By Tuesday at 4 p.m., the Patriots have to trim their roster from 85 players down to 80. With the team heading to Las Vegas on Monday for joint practices and a preseason game against the Raiders, they got some of their cuts out of the way ahead of the time.

On Saturday, the Patriots made their first two cuts of the period releasing cornerback Devin Hafford and safety Jalen Elliott. They followed that up with a move on Sunday, releasing tight end Dalton Keene.

Keene’s name is the one that stands out among this group. The Patriots traded up to draft him 101st overall in 2020, making him the second of two consecutive tight end picks for the team along with Devin Asiasi.

More of an h-back type than a traditional tight end, Keene’s selection was seen as an indication that the Patriots might have been making a change offensively. However, Keene struggled to catch on in New England. He missed the early portion of his rookie year due to a neck injury. After working his way back he ended up appearing in six games that season, catching three passes for 16 yards. He then missed all of last season with a knee injury. The 23-year-old was then limited for a good portion of training camp this summer.

Dalton Keene college & pro stats

Hafford, 24, was briefly with the Patriots during rookie minicamp in the spring but was released before OTAs. After spending the spring in the USFL, he re-signed with the Patriots last week to add cornerback depth to the roster following the IR placements of Malcolm Butler and Joejuan Williams. A rookie out of Tarleton State, Hafford was the WAC Defensive Player of the Year last season.

Elliott, 24, signed with the Patriots a week into camp. He spent the first two seasons of his career with the Detroit Lions, where he played for current Patriots assistant coach Matt Patricia who was the head coach in Detroit at the time.

The Patriots now have two more roster moves to make to get to the 80-player limit by Tuesday’s deadline. After that, it’ll be time to trim the roster down to the initial 53 players, which has to be done by next Tuesday, August 30.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].