2018 Patriots roster cuts: New England releases Vincent Valentine and two other defensive linemen; places tight end Ryan Izzo on injured reserve

The New England Patriots are continuing cutting down their roster to have only 53 men left when the cutdown deadline comes at 4:00 p.m. ET later today. The team has made four more moves to bring their roster down to 74, releasing three defensive linemen, according to multiple media reports:

DT Vincent Valentine

DT John Atkins

DE Eric Lee

While Atkins and Lee were considered long shots to make the 53-man roster, Valentine’s release comes as a minor surprise. After all, the third-round draft selection flashed plenty of potential as an interior defender during his 2016 rookie campaign. However, after having spent all of 2017 on injured reserve, he had a rather quiet training camp and preseason and was consequently not guaranteed a spot on the 53-man team.

All three players could theoretically return to the team through its practice squad.

As first reported by ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots are also expected to place rookie tight end Ryan Izzo on injured reserve. While the seventh-round draft selection had some moments during training camp and the first two preseason contest, he failed to manifest himself as a depth option behind the top three tight ends before missing games three and four due to injury.