Zuri Henry - Pro Football Rumors

Patriots Cut 14 Players

August 26th, 2024 at 5:17pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots have started the process of reducing their roster to 53 players. The team announced that the following 14 players have been cut:

Released:

TE La’Michael Pettway

Waived:

LS Tucker Addington
WR Kawaan Baker
DE William Bradley-King
DT Josiah Bronson
LB Steele Chambers
RB Deshaun Fenwick
CB Azizi Hearn
OT Zuri Henry
DE Christian McCarroll
DT Sam Roberts
C Charles Turner
CB Mikey Victor
TE Jacob Warren

With Sam Roberts off the team, the Patriots have now officially moved on from half of their 2022 draft class (and more subtractions, including QB Bailey Zappe, are surely coming). The former sixth-round pick struggled to carve out a role during his two seasons in New England, appearing in only 12 games. He did manage to appear in a career-high 100 defensive snaps this past season, but he was still limited to only five total tackles.

The team also moved on from defensive lineman Josiah Bronson, who joined the team a few days into camp. Despite Christian Barmore expected to be sidelined for the first chunk of the season, the veteran Bronson was unable to carve out a role. The 27-year-old will now look to revive his career elsewhere, but after being limited to only one game over the past two seasons, his opportunities may be running dry.

Kawaan Baker was facing an uphill battle to make the roster behind the likes of Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, Jalen Reagor, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker. The former Saints draft pick got into a pair of games as a rookie, contributing a single special teams tackle.

Patriots Sign Nine UDFAs

May 11th, 2024 at 9:52am CST by Ben Levine

Bill Belichick had a penchant of rostering unheralded UDFAs throughout his long tenure in New England. In fact, at least one undrafted free agent made the Patriots opening-day roster for 19-straight seasons before the streak ended last season. Jerod Mayo, Eliot Wolf, and co. will be looking to restart that habit in 2024, with the team adding nine undrafted free agents to the roster:

DeShaun Fenwick, RB (Oregon State)
Kaleb Ford-Dement, CB (Texas State)
Zuri Henry, OT (Texas-El Paso)
Jontrey Hunter, LB (Georgia State)
John Morgan, DE (Arkansas)
Dell Pettus, S (Troy)
Charles Turner, C (Louisiana State)
Mikey Victor, CB (Alabama State)
Jacob Warren, TE (Tennessee)

Jontrey Hunter finished his six-year stint at Georgia State with his best season, finishing the campaign with 96 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. The linebacker showed the ability to get after the quarterback in college and could get a look on the edge for the Patriots. The team also added a notable pass rusher in John Morgan, who compiled 14 sacks at Pitt between the 2019 and 2022 seasons. His numbers dropped following a transfer to Arkansas in 2023, with the defensive end compiling only 15 tackles and a pair of sacks.

On the other side of the ball, Jacob Warren provides some intrigue at tight end. The six-foot-six, 246-pound rookie had a consistent role at Tennessee over the past three years, averaging 15 receptions for 177 yards and more than two touchdowns per season. DeShaun Fenwick saw his collegiate career turn around following a transfer to Oregon State in 2021. Over the past three seasons, the RB collected 1,621 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns.