Patriots Reporter Lists Three Potential Release Candidates

The New England Patriots lost the wild-card game to the Buffalo Bills. Head coach Bill Belichick entered the offseason a little too early this time. This gives him plenty of time to reshape the roster and get rid of the players who can’t win games. According to Mike Reiss from ESPN, the Patriots have three potential release candidates at the moment.

It’s more than obvious that the Patriots will have to make changes this season. Several veterans are entering free agency and Belichick will have to come up with a replacement for them all. Of course, some of them may opt to stay with the team. It’s a long offseason and Belichick will do the best for his team.

Patriots could get rid of all three potential release candidates

Reiss listed a few players who may leave the team in the offseason. Two of them struggled to make an impact but the other player was of great help for the team. Shaq Mason, N’Keal Harry, and Joejuan Williams. Imagine the 2022 roster without these three.

“Starting right guard Shaq Mason is due to count $10.1 million on the salary cap, and with no guaranteed money as part of his deal, his status bears watching,” Reiss wrote. “Meanwhile, the team’s top picks in the 2019 draft — receiver N’Keal Harry and cornerback Joejuan Williams — were trending in the wrong direction performance-wise by the end of the season.”

Getting rid of Harry makes sense. The wide out was given a chance to compete on the football field, but it didn’t work. Harry requested a trade last summer and made it publicly. His agent said that Harry would love to move on as a player for another team. Harry changed his mind in training camp and decided to stay with the team. Unfortunately, he didn’t do anything at all.

Belichick should make changes on both ends of the ball. His offense needs a boost and the same goes to his defense. Let’s see what happens in the offseason. Reiss is right about a few things. Belichick needs winners on his team.