One of the NFL’s most significant deadlines has come and gone. NFL teams had until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to trim their rosters from the 90-player offseason limit to 53 players for the start of the 2023 regular season.
That left each team – Patriots included – with what is referred to as the ‘initial’ 53-man roster. Keep in mind, very few teams end up playing any actual games with their ‘initial’ 53-man roster. The roster will keep evolving in the week and a half between now and Week 1 with things like IR placements, waiver claims, and practice squad signings.
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Further complicating the nature of the ‘initial’ 53-man roster are the NFL’s new practice squad elevation rules. Teams often don’t carry positional minimums out of the gate to open up other roster spots elsewhere, knowing they can fill those spots later without bringing in a player off the street. In that sense, ‘initial’ rosters may take two to three weeks to fully shake out in reality.
That all being said, it’s not like there’s nothing that can be taken away from the initial rosters. Even if players are cut and brought back, it shows the team wasn’t afraid of possibly using them. Likewise, players not being exposed can be a sign the team is higher on them than others. Plus, it’s possible to project ahead to what kind of work needs to be done between the initial cuts and taking the field on Week 1.
So, what can we learn from the Patriots’ initial cutdown from 90 to 53 players? Here are seven takeaways, starting with a big-picture concept that served as the umbrella take of the day.