The New England Patriots entered cutdown day with 77 players on their active roster and 24 to be released. The first four of those have already heard their names called: offensive lineman Ben Braden, tight end Paul Butler, quarterback Brian Lewerke and wide receiver Jeff Thomas have all been let go by the team, according to various reports. New England therefore now has 73 players under contract.
Let’s take a look at the released players.
OL Ben Braden
Braden does have experience and versatility, but the fourth-year man joined the Patriots relatively late in the process: he was signed in mid-August as a potential depth option at both guard and tackle.