Meet the New England Patriots initial 53-man roster following 2024 final roster cuts

The New England Patriots have trimmed their 90-man offseason roster and assembled their first iteration of the 53-man roster for the 2024 NFL season.

The team will continue to tinker with the roster throughout the coming weeks and during the season. This is merely the initial iteration of what will be an evolving roster for the Patriots.

Without further ado, here's a look at the 53-man roster:

Note: Players with a single asterisk (*) are rookies

Quarterbacks

IN: Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, Joe Milton III

Reaction: After Joe Milton's strong performance in the first preseason game, this seemed to be the right move for the Patriots. With Zappe, the team knew what they were getting from him, and he wasn't able to provide a big enough spark last season when he replaced Mac Jones as the starting quarterback. The preseason was much of the same where he didn't have any highlight plays. So the team is going to give the rookie a shot, and allow Zappe to explore other opportunities. There are teams in need of a backup quarterback, so hopefully he gets some calls.

Running Backs

IN: Rhamondre Stevenson Antonio Gibson, JaMycal Hasty

Reaction: This was a bit of a surprising decision by the Patriots. JaMycal Hasty and Kevin Harris appeared to be fighting for that RB3 spot, but after the last preseason game, they had both done enough to prove their worth. But the team decided to waive Harris, who scored the team's lone touchdown in the preseason finale on Sunday. And that made it clear that they planned to keep Hasty on the active roster.

Wide Receivers

IN: DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, *Ja'Lynn Polk, *Javon Baker, Jalen Reagor, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte

PUP : Kendrick Bourne

Reaction: This was one of the most competitive rooms throughout the summer. It took more than just one play for the receivers to cement their place on the roster. And for the most part, all the players above did that. The only two players that were a bit of a question was Javon Baker and Kayshon Boutte. Baker is someone who had a solid start to training camp but fell off at the end. However, he's young and someone the team can help develop.

Tight Ends

IN: Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, *Jaheim Bell

Reaction: Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper were clear locks on the roster, but the question was that third spot. It appeared to be between Mitchell Wilcox and rookie Jaheim Bell, but the team opted to waive Wilcox early on Tuesday. Bell still has a lot of room to develop, but he's shown a lot of promise.

Offensive Line

IN: OT/G Mike Onwenu, C David Andrews, OT Chukwuma Okorafor, G Sidy Sow, OT Vederian Lowe, *G Layden Robinson, G Michael Jordan, C/G Nick Leverett, *OT Caedan Wallace

PUP : Cole Strange

Reaction: This was the most likely outcome for the Patriots offensive line based on how training camp has gone. However, this group could change in the next few weeks after head coach Jerod Mayo hinted that they could be busy on the waiver wire.

Defensive Line

IN: Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise, Daniel Ekuale, Jeremiah Pharms, Trysten Hill, Keion White

NFI (designated to return) : Christian Barmore

Reaction: Based on how the defensive line has performed throughout the summer, this group has remained the same throughout the roster projections.

Linebackers

IN: Ja’Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai, Anfernee Jennings, Joshua Uche, Raekwon McMillan, Oshane Ximines, Christian Elliss

PUP : Sione Takitaki

Reaction: The only main question going into roster cuts was whether the team would carry Christian Elliss or Joe Giles-Harris. They were competing for that final spot, and in the end Elliss won after the team waived Giles-Harris. The team also placed Takitaki on PUP to start the season, meaning he will miss at least the first four weeks.

Cornerback

IN: Alex Austin, Isaiah Bolden, Marco Wilson, Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Marcellas Dial

Reaction: Shaun Wade was the only player who was waived from the cornerback room. The team opted to keep rookie Marcellas Dial on despite his rocky performance during the preseason. However, his contributions on special teams was enough, as he saw time as the team's top gunner on the punt team.

Safeties

IN: Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawins, Brenden Schooler, *Dell Pettus

IR (designated to return): Marte Mapu

Reaction: Dell Pettus, an undrafted free agent, made the roster after a really impressive camp. He was the only UDFA to crack the roster.

Specialists

IN: Joey Slye, Bryce Baringer, Joe Cardona

Reaction: Joey Slye won the kicking competition, with Chad Ryland being waived.