NFL Rumors: Patriots Continue Trimming Roster, Cut Veteran Offensive Lineman

The Jerald Hawkins era in New England is going to be a brief one.

Needing to continue trimming down the roster, the Patriots on Sunday reportedly cut the veteran offensive lineman, who they had signed on July 30. That’s according to a report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Hawkins, 27, had played three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, appearing in 19 career NFL regular season games. The Patriots are pretty well taken care of on the offensive line from a depth standpoint, so Hawkins was a longshot to make the roster.

Earlier in the day, the Patriots reportedly had released wide receiver Marvin Hall, tight end David Wells and linebacker Rashod Berry.

Because of changes to the cutdown rules, teams have to cut their rosters down from 90 to 85 by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. They have to go from 85 to 80 by Tuesday, August 24th at 4 p.m., then down to 53 by Tuesday, August 31st at 4.