy John surgery: ‘happened to the right guy’

New York Yankees pitcher Fernando Cruz (63) reacts after Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña (3) scores on his two-run home run to tie the game in the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. (Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post)

A day later, with the tears gone and adopting what he described as a feeling of peacefulness, Fernando Cruz said he is looking at all options. 

On Wednesday, the valuable Yankees reliever was diagnosed with a partial tear in his UCL, which typically calls for Tommy John surgery that sidelines pitchers for at least a year.

But no decision has been made, said Cruz, who said he will receive a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister and expects to know more about his elbow and about his plan in two or three days. Some pitchers attempt to rest and rehab the ligament without going under the knife. 

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“It’s not in our hands right now,” said the 36-year-old Cruz, who likely would not pitch again until he is 38 if he undergoes the procedure — which likely complicates the decision. “I know the best is yet to come.” 

Cruz said he had been dealing with the elbow issue for about three weeks, which became obvious on the mound: A typically dominant righty had allowed nine earned runs in his past 13 ²/₃ innings. 

He then acknowledged the issue to the Yankees because, “I was affecting the New York Yankees — I wasn’t [just] affecting Fernando Cruz,” he said. 

He went for tests Wednesday, received the news that was dreaded and said he cried, which is understandable given the predicament for a pitcher who pitches with as much emotion as any in the game. 

And then the religious Cruz accepted the injury, which he said must have a purpose. 

“I’m ready for it,” Cruz said before the Yankees’ 5-1 loss to the Astros at the Stadium. “I think it happened to the right guy.” 

Fernando Cruz reacts dejectedly after Jeremy Peña belts a two-run home run to tie the game in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ loss to the Astros on Aug.25, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Fernando Cruz throws a pitch during the sixth inning of the Yankees’ loss to the Astros on Aug. 25, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

The Yankees already had a thin bullpen and now have lost their fireman, who, when right, would routinely enter mid-game jams and throw a few splitters to escape, then would shout his way back to the dugout. 

But on Thursday, Aaron Boone referenced the person before the pitcher. 

Fernando Cruz throws a pitch during the sixth inning of the Yankees’ loss to the Astros on Aug. 25, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

“He’s been such a great person for our team and for our room and how he goes about things,” the manager said before losing 5-1 to the Astros in The Bronx. “So I hate this for him. But I also know how just clear-minded he is, really strong faith. And we’ll sit down in the end, make the best decision for him.”

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Veteran righty Justin Topa made his Yankees debut and generally pitched well, allowing an unearned run on two hits and a walk in two innings. 

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Clarke Schmidt, who has been building up from 2025 Tommy John surgery, is expected to begin a rehab assignment Saturday. If he completes the comeback, Schmidt would return as a reliever. 

Injured Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt during a workout on Feb. 27, 2026, at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

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The announced starters for the series with the Red Sox are Cam Schlittler (Friday), Carlos Rodón (in one end of Saturday’s doubleheader) and Will Warren (Sunday). 

Max Fried could return for Saturday’s other game, though Boone wanted to make sure the lefty got through his side session Thursday.”

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49ers News: The San Francisco 49ers take on the Las Vegas Raiders today

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 27: James Thompson Jr. #75 of the San Francisco 49ers works out during training camp practice at SAP Performance Facility on July 27, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Four under-the-radar players, one position to watch for 49ers
“The team has played it safe with [CJ] West this preseason (he sat out of the first exhibition game), but he suffered a concussion in a practice last week before returning Sunday. The injury opened the door for an undrafted rookie such as James Thompson Jr. or Bryson Eason to make the roster. Now that West is back in the mix, don’t be surprised if he has a big role in this defense, particularly on early downs.….The 49ers will be in nickel defense plenty, but Dugger’s combination of length (6-foot-5 with a 7-foot wingspan) and speed (4.6-second 40-yard dash) should get him on the field early and often. How he develops will go a long way in determining whether San Francisco’s young defense takes a step forward in 2026.”

49ers hosted former UFL pass rusher Jah Joyner ahead of their preseason finale
“Joyner previously played for the Las Vegas Raiders after going undrafted in 2025. He never stepped onto the field during the 2025 regular season, but played 52 snaps during the preseason. Listed at 6’5”, 265 pounds, Joyner lined up exclusively on the edge.

Joyner played 10 games in the UFL last season. He had a tryout with the Steelers in June 2026, but never signed a deal.

The 49ers working out a pass rusher the day before their preseason finale makes sense. They’ll need the bodies. The players in the 2-deep roster have bigger fish to fry, as their regular season gets underway by the weekend. Because of that, you don’t run the risk of the players you believe will play in Week 1 playing in a meaningless game for them two weeks before the season kicks off.”

49ers head to Las Vegas hoping to get preseason finale vs. Raiders out of the way (paywall)
“I don’t think you’ll see many starters,” Shanahan said. “We just don’t have enough time as we usually do, so I’ll be surprised if any of them are out there. There might be a couple, but it will be closer to how Week 1 (of the preseason) was.”

49ers land Trent Williams successor in 2027 NFL mock draft
“Stanford offensive tackle Niki Prongos has been one of the more pleasant surprises in my summer film study, and I wanted to make sure he was in this mock,” Reid wrote. “There’s a bit of projection with this pick, as Prongos is still a work in progress. But the 6-foot-7, 315-pound former walk-on has good foundational tools, and I really like his upward trajectory.”

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