The Patriots’ initial 53-man roster has been filed with the league office by Saturday’s deadline. Sunday is a new day.
NFL rosters are written on paper, not etched in stone, and the roles are constantly changing, likely beginning Sunday as the New England brass sifts the waiver wire and re-signs some cut players to fill needs and build depth.
In addition, many of the players who got the bad news could be returning in short order as members of the newly expanded practice squads, which now can be up to 16 players and include any player regardless of service time.
The most interesting development of the day was that no winner was declared in the kicking competition between rookie Justin Rohrwasser and veteran Nick Folk, as both were released.
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Coach Bill Belichick described the battle between the two as “a pretty close gap” on Friday. The moves don’t necessarily mean either player’s time in Foxborough is up.
Cutting Folk, a 12-year veteran who performed well last year for the Patriots (14 of 17 on field goals) and was the better kicker in camp, allows the team to protect a roster spot for a day — any player placed on injured reserve now will have to miss the season. Folk is not subject to waivers and could re-sign soon.
Rohrwasser really struggled in his rookie camp. The fifth-round pick was the first kicker taken in April, but never looked comfortable this summer. Rohrwasser, who showed good leg strength but shaky accuracy, would have to clear waivers. New England would like to stash him on the practice squad, where he could develop alongside a veteran — possibly Folk.
The biggest name the Patriots released was running back Lamar Miller, who signed late in camp and didn’t begin practicing with the team until Monday, giving him just four practices to make an impression.
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Miller, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher with good receiving skills, could be walking back in the door soon, whether it be as a practice squad player or an active roster guy, especially if the team decides to place Damien Harris (hand) on injured reserve.
Running backs coach Ivan Fears is intrigued by Miller, who missed 2019 with a torn ACL, and sounded like he’d welcome the opportunity to continue working with the former Dolphin and Texan when he talked to reporters Wednesday.
“It’s really early to say a whole lot — he’s coming off a major injury from last year. So, you have to give him a chance to get his legs up underneath him and get back in the groove,’' he said. “We threw him in the fire pretty fast, just because we’re running out of time where you can be very physical in practice. So, we wanted to give him a little taste of getting bounced around a bit. He’s done a great job. I really expect Lamar to bounce back and be the guy he was. But I’m sure that’s going to take a little time.’'
Undrafted rookie back J.J. Taylor, whom Fears raved about, also didn’t make the cut.
Jeff Thomas headlined a list of four receivers released, including fellow undrafted free agents Isaiah Zuber, Andre Baccellia, and Devin Ross.
Thomas missed significant camp practice time, but he did flash some tantalizing skills, including tremendously quick feet and the ability to quickly and seamlessly change directions and speeds. If he can get through waivers, Thomas could benefit from some structure and coaching as a member of the practice squad. Ditto for Zuber.
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Tight ends Jake Burt, Paul Quessenberry, and Paul Butler also were released. Burt, the former Boston College standout, had a solid camp and is a definite practice squad candidate.
Quessenberry came to camp late after a five-year stint in the Marines following a career at the Naval Academy, where he played defensive end. He could eventually take a James Develin-like path and contribute as a fullback/H-back type.
Offensive linemen Tyler Gauthier and Ben Braden, both of whom projected as inside depth players, were released.
Quarterback Brian Lewerke, who was released in the initial wave to get to 80 and then re-signed, was let go again. Lewerke was a valuable arm with so many receivers in camp but faced perhaps the biggest climb on the roster considering the depth ahead of him.
On defense, perhaps the biggest surprise cut was rookie linebacker Cassh Maluia, a sixth-round pick who had a strong camp on defense and special teams and has a strong chance of sticking around.
Fellow linebackers Scoota Harris and Terez Hall, both of whom made some plays in camp also were let go. Harris has a nose for the ball as does Hall, who was hampered late by an apparent ankle injury.
Defensive linemen Nick Thurman, Rashod Berry, Bill Murray, Tashawn Bower, and Xavier Williams also were released. Thurman had missed a few practices recently and that may have hurt his chances. Berry played tight end and defensive end in college but was strictly a defender this summer. Murray has nice athleticism for a 6-foot-4-inch, 265-pounder and both Berry and Murray could land on the practice squad. Williams signed late and never got a foothold.
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In the secondary, the Patriots cut a pair of cornerbacks who had very impressive camps. Myles Bryant, an undrafted rookie and D’Angelo Ross, an undrafted player who missed last season with an injury, both displayed the speed and cover skills to play in the NFL. They were simply caught in a numbers crunch as the Patriots have absurd depth at the position, led by Stephon Gilmore, J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones, and Jason McCourty.
One player who could get another look is receiver Sean Riley, who came in for a workout after having been cut in the original purge to 80 players. The Syracuse product has return ability as well.
This marks the end of 17-year run in which at least one undrafted rookie made the Patriots’ original 53-man roster.
Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.
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Patriots firm up roster, but they have a lot of work left to do - The Boston Globe
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