FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots must cut five players from their roster ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline.
It appears those cuts already have been made.
Six new players were absent from Tuesday’s Patriots practice: wide receiver Devin Ross, safety Malik Gant, long snapper Brian Khoury, offensive linemen R.J. Prince and Marcus Martin and defensive tackle Nick Thurman.
All six were considered roster long shots. Thurman received medical attention during Monday’s practice, so his absence could be injury-related.
All NFL teams are required to trim their rosters to 80 players by Tuesday afternoon, then to 53 by next Tuesday.
The following players also sat out practice:
QB Cam Newton
QB Jarrett Stidham
WR N’Keal Harry
CB Stephon Gilmore
RB Brandon Bolden
S Joshuah Bledsoe
LB Cameron McGrone
LB Terez Hall
TE Matt LaCosse
WR Tre Nixon
DT Byron Cowart
Bolden, LaCosse, Bledsoe and Nixon ran through rehab/conditioning drills during practice. Stidham watched practice in street clothes.
Patriots tight end Hunter Henry and defensive back Myles Bryant practiced in red non-contact jerseys Tuesday. It was Bryant’s first appearance on the field since an undisclosed injury knocked him out of New England’s preseason opener against the Washington Football Team. Henry is recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered Aug. 15.
The Patriots practiced in shorts and shells. They’ll host joint practices with the New York Giants on Wednesday and Thursday.
Newton will be forced to sit out his third straight practice Wednesday as a result of what the Patriots called a “misunderstanding” over COVID-19 testing protocols. Head coach Bill Belichick confirmed the quarterback is expected to return for Thursday’s practice.
