The New England Patriots continue to trim their roster as they must get down to 75 players by 4 PM EST on August 30th. The latest move has been the release of defensive tackle Terrance Knighton.
Well it's been real New England. The road continues
— Terrance Knighton (@MisterRoast98) August 29, 2016
Great respect for Robert Kraft and bill Belichick. Learned some things from my time here.
— Terrance Knighton (@MisterRoast98) August 29, 2016
Knighton is best known around New England for his destruction of Logan Mankins and the Patriots offensive line during the 2013 AFC Championship game, when Knighton was a member of the Denver Broncos.
Knighton joined Washington for the 2015 season and the Patriots signed him this offseason to join the defensive tackle rotation. The hope was that Knighton could be the #3 defensive tackle on the roster and replace Akiem Hicks, who signed with the Bears over the offseason.
The Patriots also spent a 3rd round pick on defensive tackle Vincent Valentine and added former Giants cast off Markus Kuhn. Both players have outperformed Knighton this preseason. Knighton did not play in Friday’s game against the Panthers and he sensed the writing on the wall.
Check out our film review of rookie DT Vincent Valentine.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick personally informed Knighton of his release.
Interesting timing on the Knighton release. He didn't play Friday night. Belichick met personally with him Saturday, released today.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 29, 2016
Knighton is a curious release because he received a large $250,000 signing bonus, $100,000 workout bonus, and $300,000 in weigh-in incentives. The Patriots rarely release players that receive that much money, and now they’ve cut Knighton and running back Donald Brown, who received $300,000 guaranteed.
Best of luck to Knighton, wherever he lands.