Patriots’ 4th-Round Pick Among Wave of First 14 Roster Cuts

The Patriots wrapped up their preseason slate on Thursday with a drubbing at the hands of the Giants, and by Friday morning, coach Mike Vrabel was back in Foxborough working on the difficult task that faces the team over the coming days: Getting the training camp roster down to 53 players.

New England took a big step toward that as Vrabel announced in his morning press meeting that the Patriots had met with 14 players and told them they would not be making the team.

While there were no shocking names on the first list, one player who won’t be making the cut out of camp is lineman Sidy Sow, the team’s fourth-round pick in 2023. Sow was a starter as a rookie, logging 13 starts, and though he was demoted in 2024, he played in 12 games. But even with the relative weakness of the Patriots’ offensive line, it was clear that Sow would be deep on the depth chart even if he had made the team.

Patriots Cut 14 Players

Vrabel announced the players in this order:

LB RJ Moten
RB Micah Bernard
WR Phil Lutz
DT Kyle Peko
TE Cole Fotheringham
DL Phillip Blidi
RB Shane Watts
QB Ben Wooldridge
DB Jordan Polk
LB Monty Rice
OL Sidy Sow
TE Jaheim Bell
DB Isaiah Bolden
OL Tyrese Robinson

He added, “Tough day. We talked about this, we have a personal side of this and a professional side of this. This is clearly, the professional side is what we have to do. Thirty-one other teams are going to have to do it by Tuesday, so we just try to do it as respectfully as possible.”

Mike Vrabel Defends Kyle Dugger

The Patriots still have more than 20 cuts to go, and they’ll delay what they can as they try to seek trades for players who could be useful to other teams. There has been talk that both safety Kyle Dugger and pass-rusher Anfernee Jennings have been the subject of trade talks, and it would stand to reason, too, that New England is also trying to find a deal that would bring back a draft pick for one of the team’s receivers.

Vrabel countered reports on Dugger as a trade candidate in the postgame presser on Thursday.

“I think he’s continued to take advantage of the opportunities and the reps. I think he’s feeling more comfortable. We talked about a long rehab process in the offseason that he committed to. It wasn’t a quick rehab process. I mean, he had surgery,” Vrabel said.

“I think that he’s gotten better. I think he’s improved. I think he’s feeling better. Looks like he’s feeling better on tape. That’s good to see. Those are all positive things. Making a play, two interceptions. I thought he flashed. I thought he triggered. I thought he tackled. I thought his length showed up. All these things.”

Patriots Angered by Polk Report

Of course, Vrabel could well have been posturing in hopes of selling a Dugger trade to an opponent. That will all emerge in the coming days.

Vrabel also, notably, expressed concern over a report that Ja’Lynn Polk will have season-ending shoulder surgery. He was angered over the fact that the report came out at all.

“No,” Vrabel said when asked if he had anything to add. “Other than I’d like to find out where some of these (reports) come from. Some of these rats around here. So, we’ll figure that out.”