One of the NFL’s busiest weekends is upon us: by Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, every one of the league’s 32 franchises will have cut its roster down to 53 men. This means that hundreds of players are about to hit waivers and the open market over the next few hours. Consequently, there will not only be plenty of releases but also a lot of other transactions: trades, waiver wire pickups, and free agency signings will all take place.

To not get lost in all the craziness, make sure to regularly visit our New England Patriots roster cuts tracker: We will compile the latest rumors, news, and instant analysis here, and also count down to how many more men will have to go in order for the team to bring its squad under the 53-man regular season limit. All in all, the team will have to move 36 of the currently 89 players under contract. There are multiple ways of doing that:

Release

Releasing players is the most common option on cutdown weekend to reduce the number of players under contract. A player’s deal is terminated and he either hits open market if he has more than four seasons on his résumé, or the waiver wire if he is less experienced than that. Because of its victory in last year’s Super Bowl, New England is 32nd on the waiver wire order.

Reserve list

To reduce the number of men under contract, teams can also place players on one of the various reserve lists. Injured reserve the most common one: Players that have suffered an injury and will be out for an extended period of time get placed there — and possibly return if they get moved to the list after 4 p.m. on Saturday. Patriots candidates to be placed there would be Derek Rivers or David Andrews, who was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs.

New England also will place tight ends Benjamin Watson and Lance Kendricks on the reserve/suspended list at the cut-down deadline: the veterans are banned for the first four weeks of the season (Watson) and the regular-season opener (Kendricks), which means that they will not count against the team’s roster but simultaneously can also not communicate with the team or its staff in any capacity.

Trade

New England made plenty of trades during roster cutdowns the last few years: In 2017, two players were moved off the team, three others were acquired; in 2018, Jordan Richards was traded to the Atlanta Falcons. More swaps are imminent.

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Patriots releases/departures/etc.

WR Dontrelle Inman: released

P Ryan Allen: released

WR Maurice Harris: waived with injury designation, placed on injured reserve, waived off injured reserve with settlement

DE Keionta Davis: waived with injury designation, placed on injured reserve

LB Brandon King: placed on injured reserve

DT Mike Pennel: released

RB Robert Martin: waived

CB Duke Dawson Jr.: traded to Denver Broncos in swap of 2020 sixth- and seventh-round picks

TE Andrew Beck: waived

OT Tyree St. Louis: waived

OT Cedrick Lang: waived

DT David Parry: released

WR Ryan Davis: waived

S A.J. Howard: waived

C Tyler Gauthier: waived

LB Christian Sam: waived

WR Damoun Patterson: waived

OT Martez Ivey: waived

WR Braxton Berrios: waived

TE Stephen Anderson: waived

DE Ufomba Kamalu: waived

TE Eric Saubert: waived

LB Calvin Munson: waived

OT Dan Skipper: waived

DT Nick Thurman: waived

LB Scooby Wright III: waived

QB Brian Hoyer: released

LB Terez Hall: waived

CB Keion Crossen: traded to Houston Texans in exchange for 2020 sixth-round pick

RB Nick Brossette: waived

C David Andrews: placed on injured reserve

DE Derek Rivers: placed on injured reserve

WR Cameron Meredith: placed on reserve/physically unable to perform

WR Demaryius Thomas: released

DE Trent Harris: waived

OT Cole Croston: waived

FB Jakob Johnson: waived

CB Ken Webster: waived

C James Ferentz: released

S Malik Gant: placed on injured reserve

G Hjalte Froholdt: placed on injured reserve

OT Yodny Cajuste: placed on reserve/non-football injury

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Patriots acquisitions

OT Korey Cunningham: via trade from the Arizona Cardinals

OG Jermaine Eluemunor: via trade from the Baltimore Ravens

C Russell Bodine: via trade from the Buffalo Bills

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Patriots cut-down tracker

August 30 moves

New England has traded 2018 second-round draft choice Duke Dawson to the Denver Broncos. Dawson’s tenure ends without a regular-season appearance.

The Patriots have acquired center Russell Bodine from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a reported sixth-round selection. Bodine has started 74 career games.

New England has waived tight end-slash-fullback Andrew Beck, who received $115,000 in guarantees as an undrafted free agent out of Texas this spring.

The Patriots have waived offensive tackle Tyree St. Louis, a Miami product and member of the 2019 class of undrafted rookies.

Tackle Cedrick Lang has been waived by New England after signing as an unrestricted free agent in April. The former UTEP basketball player played in all four preseason games.

The Patriots has released veteran defensive tackle David Parry. Parry, who started 32 games over his first two NFL regular seasons, signed a reserve-futures deal in January.

New England has waived undrafted rookie wide receiver Ryan Davis. Davis, Auburn’s career receptions leader, caught three passes for 30 yards this August.

Safety A.J Howard has been waived by the Patriots, after signing to the practice squad for January’s playoff run and re-upping on a futures pact.

The Patriots have waived offensive lineman Tyler Gauthier. The undrafted rookie had worked at guard and center, and started 29 consecutive games while at Miami.

New England waived 2018 sixth-round pick Christian Sam. The linebacker out of Arizona State spent all of his rookie campaign on IR and started Thursday night’s finale.

The Patriots waived wide receiver Damoun Patterson, who signed to the practice squad as an undrafted rookie last November and remained on a futures deal.

Offensive lineman Martez Ivey was waived by New England after signing during the first week of training camp. Ivey played in 49 games for the Florida Gators, starting 44.

August 31 moves

New England is moving on from slot receiver Braxton Berrios. Drafted No. 210 overall in 2018, Berrios spent his rookie year on IR and lost ground after a strong preseason opener.

The Patriots have waived tight end Stephen Anderson. Anderson, who caught 36 passes over two seasons with the Houston Texans, earned a playoff promotion from the practice squad.

New England waived hybrid defensive lineman Ufomba Kamalu, who had appeared in two games for the organization last regular season after signing to the scout team in November.

Tight end Eric Saubert, who the Patriots acquired from the Atlanta Falcons for a conditional seventh round pick on Aug. 12, was cut,

After making a noticeable surge over the final two weeks of camp, linebacker Calvin Munson’s bid for a spot on the Patriots’ 53-man roster fell short, as he was waived by the team on Saturday.

After receiving an ample amount of playing time with the starters throughout training camp, tackle Dan Skipper was waived on Saturday.

The Patriots have waived defensive lineman Nick Thurman. The 24-year-old on his third NFL team signed in May, and recorded seven tackles to go with a half-sack this August.

New England waived linebacker Scooby Wright III following a preseason finale that included four tackles and two sacks. Wright signed six days prior to the roster deadline.

Veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer has been beaten out by rookie Jarrett Stidham for the Patriots’ backup quarterback job, as evidenced by Hoyer’s release on Saturday.

The Patriots waived undrafted rookie linebacker Terez Hall on Saturday afternoon. The former Missouri captain started the preseason finale for New England.

New England has traded cornerback Keion Crossen to the Houston Texans. Crossen, who’d carved a place in the kicking game, had been drafted in the seventh round one year ago.

After leading the NFL preseason in rushing, undrafted rookie Nick Brossette has been waived. A crowded backfield made it a steep climb for the LSU product.

New England is placing center David Andrews on injured reserve, ending his season. A captain since 2017, Andrews has started a combined 66 career games during his tenure.

Derek Rivers, the top pick in the Patriots’ 2017 draft class, will go to IR after suffering an injury in the second preseason game. Rivers missed his rookie year with a torn ACL.

Wide receiver Cameron Meredith will remain on physically unable to perform as the regular season begins. Meredith, signed in early August, is eligible to be activated after six games.

New England has released 31-year-old wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who caught a pair of touchdowns in his preseason debut. Thomas had suffered a torn Achilles in December.

The Patriots’ final unreported roster moves hit the transaction wire shortly before 7 p.m. ET Saturday. The club waived International Player Pathway fullback Jakob Johnson, offensive lineman Cole Croston, defensive end Trent Harris and cornerback Ken Webster. Vested veteran center James Ferentz was released. And, as part of the final movement to reach 53, guard Hjalte Froholdt and safety Malik Gant went to injured reserve while third-round tackle Yodny Cajuste went to reserve/non-football injury.