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With the deadline for the 53-man roster looming on the horizon, NFL teams have to make the toughest decisions of the year.
The New England Patriots have been under pressure to make the right decisions for their roster ever since Bill Belichick gambled against paying Tom Brady all the money he wanted. For his part, Belichick spent a lot of money in free agency trying to fix some of the roster's holes, and now some of the older pieces will be gone when the 53-man roster gets finished.
Five Patriots players who could be cut, waived or traded before the 53-man roster deadline
#1 - Jarrett Stidham
It's time for New England to end the whole Stidham madness, right? He never played at a high level in the NFL and now the Patriots have two much better quarterbacks in Cam Newton and Mac Jones fighting for the starting spot. Plus, Brian Hoyer is a veteran who's been in Foxborough for a long time and he also brings more to the team than Stidham.
No team will trade for him, so he's probably gone after the 53-man roster.
#2 - Brandon Bolden
Bolden, a running back by nature, is a huge special teams asset for the Patriots, but even that quality may not be enough for him to survive the 53-man roster cuts this year. The running back group is incredibly deep in New England, and there are only so many roster spots for the position.
Bolden will be missed, but since he is not a factor in the running game, he will be cut before the 53-man deadline.
#3 - N'Keal Harry
Another player whose days in New England have been numbered is N'Keal Harry, who's dealing with a shoulder injury and will miss the start of the season.
The Patriots spent a lot of money on free agency to strengthen the wide receiver position, partly because of Harry's inability to translate his college dominance to the NFL. He may not be cut, but don't expect him to stay in Foxborough for long - a trade is a possibility.
#4 - Dalton Keene
Keene, a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, clearly didn't do enough to impress the coaching staff, hence the signings of Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry in free agency in March.
The Patriots have already cut two tight ends during the offseason and, if Keene doesn't land on injured reserve, he will be off the roster.
#5 - Adrian Colbert
Colbert's career has never taken off and he's been into a number of teams since his release from the San Francisco 49ers in 2019.
The Patriots have an incredibly deep secondary, and depth isn't a problem either, so his days in New England are numbered and he will be out of the 53-man roster. He simply doesn't have enough talent to stay with the Patriots.
