FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today that they have released 26 players and placed four players on injured reserve and are now under the NFL-mandatory 53-man roster limit. The Patriots placed the following players on injured reserve: 2018 first-round draft pick OL Isaiah Wynn, sixth-round draft picks WR Braxton Berrios and LB Christian Sam and OL Ulrick John.
The Patriots released 26 players: DL John Atkins, P Corey Bojorquez, RB Brandon Bolden, OL Luke Bowanko, OL Cole Croston, QB Danny Etling, RB Kenneth Farrow, OL James Ferentz, LB Marquis Flowers, RB Mike Gillislee, DL Trent Harris, CB Cyrus Jones, OL Jason King, LB Harvey Langi, DL Eric Lee, WR K.J. Maye, WR Riley McCarron, DB A.J. Moore, FB Henry Poggi, OL Brian Schwenke, OL Matt Tobin, DB Damarius Travis, TE Will Tye, DL Vincent Valentine, RB Ralph Webb and CB Jomal Wiltz.
Atkins, 24, signed with New England as a rookie free agent out of Georgia on May 11, 2018. The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder played in all 15 games with 14 starts as a senior in 2017 and finished the year with 38 total tackles. was a key reserve as a junior in 2016 before earning a starting position as a senior in 2017.
Bojorquez, 21, signed with the Patriots on May 14, 2018. The 6-foot, 200-pounder averaged a school record 47.3 yards per punt as a senior in 2017. Bojorquez played two seasons at New Mexico after transferring from Cerritos Community College. During his two seasons at New Mexico, he totaled 116 punts for an average of 45.1-yards per punt.
Bolden, 28, is a veteran of six NFL seasons with New England after originally joining the team as a rookie free agent out of Mississippi on May 10, 2012. The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder, has played in 83 NFL games with six starts and has 216 rushing attempts for 912 yards with six touchdowns and 47 receptions for 373 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he has 28 special teams tackles. Bolden has also played in 15 postseason games with two starts and has 12 rushing attempts for 46 yards with one touchdown and four receptions for 37 yards.
Bowanko, 27, was signed by New England on April 4, 2018. The 6-foot-6, 300-pounder is a veteran of four NFL seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2014-16) and the Baltimore Ravens (2017). Bowanko originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick (205th overall) of Jacksonville in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Virginia. He was traded from Jacksonville to Baltimore on Sept. 2, 2017, in exchange for a 2019 seventh-round draft choice. Bowanko has played in 40 NFL games with 15 starts during his NFL career, including 14 starts at center as a rookie in 2014 with the Jaguars. Last season with Baltimore, Bowanko played in 16 games with one start at left guard.
Croston, 24, was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Iowa on May 5, 2017. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder made the 53-man roster out of training camp and appeared in three regular-season games and the AFC Championship Game as a rookie. He was a healthy scratch for 13 regular-season contests as well as the Divisional Playoff and Super Bowl. Croston was a walk-on at Iowa, who combined to start 18 games at both left and right tackle over his final two seasons. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection as a senior.
Etling, 24, was selected by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the 219th overall selection out of Louisiana State. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder served as a two-year starter at LSU after transferring from Purdue following the 2014 season. He started the final 23 games of his career at LSU and posted a 16-7 mark while passing for 4,586 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Farrow, 25, was signed by New England on August 27. The 5-foot-9, 219-pounder originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with San Diego out of Houston in 2016. He played in 13 games with two starts as a rookie and totaled 60 rushing attempts for 192 yards and 13 receptions for 70 yards. He sat out the 2017 season on injured reserve and was released by San Diego on April 13, 2018.
Ferentz, 29, signed with New England as a free agent on May 18, 2017 and spent the 2017 season on the New England practice squad. The 6-foot-2, 285-pounder is a veteran of two NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos (2015-16). He originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Houston Texans out of Iowa in 2014 and spent his entire first season on the Houston practice squad. He was released by Houston on Sept. 5, 2015 and claimed off waivers by Denver on Sept. 6, 2015. Ferentz played in 14 games on offense and on special teams for Denver in 2014 and played in one postseason game during the Broncos run to the Super Bowl 50 title, seeing action against New England in the AFC Championship Game. Last season, he played in seven games for Denver. He was released by the Broncos on May 10, 2017.
Flowers, 26, was acquired by New England in a trade with Cincinnati on Aug. 29, 2017, and re-signed as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason. The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder played in all 16 regular-season games with two starts and finished with 30 total tackles and 3½ sacks last season. He also played in all three postseason games, adding six total tackles. Flowers entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick (212th overall) by Cincinnati out of Arizona in the 2014 NFL Draft and spent his first three seasons with the Bengals. He has played in 48 NFL games with three starts and has 35 total tackles, 3½ sacks and 13 special teams tackles.
Gillislee, 27, was signed by New England as a restricted free agent from Buffalo on April 18, 2017. The 5-foot-11, 210-pounder totaled 104 rushing attempts for 383 yards and five touchdowns and one reception for 15 yards for the Patriots last season. Gillislee originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick (164th overall) by Miami out of Florida in the 2013 NFL Draft. He has tallied 258 rushes for 1,248 yards and 16 touchdowns with 16 receptions for 94 yards and one touchdown.
Harris, 22, signed with the Patriots as a rookie free agent from Miami on May 11, 2018. The 6-foot-2, 238-pounder led Miami with 8½ sacks as a senior in 2017 as a defensive lineman. Harris played as a true freshman in 2014 before becoming a starter as a sophomore in 2015. He earned third-team All-ACC recognition following his senior campaign.
Jones, 24, was originally drafted by New England in the second round (60th overall) out of Alabama in the 2016 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-10, 195-pounder missed the entire 2017 season after being placed on injured reserve following an injury suffered in the preseason. As a rookie in 2016, he played in 10 games with one start and finished with seven tackles on defense. Jones returned 11 punts for 46 yards.
King, 24, was signed by the New England Patriots on May 18, 2018. The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder originally entered the NFL with New England as a rookie free agent out of Purdue on May 5, 2017. King spent time on the New England and Baltimore practice squads as well as the Patriots 53-man roster last season before being released on May 10, 2018. He has not appeared in an NFL game.
Langi, 25, was originally signed by New England as a rookie free agent out of Brigham Young on May 5, 2017. The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder made the 53-man team out of training camp and played in one game before sustaining injuries in a car accident and finishing the season the reserve/non-football injury list.
Lee, 24, was signed by New England to the 53-man roster from the Buffalo practice squad on Nov. 21, 2017. The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder appeared in six regular-season games with three starts last year and totaled 19 tackles, 3½ sacks and two passes defensed. Lee played in three postseason contests with one start and made four tackles. He originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Houston Texans on May 6, 2016 out of South Florida. Lee spent his rookie season on the Houston practice squad and was released by the Texans prior to the start of the 2017 regular season. Lee joined the Buffalo Bills practice squad on September 5, and was added to the 53-man roster on September 29. He was active for the Bills Week 4 matchup against Atlanta but did not play. Lee was released on October 3 and re-joined the Buffalo practice squad on October 5.
Maye, 24, signed with the Patriots on Aug. 27, 2018. The 5-foot-8, 191-pounder originally signed with the N.Y. Giants as a rookie free agent out of Minnesota on May 6, 2016. He was released by the Giants at the end of training camp and joined the Tennessee Titans practice squad on Dec. 28, 2016. He was released by Tennessee on May 19, 2017 and signed with New England on July 30, 2017 before being released at the end of training camp.
McCarron, 25, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Houston out of Iowa. The 5-foot-8, 198-pounder, began his rookie season on the Houston practice squad before finishing the season on the New England practice squad after he was signed on Sept. 22, 2017.
Moore, 22, signed with New England as a rookie free agent out of Mississippi on May 11, 2018. The 5-foot-11, 202-pounder started every game in the nickel defense as a senior at Ole Miss in 2017 and recorded 48 total tackles and three passes defensed. Moore played as a true freshman in 2014 and was a key reserve and special teams player during his four-year career.
Poggi, 24, was signed by New England on Aug. 1, 2018. The 6-foot-4, 257-pounder was originally signed by the Oakland Raiders as a rookie free agent out of Michigan on May 7, 2018 and released by the Raiders on June 22, 2018. Poggi began his college career as a defensive lineman, before moving to tight end and then to fullback. During his college career, he appeared in 44 games with 17 starts – four at tight end and 13 at fullback.
Schwenke, 27, was signed by New England as a free agent on July 31, 2018. The 6-foot-3, 318-pounder is a veteran of five NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Schwenke originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round (107th overall) draft pick by Tennessee out of California in the 2013 NFL Draft. He was signed by Indianapolis as an unrestricted free agent on March 14, 2017 but was released at the end of training camp and re-signed by Tennessee on Sept. 4, 2017. Schwenke has played in 57 NFL games with 30 starts, including 25 starts at center and five at left guard. He also played in two postseason games in 2017 for the Titans. He made his first 25 starts at center and then made five starts over the last two seasons at left guard. In 2017, Schwenke played in 16 games with two starts at left guard and then saw action as a reserve in the postseason.
Tobin, 28, is a veteran of five NFL seasons with Philadelphia (2013-16) and Seattle (2017). The 6-foot-6, 310-pounder, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Philadelphia out of Iowa in 2013. He was traded from Philadelphia to Seattle last August. Tobin has played in 57 NFL games with 21 starts.
Travis, 24, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Patriots out of Minnesota on May 5, 2017. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder was released at the end of training camp last year and spent the 2017 campaign on the New England practice squad.
Tye, 26, joined the New England practice squad on Oct. 12, 2017. The 6-foot-2, 260-pounder originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the New York Giants in 2015 out of Stony Brook. After beginning his rookie season on the practice squad, he was signed to the 53-man roster on Oct. 3. Tye played in 29 games with 17 starts during two seasons with the Giants and caught 90 passes for 859 yards with four touchdowns. He was released by the Giants on Sept. 2, 2017, and claimed by the New York Jets on Sept. 3. He played in three games with one start for the Jets, finishing with four receptions for 38 yards, before being released on Oct. 3.
Valentine, 24, originally entered the NFL as a third-round draft pick (96th overall) by New England out of Nebraska in the 2016 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-3, 315-pounder appeared in 13 regular-season games with two starts as a rookie and tallied 19 tackles and one sack. Valentine also appeared in all three postseason contests as a reserve and posted two tackles. He began the 2017 season on the 53-man roster and was inactive for the first two games before being placed on injured reserve on Sept. 22, 2017.
Webb, 23, was signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Vanderbilt on May 11, 2018. The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder finished his senior season in 2017 with 831 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Webb also posted 13 receptions for 188 yards and a touchdown. He finished his college career as the Commodores all-time leading rusher with 4,173 rushing yards, 32 rushing touchdowns and eclipsed 100 yards rushing 16 times. His rushing totals rank sixth all-time among SEC running backs.
Wiltz, 23, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Philadelphia out of Iowa State on May 11, 2017. The 5-10, 190-pounder was released by the Eagles prior to the start of the regular season and spent the majority of last season on the Patriots practice squad in two separate stints.
