After cutting their roster to 53 players yesterday, the New England Patriots have already lost two players via waivers: Wide receiver Austin Carr and cornerback Kenny Moore II, both training camp standouts, have been picked up by the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, respectively.
The two undrafted rookies are not the only two players to leave New England through the waiver wire:
Conor McDermott claimed by Bills.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) September 3, 2017
Conor McDermott was one of the Patriots' four draft selections this year. The offensive tackle, who was picked in the sixth round (selection #211), joined a deep competition for practice and playing time behind starting tackles Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon. McDermott was unable to make an impact and his release yesterday was no surprise.
However, instead of returning to New England via the practice squad, the 24-year old was picked up by the Buffalo Bills and has become a part of the team's active roster.
McDermott was not the only potential practice squad candidate to get lost via waivers today. According to the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe, the team also saw another player leave:
James O'Shaughnessy claimed by Jags.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) September 3, 2017
James O'Shaughnessy joined the Patriots via trade this offseason: New England sent a fifth round selection to the Kansas City Chiefs to receive the 25-year old and a sixth round selection. O'Shaugnessy joined the competition for the backup tight end spot behind Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen.
While he has had some solid moments over the course of training camp and the preseason, New England opted to go with undrafted rookie Jacob Hollister. In turn, the team released O'Shaughnessy and the Jacksonville Jaguars, with whom the Patriots held joint practices early in training camp, have now picked him up.