FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots trimmed a few more players off their roster ahead of practice on Monday.
The Patriots announced the release of veteran linebacker A.J. Edds, rookie offensive lineman R.J. Mattes and rookie defensive lineman Scott Vallone. All three were longshots to make the roster coming into training camp.
Edds, 25, was the most well known of the three players, with this being his second stint in New England. He played two games for the Patriots, recording just one tackle, and spent some time on their practice squad in 2011 before being claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts. He was re-signed by the team on June 6, 2013, but he didn’t show up much during either of the Patriots’ first two preseason games.
Mattes, 23, originally signed with the Patriots on May 13 after going undrafted out of North Carolina State in April. The rookie tackle was released by the team on May 23 before being re-signed just a few weeks later on June 3. He suffered an ankle injury during Friday night’s game against the Buccaneers and didn’t return to the field.
Vallone, 23, didn’t sign with the Patriots until after the start of training camp on Aug. 1. The Rutgers rookie spent less than three weeks with the team, playing in both preseason games, but didn’t establish much of a presence along the defensive line.
The Patriots are now down to just 84 players on their 90-man roster. The league requires teams to cutdown roster sizes to 75 players by Aug. 27, and the Patriots appear to be getting a headstart on that process now.
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