Patriots made unexpected roster decisions, including releasing Bradyn Swinson and cutting Cole Strange, and kept eight wide receivers on the 53-man roster. Keeping eight receivers creates immediate pressure to trim the receiving group through cuts or trades before Week 1. Javon Baker and Kendrick Bourne survived the initial cut despite questions about roles, injuries, and behavior. Baker performed well on special teams but showed concerning social-media behavior after cuts. Bourne's familiarity with the offense likely helped his retention despite limited practice. Additional available veterans and former McDaniels collaborators could become targets for roster adjustments.
Perhaps the most shocking move of all was their decision to keep eight wide receivers for the season ahead. While packing the offense for Drake Maye could be one way to look at it, it seems more than obvious that the receiving corps will look drastically different come Week 1, because keeping that many receivers is unheard of. That immediately skyrockets a few names to the top of the list of most likely next cut candidates, or even some trades left to happen.
Baker might have made the team in a special teams role, as he succeeded in that area during training camp and the preseason. Bourne, on the other hand, hasn't practiced for weeks due to an injury, but his familiarity with Josh McDaniels' offense might have kept him around. At the same time, there are still question marks surrounding both players, especially Baker, who seemed to respond negatively to roster cuts by deleting all images from his Instagram account and presumably unfollowing the Patriots, as well.
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