The New England Patriots made a minor roster move Tuesday, releasing wide receiver Lynn Bowden from their 90-man roster.
Bowden joined the Patriots before last year’s season opener, and his positional versatility made him an intriguing addition. The 2020 third-round pick had prior experience at receiver, running back, quarterback and kick/punt return and won the Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile player in college football.
But that promise never panned out. Bowden spent the entire 2022 season on New England’s practice squad, appearing in one game and logging a total of 14 offensive snaps with zero touches. The Patriots signed him to a future contract after the season but cut him before the start of organized team activities, which are scheduled to begin May 22.
Bowden’s release came 10 days after the Patriots selected wideouts Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Their receiving corps currently consists of JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Tre Nixon and the two rookies.
Cutting Bowden also freed up a roster spot for recently re-signed cornerback Tae Hayes. The Patriots now have a full 90-man roster, including their three reported undrafted free agent signings and safety Devin McCourty, whose retirement reportedly had yet to be officially processed as of last week. New England likely is waiting until June 1 to make that procedural move, as doing so would create more than $5 million in salary cap space for this season.
