The New England Patriots have reportedly made several moves to dwindle their roster down in advance of the NFL’s 80-man roster deadline on Tuesday.
Wide receiver Devin Ross, safety Malik Gant, long snapper Brian Khoury, offensive lineman R.J. Prince, and linebacker Cassh Maluia were all released and offensive lineman Marcus Martin was placed on IR according to reports by Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald and Mike Reiss of ESPN.
The Patriots reportedly also claimed tight end Kahale Warring off the waiver wire.
Ross, 26, was originally signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and spent time with Tennessee and the Philadelphia Eagles before being signed to New England’s practice squad in October of 2019. In 2020, Ross once again was a member of the Patriots practice squad before being signed to a futures contract in January of 2021. He has no NFL game experience.
Gant, 24, was a late signing during the training camp, arriving on August 10th, following the release of running back Tyler Gaffney. Gant was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2019, before landing on injured reserve with a leg injury, and eventually being released as a part of the teams first wave of cuts in 2020.
Khoury, 29, has bounced around not just the NFL, but many different football leagues. Stints in the XFL, CFL, and IFL made up the bulk of Khoury’s career, before he got a shot with New England on August 9th, after incumbent long snapper Joe Cardona went down with an injury. Khoury gained valuable playing time as he handled all snapping duties in the Patriots’ first two preseason games against the Washington Football Team and the Philadelphia Eagles, but with Cardona making his return to practice on Monday, Khoury’s spot was lost.
Prince, 26, is a veteran of three NFL seasons, spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. Originally signing with Pittsburgh as an undrafted rookie, Prince spent time on and off the Steelers’ and Ravens’ practice squads in 2018, 2019, and 2020. He was signed by New England on June 17th, 2021.
Maluia, 22, was drafted by the Patriots in the 6th round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Despite not making the teams initial roster, he was elevated to the active roster from the practice squad twice, appearing in two games for the Patriots. Maluia was waived following the 2020 season but re-signed on August 8th.
Martin, 27, originally entered the NFL as a third round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2014. He would spend three seasons in San Francisco, making 24 starts at center. After being waived by the 49ers in March of 2017, Martin would bounce around NFL rosters. He spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, and Detroit Lions before finding his way to New England mid way through 2020. He played one snap with the Patriots last season before being signed on for 2021.
The Patriots’ roster now sits at 81 players, including roster-exempt fullback Jakob Johnson. Their next set of cuts comes on August 31st, when they finalize their initial 53-man roster.