The New England Patriots have made several roster moves ahead of Saturday’s 4 p.m. deadline for the final 53-man roster. Earlier, the Patriots traded cornerback Duke Dawson to the Denver Broncos, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Per Mike Reiss of ESPN, the Patriots shipped Dawson and a 2020 seventh-round pick to the Broncos for a 2020 sixth-round pick. The trade came as no surprise as Dawson, a 2018 second-round pick, was reportedly on the bubble as he was overshadowed by Jonathan Jones at slot cornerback and outplayed by Keion Crossen in the preseason.
After he was hurt last season, Dawson never got his career back on track, but he will have a chance to regain lost ground with the Broncos. According to Reiss, the Broncos were interested in taking Dawson in the 2018 NFL Draft, but they were beaten to the punch by the Patriots. With Dawson’s acquisition, Reiss said the Broncos will be allowed to play Kareem Jackson at safety instead of corner. In an Instagram story, Dawson confirmed the trade and thanked the Patriots organization, saying he appreciates the opportunity to have played for the six-time Super Bowl champions.
Patriots acquire center from Bills
Adam Schefter of ESPN also reported that the Patriots agreed to ship a sixth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for center Russell Bodine.
The Patriots added another experienced center with starter David Andrews expected to miss the entire 2019 season due to blood clots in his lungs. Bodine, a five-year veteran, is expected to back up veteran Ted Karras. The 27-year-old Bodine, who played his first four NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and one with the Bills, has 74 career starts at center.
The trade came as a surprise since it was the first deal made by head coach Bill Belichick with the Bills in almost 20 years. The last time Belichick had a trade with the Bills was in 2002 when they shipped quarterback Drew Bledsoe to Buffalo. Earlier, the Patriots signed linebacker Scooby Wright and running back Robert Martin before their final preseason game against the New York Giants.
Patriots made several cuts
The Patriots have started trimming their roster ahead of the 4 p.m. Saturday’s deadline. Aside from the Dawson trade, the Patriots cut defensive back A.J. Howard, wide receiver Ryan Davis, defensive tackle David Parry, offensive linemen Cedrick Lang, Tyler Gauthier, and Tyree St. Louis, and tight end Andrew Beck. The Patriots cut Beck despite giving him a $100,000 guarantee -- the second-highest among their undrafted free agents. Beck’s release happened despite the Patriots’ shallow tight end chart caused by the retirement of Rob Gronkowski. Among those cut, Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com said Parry has the best chance to remain with the Patriots as a practice squad player if he doesn't get picked up by another team. It will be a busy day for the Patriots on Saturday as they have to cut 27 more players before the deadline for submission of the 53-man roster.
