2018 NFL roster cuts: Patriots to release veteran safety Eddie Pleasant

When the New England Patriots signed safety and special teamer Eddie Pleasant as a free agent a month ago, he brought both depth and competition to the team’s defensive backfield. With fourth-year man Jordan Richards coming off an underwhelming 2017 season, Pleasant was viewed as a candidate to potentially replace the former second-round draft pick on the Patriots’ 53-man roster this season.

However, it looks like this will not happen: according to a report by ESPN’s Field Yates, New England will part ways with the 29-year old:

Source: the Patriots are releasing veteran safety Eddie Pleasant. He was signed this offseason after six years with the Texans.

After being a regular on defense and special teams over his career with the Houston Texans, Pleasant was not re-signed during free agency and thus able to join the Patriots in July. However, the Oregon product failed to establish himself in New England despite receiving plenty of opportunities over the first two weeks of preseason. In week three, Pleasant played only five defensive snaps – a sign that his roster life was in jeopardy.

With Pleasant no longer part of the picture, the Patriots are now expected to rely on the same basic safety group they used last year: Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon are locks to make the team, with Richards the favorite to win the fourth spot. Of course, New England could also opt to have offseason acquisition Jason McCourty play safety – something he did last week against the Carolina Panthers.