Patriots Initial 53-Man Roster: Biggest Surprise Inclusions, Removals

The New England Patriots created the perfect roster Saturday. It’s their initial roster, and some of those players may be cut, placed on injury list or end up somewhere else.

Demaryius Thomas surprised us a lot. He was cut during the final trimmings.

“Thomas had seven catches on eight targets for 87 yards with two touchdowns Thursday night in his first game back from a ruptured Achilles,” NESN’s Doug Kyed wrote. “Then he was cut. Hmm. There seems to be more to this story, however. Thomas doesn’t need to pass through waivers after being released because he’s a vested veteran, so the Patriots don’t have to worry about another team claiming him. That means they can place a player on injured reserve-return and then re-sign Thomas. That’s reportedly what the Patriots plan to do.”

Brian Hoyer didn’t make the 53-man roster too. He was a backup quarterback for Tom Brady, but the Patriots decided to cut him off.

“Perhaps what’s most surprising about this is that Hoyer was released, not traded,” Kyed added. “We did expect him to make the Patriots’ roster as Tom Brady’s backup, but we’re not shocked standout rookie Jarrett Stidham will serve that role instead. Hoyer’s two most logical suitors are the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. Perhaps the Patriots did Hoyer a favor by letting him pick his next destination.”

Keion Crossen had the same destiny. “After the Patriots traded cornerback Duke Dawson to the Denver Broncos, everyone thought Crossen was a roster lock. Then he was traded at the 11th hour. The Patriots typically only keep five cornerbacks on their 53-man roster. Crossen would have been the sixth behind Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones, JC Jackson and Joejuan Williams. Crossen is a stellar special teamer, but he was blocked for the all-important gunner role on punts behind Jones and Matthew Slater.”

The Patriots decided to keep Obi Melifonwu. He was hurt for the second half of the preseason after his great game in training camp. His role on the roster improved when the team lost Brandon Guru. Melifonwu is a safety, and King is a linebacker. However, they have similar height, weight and speed.

Deatrich Wise Jr. is expected to backup Michael Bennet. Gunner Olszewski was a real surprise, and many analysts didn’t believe that he’d make the roster.