Six Patriots Preseason Darlings That Didn’t Last On Roster

There is something about preseason football that makes New England Patriots fans a little bit irrational.

Is it true that all NFL fan bases latch on to random players with no shot at making the 53-man roster? Yes. Did we take an unnecessary shot at Patriots fans? No. We’re trying to protect you New England because Thursday night’s preseason game against the Houston Texans (and every single one after that) will have some sort of performance that will have you wanting a proven veteran cut to keep an undrafted rookie.

It’s a trend, nay, sickness that has plagued football fans for a long time, and we’re here to temper expectations. There will always be the Julian Edelmans of the world, but we’re here to talk about the Devin Luciens.

Here are some Patriots preseason legends who didn’t stick in New England:

Devin Lucien, WR (2016, 2017, 2018)
Well, we used him for a little rhetoric, so we might as well start with the predecessor to N’Keal Harry at Arizona State.

The Patriots selected Devin Lucien in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft, attempting to see if he could build off a dominant final stretch of his college career. He might have been able to, but luck wasn’t really on his side. Things started off slow, with Lucien catching just three passes for 39 yards in his rookie preseason, but he’d explode for 96 yards and a touchdown in the final preseason game of his sophomore campaign after a year on the practice squad.

That still wasn’t enough, though, as he’d bounce around in 2017 before winding up back in New England for the 2018 preseason. He’d catch seven passes for 100 yards in four games, which wasn’t enough to beat out the likes of Cordarrelle Patterson and Phillip Dorsett as he’d be released for a third and final time.

Ralph Webb, RB (2018)
Let’s stick with the 2018 preseason, where an undersized running back captured the hearts and minds of Patriots fans everywhere.

Ralph Webb was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt, where he rushed for over 4,000 yards and scored 35 touchdowns. He immediately showed off how productive he could be, scoring two touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions in the preseason opener against Washington. He’d total 102 yards in three preseason contests, losing the final running back job to Jeremy Hill.

Nick Brossette, RB (2019)
The Patriots didn’t get enough of their undrafted SEC running back fix in 2018, necessitating this arrival in 2019.

Nick Brossette’s career in New England was simple. He rushed for 200 yards and scored three touchdowns in the preseason, but was never really in contention for a roster spot as the Patriots already had Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead, Damien Harris, James White and Brandon Bolden locked into their roles.

Danny Etling, QB (2018, 2019)
Oh, baby.

You all remember the Danny Etling experience. He spent two years on the practice squad, was never really all that good at throwing the football and eventually flirted with a move to wide receiver. You’re here for the Giants touchdown, so we’ll give you the Giants touchdown.

Wait, what?!

Just your standard 86-yard rush TD for QB Danny Etling.#NEvsNYG | #GoPats pic.twitter.com/6aNijrpqc6

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 31, 2018

(Note: Did you know he did nearly the same thing for the Green Bay Packers in 2022?)

Austin Carr, WR (2017)
This is as far back as we’ll go because football didn’t exist before 2014. (Look it up.)

Austin Carr was another undrafted free agent who signed hoping to make it as the Patriots’ next great slot receiver. He played well in the preseason, catching 14 balls for 153 yards and two touchdowns, but was cut even after Julian Edelman went down with a season-ending injury. He went on to play three years for the New Orleans Saints.

Demaryius Thomas, WR (2019)
Let’s stick in 2019, but go with a player who had the complete opposite path to that of Brossette.

The Patriots signed Demaryius Thomas to a one-year deal in 2019, bringing him in after what was a legendary career with the Denver Broncos. He showed out in preseason (seven catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns vs. the Giants) and though he was cut so New England could do some roster trickery, he eventually did make it onto the 53-man roster. He never played a game, however, as the Patriots traded Thomas to the New York Jets after signing Antonio Brown.