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The New England Patriots have already created cap space for operations through the 2020 season, and perhaps even made room for a free-agent move or two. Still, they may not be done with cost-cutting moves and that means there are a few veterans on the team who could find themselves off the roster before the season starts.
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The Patriots Players Who Could Be on the Cut Line
According to Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal, the veterans in the most danger of losing their spots on the roster are:
- OL – Korey Cunningham ($750,000)
- DL – Deatrich Wise ($1.9 million)
- OL – Jermaine Eluemunor ($2.13 million)
- OL – Marcus Cannon ($4.49 million)
- WR – Mohamed Sanu ($6.5 million)
Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Bezan identified Eluemunor as the most-likely veteran to be cut from this at-risk group.
Why is Eluemunor the Most Expendable?
Eluemunor was retained by the Patriots when the team placed a one-year tender on him in March. The 25-year-old from London, England is valuable because of his ability to play multiple positions on the offensive line. However, if youngsters like Yodny Cajuste and Isaiah Wynn play well in training camp and preseason–assuming there is one–Eluemunor could be more expendable.
Because he could save the Patriots a little over $2 million in cap space, cutting him would be an attractive option. However, keep an eye on the health of Sanu. He has seemingly bonded well with both of the Patriots’ starting quarterback options (Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham) during the offseason.
That said, he is coming off an injury-riddled run with the team in 2019, and because of that, he didn’t perform up to standards.
If Sanu goes down with anything significant in training camp or the offseason, you have to believe he jumps to or near the top of the most-expendable list.
Also, Deatrich Wise has to be considered a strong candidate as well, especially if the team is seriously considering adding the likes of Everson Griffen or Jadeveon Clowney. The extra money would be important if the Patriots are wooing Clowney who has likely already had to come down significantly on his asking price considering he’s still without a team so close to the start of training camp.
Cutting Wise wouldn’t just clear cap space in this instance, it would also make room in the rotation for another defensive lineman. Dropping him for Griffen or Clowney might be seen as an upgrade. In any case, we’ll likely find out within the next few weeks which direction the Patriots are going with the cap space and the management of their roster.