Everything We Learned At Patriots’ Final Practice Before Cutdown

FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots chose to wait until after Tuesday’s practice to make their final round of roster cuts.

A total of 67 players were on the field for New England’s cutdown-day practice outside Gillette Stadium, which began a little after 1 p.m. ET. By 4 p.m., the Patriots’ roster must be down to 53.

The following players were not in uniform:

WR Tyquan Thornton
RB J.J. Taylor
OT Riley Reiff
OT Conor McDermott
OL Chasen Hines
TE Anthony Firkser
CB Isaiah Bolden
ST Cody Davis
DE Trey Flowers

The Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed reported before practice that Hines and Firkser both had been released. Kicker Nick Folk also was absent after the Patriots reportedly traded him to the Tennessee Titans.

Reiff and McDermott both are dealing with injuries and are not locks to make the 53-man roster. Nor is Taylor, who practiced Sunday after playing well in the Patriots’ final preseason game. Thornton and Bolden did not participate Tuesday but were spotted doing conditioning drills on a side field, suggesting both are progressing as they work their way back from a shoulder injury and a concussion, respectively.

Davis and Flowers are on the physically unable to perform list. If they are not activated by the 4 p.m. ET cutdown deadline, they would be ineligible to return until Week 5 at the earliest.

Among the players who were participating: offensive tackle Calvin Anderson, who practiced for the first time since the spring after being removed from the non-football illness list. It’s unclear how long it will take Anderson to get back into football shape after he missed all of training camp, but having him back on the field was good news for an O-line that’s been pummeled by injuries this summer.

Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez and third-year linebacker Ronnie Perkins both returned after missing Sunday’s practice, and rookie receiver Demario Douglas shed his red non-contact jersey. Douglas reportedly is dealing with a shoulder injury suffered during New England’s second preseason game.

Newly acquired offensive tackles Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and Vederian Lowe both make their Patriots practice debuts, wearing Nos. 59 and 72, respectively. New England swung trades for both on Sunday, getting Wheatley from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for running back Pierre Strong and Lowe from the Minnesota Vikings for a 2024 sixth-round pick.