Patriots finalize 53-man roster, waive 11 players
The New England Patriots reduced their roster to 53 players on Sunday, releasing eleven players and placing several veterans on injured lists.
The New England Patriots completed their roster cutdown on Sunday, waiving eleven players as the league’s 53-man deadline passed at 6 p.m. ET. The moves included running back Lan Larison, wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer, offensive tackle Jack Conley, defensive tackles Isaiah Iton and Casey Rogers, cornerback Kobee Minor and safety John Saunders Jr.
Veteran cornerback Kindle Vildor, safety Mike Brown and punter Matt Haack were also released, while outside linebacker Harold Landry III will start the season on the physically unable to perform list. The cuts bring the team’s active roster down from 91 to 73 players ahead of the regular-season start.
Larison, a 2025 undrafted rookie from UC Davis, spent his rookie year on injured reserve and recorded modest preseason numbers. Palmer, a former sixth-round pick in 2024, had spent most of his early career on practice squads before making a brief appearance on a 53-man roster last January. Conley, an offensive lineman who rejoined the Patriots after stints with Detroit and Cleveland, was also released.
Defensive linemen Iton and Rogers, both undrafted free agents who signed after rookie minicamps, were cut along with Minor, the 2025 “Mr. Irrelevant” cornerback who had appeared in four games as a rookie. Safety Saunders, a former Miami Dolphins practice-squad player, was waived after a preseason interception.
Veteran cornerback Vildor, who joined New England in March and recorded an interception in preseason, and safety Brown, an unrestricted free-agent signing, were also let go. Punter Haack, a 2017 undrafted free agent with ten NFL stops, was released after averaging 46.5 yards per punt in the preseason.
Landry, the team’s 2025 captain and a former Pro Bowl linebacker, will miss the season’s opening weeks due to a PUP designation. Additional cuts earlier in the day included running back Jam Miller, tight end Jack Westover and several linemen and linebackers. The Patriots also placed swing tackle Marcus Bryant and special-teams captain Brenden Schooler on injured reserve and the non-football injury list, respectively, and completed a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for lineman Walter Rouse. Further waiver claims and practice-squad formations are expected on Monday.