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Teams around the league are whittling down their rosters from 90 players to 75 players. Some teams, like the Philadelphia Eagles, have been cutting their veterans early to give them a chance to stick with other teams; other teams will be pushing the dealine at the end of the day.
The Patriots have already started their roster moves by releasing DT Tommy Kelly, LB James Anderson, and DL Will Smith. The three veterans had varying chances of making the final roster, although none were locks from the start (even though Kelly appeared to be impressive this off-season). Cuts for TE D.J. Williams and DT Marcus Forston earlier in the week kicked off the Patriots cutting process.
The Patriots currently have 84 players on the roster, which means they need to cut nine more by the end of the day. It would also not be unheard of for the Patriots to pick up a player or two that has been released by other teams.