Ranking the Biggest Surprises of Patriots Cut Down Day

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If we've learned anything from every single season of Hard Knocks, it's that there is no grimmer, more solemn ritual in pro football than Cut Down Day. When an underpaid nerd is tasked with telling an aspiring player "Coach wants to see you," so that a middle aged man with 1/100th his athletic ability can crush his dreams, it's hard on everybody.

The Patriots just conducted their Cut Down Day. I waited until today to react to it, just to let the dust settle somewhat before making conclusions. So many times a player's released is announced, but it turns out to be temporary. A numbers game that includes a handshake agreement that they'll simply let the guy clear waivers and then re-sign him to the practice squad. And that is still very much in play with these cuts:

Now obviously there are no bombshells here with the destructive power of, say, a Lawyer Milloy in 2003. And no one on this list has been a starter for any significant period of time. Most of these names don't move the needle at all. Personally I see names like Nate Wieland and Jason Wydermyer and immediately think, "I'm glad I didn't try to learn how to spell that." But that's just me, looking out for my own selfish interests. Among the rest though, are some guys who were recent high draft picks or otherwise seemed poised to play a role this year or next. And here's one man's (that would be me, in case I wasn't clear) ranking of the Top 5 most surprising  cuts:

5. Tre Nixon

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Admittedly, Nixon was a longshot. When you cut a guy who was the 242nd pick of the 2021 draft, it's hardly a seismic event like the Raiders releasing Alex Leatherwood, whom they selected at No. 17. But Nixon was the final pick of the illustrious career of Ernie Adams. Not that would justify keeping him. Even having Pink Stripes declare you worthy doesn't give you the power to wield Mjolnir. But Nixon had ample chances to prove himself, both on special teams and as a receiver depth guy. His 132 total snaps and 20 targets in the passing game this preseason led the team. At the very least he seemed like a guy who would hang onto the roster bubble as a core-4 special teamer, with the potential to fill that cliched Scrappy White Guy Slot Receiver role in the future. Especially with Kendrick Wilkerson put on season-ending IR, it's somewhat surprising there's no seat in the WR room for Nixon. 

4. (Tie) LaBryan Ray and Drew Desjarlais

I'm cheating by putting two names in here. But in the words of Steely Dan, I lay down the law and break it. I listed both of these guys in my first preview of training camp. Along with Tre Nixon, actually:

Ray was arguably the best prospect coming out of the state of Alabama in 2017. A five-star recruit, the 26th ranked prospect in the 247Composite and their No. 1 strongside defensive end. But he fell out of the draft due to injuries limiting him in three of his five seasons for Nick Saban. … If he can show he can stay healthy and harness some of that big-recruit energy he displayed five years ago, there could be a role for him in the Patriots rotation-heavy front.

Credit where it's due to my brother Jack for putting [Dejarlais on my radar. And for the comparison to Stephen Neal, who had a nine-year career in Foxboro despite never having played football in college. Desjarlais did, in fact, play in school, at Windsor in Ontario. … This guy is 6-foot-2, 313 pounds of pure ferocity who played 18 games [for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers] as a rookie, followed by 14 games in a shortened 2021 season in which Winnipeg won the Grey Cup. … I cannot wait to see Desjarlais operate when the pads come on and they actually get to hit. 

So that's 0-for-3 for me on Sleepers. It happens to the best of us. Just not as often as it seems to happen to me.

3. Kevin Harris

Even though Harris was just a sixth rounder, 183rd overall, the Patriots coaches have to really not like a running back to move on from him as a rookie. With rare exceptions like Sony Michel in 2018 and Rhamondre Stevenson last year, their M.O. is to give you a one year apprenticeship and see what you can do in your sophomore year, like they did to very excellent results with Damien Harris. This particular Harris was tied for 2nd on the roster with 15 carries and led all rushers with a 6.2 YPA average. A big, 5-foot-10, 225 pound power back who seemed perfectly suited for sitting a year and possibly taking over in 2023 should the price of the other Harris gets too high. Go figure. 

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2. Devin Asiasi

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Asiasi gets cut just days after the Patriots release Dalton Keene, whom they selected 10 spots after him in the third round in 2020. This puts the two of them in the Pantheon of Patriots Draft Failures until time immemorial since, as you've no doubt heard by now, they depart New England with 5 career receptions combined. Even the fact Rob Gronkowski announced his "retirement" about an hour before the start of that draft cannot excuse the cataclysmic system wide breakdown on these decisions. Here's what I wrote the following day:

The first thing you do is look at his size/speed combination and it's hard not to position-profile him into one of those third tackle types Belichick says he's not interested in. But he's a more athletic and dynamic route runner than his tank-like build would suggest. And he's the best YAC guy in the Class of 2020 … He's also 23, having spent a whole year at Michigan [and] played in multiple systems at UCLA, first being recruited by Jim Mora with his pro-style offense, and then transitioning to Chip Kelly's, and was productive in each.

And for that, they got two receptions for 39 yards and one touchdown. None of them coming last year. I'm tempted to say "Woof," but no dog has ever hurt me enough to deserve being associated with these numbers. Still, it was logical to assume he'd be in line for another season of backing up Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. But the failure to properly scout and develop Asiasi was so complete, Belichick opted to just amputate it rather than risk the infection spreading to the rest of the body. 

1. JJ Taylor

Maybe this is just sentiment talking. But it's hard not to pull for a guy who, while hardly a Made Man in the Patriots crime family, at least seemed to be a soldier. Someone you could trust to push a button on a guy if you told him to push a button on a guy. He was part of the group that worked out with Mac Jones back in the spring:

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… and as you see from that first clip from the Raiders game, was perpetually busting his 5-foot-6, 185 pound hump. With Ty Montgomery out for an indefinite period, it seemed only natural Taylor would get his shot at the 3rd down back's job until Montgomery's return. Especially with two years (11 games) worth of experience. But in the end, it would appear those of us who have a soft spot in our souls for undersized overachievers (see James White, Danny Woodhead, Frodo Baggins) weren't seeing what the coaching staff was seeing. Which is a guy they couldn't expect to hold his ground in front of Mac Jones on blitz pickups. Or withstand a season's worth of hits from guys literally the weight of two JJ Taylors. 

It sucks when reality has to step in and ruin the party like that. But such is the nature of Cut Down Day.