Patriots Don’t Claim, Lose Any Players On Waivers; Here’s What That Means

A total of 17 NFL players were claimed off waivers Sunday. None of those claims involved the New England Patriots.

The Patriots were not awarded any players off waivers one day after cutting their roster to 53 members, and none of the players they waived Saturday were claimed.

That means every player New England let go ahead of the final cutdown deadline now is eligible to join their practice squad — a list that includes intriguing rookies like wide receiver Jeff Thomas, cornerback Myles Bryant, running back J.J. Taylor, edge rusher/tight end Rashod Berry and linebacker Cassh Maluia.

Under new rules implemented for this season, teams also can carry up to six players with unlimited NFL experience on their practice squads, so a veteran like running back Lamar Miller, whom the Patriots released Saturday, could land there, as well. Teams can carry up to 16 practice squad players in total.

Expect more roster shuffling in the coming days as teams shift players from their 53-man rosters to injured reserve and sign other players to fill their spots.

Defensive tackle Beau Allen and running back Damien Harris are two IR candidates for New England, with Miller and recently released kicker Nick Folk on the list of potential replacements.

Players who were included on their team’s initial 53-man roster can return from IR after three weeks (down from eight weeks in previous seasons), and teams can reactivate an unlimited number of players off IR (up from two in years past).