Patriots Set 53-Man Roster
Mike Vrabel‘s first roster as Patriots head coach is taking shape. The team announced the following moves as they set their initial 53-man roster:
Released:
Waived:
- CB Miles Battle
- G Mehki Butler
- G Jack Conley
- CB Brandon Crossley
- TE C.J. Dippre
- RB JaMycal Hasty
- OT Demontrey Jacobs
- RB Terrell Jennings
- WR John Jiles
- DE Truman Jones
- C Alec Lindstrom
- DB Kobee Minor
- DT David Olajiga
- LB Cam Riley
- DT Jahvaree Ritzie
- K John Parker Romo
- TE Gee Scott
- G Cole Strange (story)
- LB Bradyn Swinson
- WR Jeremiah Webb
Placed on IR (designated for return):
Placed on IR:
- WR Ja’Lynn Polk
In addition to cutting Strange, the organization also moved on from Demontrey Jacobs, who started 13 games for the Patriots last season. Elsewhere on the OL, it sounds like David Olajiga will land back on New England’s practice squad if he clears waivers, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.
Perhaps the most surprising moves were the cuts the Patriots didn’t make. Kyle Dugger will stick around despite days of trade speculation. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Patriots did receive multiple trade offers for the safety, but his $9.75MM salary (and how much the Patriots would be forced to take on) was a hurdle during negotiations. Meanwhile, the Patriots are temporarily holding on to eight wide receivers, with players like Kendrick Bourne and Javon Baker making the squad.
49ers Cut 25 Players, Set 53-Man Roster
The 49ers had some work to do to get down to their initial 53-man roster. The front office achieved that daunting task this afternoon, as the organization announced the following moves:
Released:
- WR Robbie Chosen
- OL Michael Dunn
- WR Russell Gage
- DL Jonathan Garvin
- DL Trevis Gipson
- DL Bruce Hector
- WR Isaiah Hodgins
- CB Fabian Moreau
- P Thomas Morstead
- LB Curtis Robinson
- LB Chazz Surratt
- WR Malik Turner
- RB Jeff Wilson
Waived:
- WR Junior Bergen
- LB Stone Blanton
- DL William Bradley-King
- DB Derrick Canteen
- CB Dallis Flowers
- LB Jalen Graham
- S Jaylen Mahoney
- OL Drake Nugent
- WR Terique Owens
- DL Sebastian Valdez
- TE Brayden Willis
- OL Nick Zakelj
Activated from active/PUP:
- DL Yetur Gross-Matos
Placed on reserve/PUP:
- WR Brandon Aiyuk
- S Malik Mustapha
Placed on reserve/NFI:
- QB Kurtis Rourke
Placed on reserve/suspended:
- OL Isaac Alarcon
- WR Demarcus Robinson
Placed on IR (designated for return):
- DL Kevin Givens
Placed on IR:
- CB Jakob Robinson
Punter Thomas Morstead was cut today, but it sounds like the veteran won’t be a free agent for long. Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports that Morstead is expected to re-sign with the organization. The 39-year-old spent the past two seasons with the Jets, including a 2023 campaign where he led the NFL in punts and punting yards.
Barrows also notes that Jacob Cowing made the initial roster but is expected to land on injured reserve as he nurses a hamstring injury. This could open the door for one of the team’s cut WRs to land back on the active roster. That grouping includes Russell Gage, who had more than 1,500 receiving yards for the Falcons between the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Elsewhere on offense, Jeff Wilson‘s reunion with the 49ers proved to be short lived after he joined the organization earlier this month. The veteran spent the past two-plus seasons in Miami, but he had a successful run in San Francisco to begin his career. This included a 2020 campaign where he compiled 733 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns.
Steelers Cut 13 Players, Set Initial 53-Man Roster
After slowly reducing their roster count over the past week, the Steelers officially got to their 53-player limit this afternoon. The Steelers announced the following transactions:
Released:
- DB Chuck Clark
- DB James Pierre
- OL Max Scharping
- RB Trey Sermon
- WR Robert Woods
Waived:
- DB Beanie Bishop
- DB Sebastian Castro
- OL Dylan Cook
- DL DeMarvin Leal
- LB Eku Leota
- WR Ke’Shawn Williams
Waived/injured:
Placed on IR (designated for return):
- DB Cory Trice
The Steelers made a pair of relatively surprising cuts on defense. Beanie Bishop joined the Steelers as a UDFA last year and ended up getting into all 17 games (six starts), compiling 45 tackles, four interceptions, and seven passes defended. If he doesn’t get scooped up by another team, there’s a good chance he lands back on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. The same goes for DeMarvin Leal, who appeared in 28 games for the Steelers since being selected in the third round of the 2022 draft.
On offense, the team terminated the contracts of two notable veterans. Robert Woods was looking to revive his career following two quiet seasons in Houston. The former Rams standout hit new lows in 2024, finishing with career-lows in receptions (20) and receiving yards (203). The team also moved on from former 49ers draft pick Trey Sermon. The running back spent the past two seasons with the Colts, where he collected 431 yards from scrimmage in 31 games.
Raiders Acquire Kenny Pickett From Browns
The Raiders have landed on a new backup for Geno Smith. The team is acquiring Kenny Pickett from the Browns, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Cleveland will be receiving a 2026 fifth-round pick in return, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
This is a natural move for both organizations. The Raiders have been hunting for a new backup quarterback since Aidan O’Connell suffered a fracture wrist that will sideline him for six to eight weeks. Meanwhile, the Browns were looking to clear up their QB logjam, despite what GM Andrew Berry may have signaled yesterday.
The Raiders’ only other option behind Smith was rookie sixth-round pick Cam Miller, so it seemed like only a matter of time before Las Vegas landed a veteran signal caller. In comes Pickett, who has pivoted to the backup phase of his career. A former first-round pick, the Pittsburgh product failed to live up to his draft billing with the Steelers. He went 14-10 in his 24 starts with the organization but only tossed 13 touchdowns vs. 13 interceptions. When the Steelers revamped their QB depth chart last offseason, Pickett requested a trade and was promptly sent to Philly to be Jalen Hurts‘ backup.
Pickett ended up getting into five games for his new squad, completing 25 of his 42 pass attempts for 291 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He earned a win in his lone start for the Eagles, a blowout Week 17 victory over the Cowboys. After the season, he was dealt to Cleveland for a fifth-round pick and QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
The Browns depth chart quickly became crowded as they navigated another lost season from Deshaun Watson. While it was once believed that Pickett could be in the driver’s seat to be Cleveland’s new QB1, Joe Flacco ended up winning the QB battle. Still, the team had too much notable depth at the position as the roster deadline approached. With this trade, the Browns can now roll into the season with rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders as the primary backups.
If you’re keeping count at home, this represents the third trade of Pickett’s four-year career. As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero notes, this accomplishment has only been matched by one other player in NFL history: Sam Howell, who reached the milestone yesterday.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/25
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: CB M.J. Devonshire, OT Reid Holskey, TE Baylor Cupp
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: P Oscar Chapman, T Leroy Watson
The Vikings appeared to shop around Leroy Watson before ultimately deciding to waive the OL, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. A former tight end, Watson has emerged as an offensive lineman in the NFL, garnering 11 appearances through two seasons in the league. He started all four of his appearances for the Titans in 2024.
Browns Expected To Release DeAndre Carter
The Browns are moving on from an offseason free agent acquisition. According to Jordan Schultz, Cleveland is expected to release veteran DeAndre Carter.
Back in March, the Browns handed the 32-year-old a one-year, $800K deal. Carter was expected to have a role in Cleveland as a back-of-the-depth-chart wideout and primary returner. Instead, the NFL journeyman will be looking to join yet another team.
The Browns represented the 10th team of Carter’s NFL career (not including multiple stints with the Raiders and Bears). The Sacramento State product’s best offensive season actually came relatively recently, when he hauled in 46 catches for 538 yards and three touchdowns for the Chargers. After getting into 17 games for the Raiders in 2023, Carter spent the 2024 campaign in Chicago. There, he hauled in nine catches in 13 games.
Carter has really made a name for himself on special teams, where he’s tallied 133 career kick returns and 149 career punt returns. He finished this past season with a career-high 31.9 yards-per-return mark, and he also managed to return the longest punt return (38 yards) since his sophomore season. Considering his special teams prowess, it shouldn’t take long for the veteran to find another gig.
For Cleveland, this could be a sign that UDFA Gage Larvadain has made the team, per Tony Grossi. The receiver finished the preseason with nine catches for 94 yards and one touchdown, and he also returned 10 punts.
Bills To Release QB Mike White
After spending the past year in the Bills organization, Mike White will look to continue his career elsewhere. The Bills are set to release the veteran quarterback, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
White was cut by the Dolphins at the end of the 2024 preseason and quickly caught on with Buffalo’s practice squad. He was intended to provide some extra insurance behind injured QB2 Mitchell Trubisky, and White ended up only seeing the field for a single game with the Bills. In that Week 17 cameo, White completed 3 of his 11 pass attempts for 28 yards.
After a brief stint on the Cowboys to begin his career, the former fifth-round pick has spent the rest of his career in the AFC East. He started seven of his eight appearances for the Jets between 2021 and 2022, completing 62.2 percent of his passes for 2,145 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The Jets went 2-5 in those seven starts.
As the Jets revamped their depth chart ahead of the 2023 campaign, White wasn’t in the team’s plans, leading to him joining the Dolphins on a two-year deal. He spent that season as Tua Tagovailoa‘s primary backup, with White tossing a touchdown and an interception in six games. After being passed on the depth chart by Skylar Thompson last preseason, White was cut.
Trubisky will now continue as Josh Allen‘s primary backup in Buffalo for the 2025 campaign. The Bills are also waiving former UDFA Shane Buechele, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, leaving the organization with only two QBs at the moment.
Steelers Cut P Cameron Johnston, 12 Others
The Steelers started moving on from some players late last week, and they continued the process this afternoon. The team announced the following transactions:
Released:
Waived:
- DL Kyler Baugh
- TE JJ Galbreath
- WR Max Hurleman
- DB D’Shawn Jamison
- OL Steve Jones
- WR Lance McCutcheon
- RB Lew Nichols
- DB Daryl Porter
- LB Mark Robinson
- K Ben Sauls
- LB Julius Welschof
- OL Aiden Williams
Cameron Johnston inked a three-year deal with the Steelers last offseason and was expected to lead the depth chart for the foreseeable future. However, the veteran suffered a knee injury in Week 1 that knocked him out for the rest of the season, allowing Corliss Waitman to secure the punting gig. It appears that Waitman won the competition between the two this preseason, and Johnston will now look to revive his career elsewhere. The team also moved on from kicker Ben Sauls, who always seemed destined to be cut considering Chris Boswell is still kicking around.
Among the team’s other notable cuts are Max Hurleman, who caught a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener and was a standout during training camp, and linebackerMark Robinson, who was believed to be competing for a spot on the Steelers defense.
Raiders Cut 18 Players
The Raiders have started trimming down their roster to 53 players. The team announced today that they’ve moved on from 18 players:
Released:
- WR Marquez Callaway
- WR Phillip Dorsett
- WR Collin Johnson
- LB Jaylon Smith
Waived:
- OT Gottlieb Ayedze
- LB Michael Barrett
- DT Tank Booker
- DE Andre Carter II
- S Hudson Clark
- OT Parker Clements
- DT Keondre Coburn
- LB Amari Gainer
- C Jarrod Hufford
- CB John Humphrey
- TE Qadir Ismail
- WR Ketron Jackson Jr.
- DE Jah Joyner
- CB Sam Webb
The Raiders’ wide receivers room has commanded headlines today, as Jakobi Meyers reportedly requested a trade before the team reunited with Amari Cooper. The team’s most notable moves in their initial wave of cuts included a handful of veteran wide receivers.
That grouping includes Phillip Dorsett, who has bounced around the NFL since his stint in New England came to an end several years ago. The veteran had 20 catches in 15 games for the Texans in 2022, but he was limited to only a pair of appearances with the Broncos in 2023. He didn’t get into a game last year. The team also moved on from former Saints standout Marquez Callaway, who has only appeared in five games over the past two years.
On the defensive side of the ball, Jaylon Smith is the biggest name among this grouping of cuts. The former Cowboys standout bounced around the NFL in 2021 before starting 11 of his 13 appearances with the Giants in 2022, a season in which he finished with 88 tackles. He was limited to one game with the Raiders in 2023 before not getting into a regular-season contest in 2024.
Patriots Believe Trey Hendrickson Cost Is “Too Much”
With no end in sight to the ongoing Trey Hendrickson saga, there were reports that the Patriots were sniffing around at a potential trade. While New England was understandably doing its due diligence, it doesn’t sound like they’re close to acquiring the star pass rusher.
[RELATED: Patriots Open To Trade Acquisition]
According to Josina Anderson, the Patriots feel the cost to acquire Hendrickson is currently “too much.” Dianna Russini of The Athletic adds that New England doesn’t appear close to acquiring the 2024 sacks leader.
There were rumblings yesterday that the Patriots had reached out to the Bengals about a potential Hendrickson trade. That report followed remarks from New England’s de facto general manager Eliot Wolf that the organization would be willing to part with a first- or second-round pick to facilitate a trade for a star player. Wolf obviously didn’t mention any names, but the timing of both reports did raise some eyebrows.
If the Patriots are indeed willing to part with a first-round pick for a hypothetical “star player,” it stands to reason that the Bengals may be asking for even more draft compensation in return for Hendrickson. An acquiring team would presumably be willing to pay the edge rusher what he’s seeking, so a trade would likely end this ongoing storyline. Instead, the Hendrickson watch continues, with the player most recently acknowledging that guarantees remain the sticking point in negotiations with the Bengals (per ESPN’s Ben Baby).
While any team would surely welcome a player of Hendrickson’s talent, the Patriots are a particularly logical landing spot after the team ranked last in sacks in 2024. The Patriots only compiled 28 total sacks, trailing the 31st-ranked Falcons by three. For comparison’s sake, Hendrickson has collected 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons.
To the front office’s credit, the organization did bring in some pass-rush help this offseason. Free agent additions Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson should provide some help on the edge, while Milton Williams has shown an elite ability to get to the QB in the middle of the defensive line. With Keion White showing promise as a sophomore, New England’s pass rush should look a whole lot better in 2025. Of course, adding Hendrickson to the grouping would transform the Patriots’ pass-rush unit to one of the best in the NFL.
Based on how the Bengals have operated throughout this entire saga, it’s not a surprise they’re not feeling any urgency to figure out a solution. If Cincy does eventually decide to move on, the Patriots would remain a logical landing spot.