The Patriots will release safety Steve Gregory today, according to his agent David Canter of DEC Management (Twitter link). Gregory had been set to enter the final year of his contract, but instead will hit the free agent market early.
Gregory, 31, started 23 games at safety over the last two seasons for New England, but missed some time due to injuries in 2013, and was replaced adequately by rookie Duron Harmon, who is significantly younger and cheaper. By cutting Gregory, the Pats will create $2.85MM in 2014 savings, reducing his cap number from about $3.683MM to just $833K in dead money.
While he’s a cap casualty in New England, Gregory should be able to find work with another NFL team. He has ranked among the league’s top 30 safeties in each of the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required).