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As part of their roster cutdowns, the New England Patriots parted ways with an array of players over the last two days. However, not all cuts are the same as the NFL differentiates between veterans and less experienced players: If a player has less than four accrued seasons — more on that in a moment — on his résumé, he will not hit the open market right away but instead has to go through the waiver wire.
So, what exactly does this mean? Let’s find out.
How does the NFL’s waiver wire work?
The waiver wire allows teams to submit claims for younger players that have previously been cut by other teams. Organizations usually have 24 hours to submit claims but this window is shorter over the NFL’s cutdown weekend: With final cuts taking place at 4 p.m. ET yesterday, teams only have until 12 p.m. today to submit claims to a players rights. If a player gets claimed, he joins a team’s 53-man active roster.
What’s the waiver claim order?
For the first three weeks of the season, teams submit claims based on the draft order. The worst team in the league last year is the first able to put in a claim, with the Patriots coming in at number 32 after winning the Super Bowl:
10. Denver Broncos
13. Miami Dolphins
14. Atlanta Falcons
17. Cleveland Browns
19. Tennessee Titans
21. Seattle Seahawks
22. Baltimore Ravens
23. Houston Texans
24. Chicago Bears
27. Dallas Cowboys
31. Los Angeles Rams
A player gets awarded to a team based on the ranking: If the Rams and Patriots, for example, are the only teams to submit a claim for a player, he joins Los Angeles given the team’s higher ranking.
Who is placed on waivers?
As noted above, players with less than four accrued seasons need to pass through the waiver wire in order to hit ‘regular’ unrestricted free agency. The NFL defines an accrued season as six or more games on either a team’s 53-man roster, or on injured reserve, or on the physically unable to perform list. All qualifying players released yesterday have hit the waiver wire and are subject to being claimed by other teams.
Which Patriots have hit the waiver wire?
The following is a list of recent Patriots who are now subject to waivers:
TE Stephen Anderson
TE Andrew Beck
WR Braxton Berrios
RB Nick Brossette
OT Cole Croston
WR Ryan Davis
C Tyler Gauthier
LB Terez Hall
DE Trent Harris
S A.J. Howard
OT Martez Ivey
FB Jakob Johnson
DE Ufomba Kamalu
OT Cedrick Lang
LB Calvin Munson
WR Damoun Patterson
LB Christian Sam
TE Eric Saubert
OT Dan Skipper
OT Tyree St. Louis
DT Nick Thurman
CB Ken Webster
LB Scooby Wright III
Over the previous two Labor Day weekends, New England saw seven players claimed off waivers by organizations around the league. But practice squads became the avenue for the majority who weren’t.
Which Patriots have not hit the waiver wire?
Those with more than four accrued seasons will not have to go through the waiver system. In New England’s case, there are four vested veterans who were released on Saturday:
C James Ferentz
QB Brian Hoyer
DT David Parry
WR Demaryius Thomas
All four players listed above are now cleared to catch on with another team — or potentially with the Patriots again.