The New England Patriots trimmed their 2024 roster from 89 to 53 players over the last two days. While some of them were placed on injury lists, a majority — 30 of 36 — were simply cut.
Not ever cut is the same, however: the NFL differentiates between so called vested veterans and those with less experience on their respective résumés. Whereas the former group immediately entered the open market, all the players in the latter will pass through the waiver wire to either end up on another team or as free agents.
What exactly does all of this mean for the Patriots and the NFL’s other 31 teams, though?