Patriots Shocking Deadline Moves: Zappe, Malik, RBs, Folk; FINAL Cut List

Less than two weeks before their season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, the New England Patriots have only one quarterback and two running backs on their roster after surprisingly cutting Bailey Zappe, Malik Cunningham and Ty Montgomery.

The New England Patriots are the proud owners of one rookie kicker, only two running backs and ... zero backup quarterbacks.

After a disappointing end to the preseason followed by a whirlwind weekend of trades to help their offensive line, the Pats made headlines with four major moves ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline. To get to their final roster, the Pats released 19 players, placed two on injured reserve, moved two to the Physically Unable to Perform List, and made one trade.

Among the highlights:

*QB cuts: They caused a buzz around the league by cutting second-year quarterback Bailey Zappe and clearing the way for undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham to be No. 2 behind Mac Jones. Until Malik, too, was cut.

Bill Belichick obviously hopes to sneak Bailey and/or Cunningham through waivers and back onto the team's practice squad. If not, the Pats will go panicked bargain shopping for the likes of veterans Colt McCoy, Will Grier, P.J. Walker, etc.

“Certainly, something like that is, I guess, surprising to a lot of us,” special teams captain Matthew Slater said of the moves after Tuesday's practice. “I love Bailey. He knows how I feel about him. He’s one of my favorite kids all-time.”

*Nick Folk traded: Welcome to the Chad Ryland era. Both rookie kickers - Ryland and punter Bryce Baringer - won jobs, beating out veterans in the preseason. The Pats became the first NFL team since 2000 to select two kickers in the same draft and ... so far, so good. Folk was traded to the Titans for a 7th-round pick in 2025.

*Running off RBs: If you only need one quarterback, why not just two running backs? The Pats this week traded Pierre Strong Jr. and on Tuesday cut Ty Montgomery, Kevin Harris and J.J. Taylor. Montgomery's versatility and receiving ability figured to make him a roster lock, but with his departure the Pats' only running backs are Rhamondre Stevenson and newly acquired Ezekiel Elliott.

*Calvin Anderson activated off NFI List: Lord knows the Pats need help along the offensive line and getting their swing tackle back on the practice field helps.

*Rave rookie review: Of the Pats' 12 draft picks from last April, 11 made the 53-man roster. The other - 7th-round cornerback Isaiah Bolden - was moved to season-ending injured reserve with a concussion suffered in the scary hit against the Packers.

*2022 draft duds: The Patriots selected 10 players in last year's NFL Draft. Five of them - Zappe, running backs Strong Jr. and Harris, and offensive linemen Chasen Hines and Andrew Stueber - were jettisoned from the roster this week via trade or release.

*UDFA streak ends: The Patriots' 19-year streak of having at least one undrafted free agent make their team is over.

*Full list of the Patriots' final cuts:

QB - Bailey Zappe, Malik Cunningham, Trace McSorley

RB - Ty Montgomery, Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor, C.J. Marable

TE - Johnny Lumpkin, Scotty Washington, Anthony Firsker, Matt Sokol

WR - Raleigh Webb, Thyrick Pitts

OL - Chasen Hines, Andrew Stueber, Micah Vanterpool, Kody Russey, Bill Murray, James Ferentz

DL - Carl Davis Jr., Justus Tavai, Jeremiah Pharms Jr., 

LB - Calvin Munson, Carson Wells, Diego Fagot, Joe Giles-Harris, Ronnie Perkins

CB - Quandre Mosely

S - Brad Hawkins, CB Rodney Randle Jr. Joshuah Bledsoe

P - Corliss Waitman

The Patriots also placed defensive back/special teams core player Cody Davis and defensive lineman Trey Flowers on the PUP list, meaning they will miss at least the first four games. Cornerback Isaiah Bolden and offensive lineman Conor McDermott were moved to injured reserve, effectively ending their season.

Coming off an 8-9 season and not having won a playoff game since Tom Brady left Foxboro after the 2019 season, the Patriots kick-off the season in 12 days against the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.

---