The New England Patriots won 20-12 against the Minnesota Vikings in their second preseason game on Saturday. The Pats and other NFL teams are putting together their 53-man rosters as the regular season approaches.Although one more week of training camp is left for New England's players to leave their mark, some veteran players are in danger of being cut ahead of the 53-man roster cutdown deadline on Aug. 26.Here, we will take a look at three players who are cut candidates ahead of the Patriots' 53-man roster reveal.New England Patriots roster projection: cut candidates1) Ja’Lynn Polk - Wide receiverUndrafted free agent Efton Chism has emerged as one of the most impressive performers for the New England Patriots this preseason. His outstanding performance may have secured him a roster spot ahead of former second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk.Polk was selected by the Patriots with the 37th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, but he only caught 12 passes for 87 yards and two scores in 15 games in his rookie campaign. He may not have an opportunity to make amends in New England in 2025 given the rise of Chism, who caught six passes for 71 yards and one touchdown in Saturday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.2) Kendrick Bourne - Wide receiverKendrick Bourne's chances of making the Patriots' 53-man roster this season appear to be very slim. While he had a decent year in his first season with the team in 2021, Bourne has declined in the next seasons, as he has caught only 100 passes for 1,145 yards and six touchdowns over the last three seasons.Bourne has been on the roster periphery in training camp for the Patriots and has recently been hampered by an injury. He will likely be playing somewhere else when the 2025 regular season starts as the Pats have 11 receivers on their training camp roster.If his injury is not severe enough to warrant cutting him, the Patriots may opt to place him on injured reserve to start the season. However, that means he will not be available for the first four games of the campaign.3) Cole Strange - Offensive linemanCole Strange, whom the New England Patriots selected with a first-round pick in 2022, has emerged as a surprise cut candidate ahead of the 2025 season.Strange had a stellar collegiate career at Chattanooga, but his New England career hasn't been great. At 27, he was considered the frontrunner for the starting left guard position for the Patriots ahead of training camp; however, Jared Wilson seems to have secured that role.Strange continues to fall down the pecking order and the Patriots have declined his fifth-year option. Given that Wilson and Michael Onwenu are expected to start at guard and Layden Robinson and Sidy Sow will be backups, Strange doesn't seem to have a clear position on the roster at the time.If Strange is selected as part of the 53-man roster, it will likely be as the 52nd or 53rd player on the roster.