Patriots Player Departure DJ James Waived

[Family]

You have to trust the coaching staff after one game.

I liked his play in preseason, but at best he was a bottom of the roster guy on a team with a weak bottom of the roster.

 

[Ring 6]

Funny, but not really.
What these "purging" cuts have proven - is that Vrabes is acting more like Parcells & BB than we thought. He's willing to have a worse season this year to start clean with guys he can trust than win this year and gamble with character.
I guess I can appreciate it in one sense, but this gamble better pay off this year too, or we're going to have issues!

This post makes absolutely no sense.
How is DJ James a “purging” cut? They picked up Ballantine who has a lot of experience and activated him last Sunday. He moved ahead of James. James probably ends up on the practice squad.
BB made almost zero changes his first year that weren’t to get under the cap.

And who would you like him to act like? Robert Saleh or Mike McDaniels?

I swear people on this board must be running around saying I know that shadow is going to catch me, the food i just ate is surely poison and our democracy is at risk.

 

[Ring 6]

Vrabel a lot like BB with the head-scratching cuts.

Not sure how this one is head scratching. When Corey Ballantine a 6 year vet we signed to the practice squad 2 weeks ago and activated last week will be the addition because he’s a better player.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Not sure how this one is head scratching. When Corey Ballantine a 6 year vet we signed to the practice squad 2 weeks ago and activated last week will be the addition because he’s a better player.

This is correct. There are guys, like Corey Ballantine, off the street that are better than our camp marvels. The Pats depth just got better. Gonzo fills James' roster spot and eventually Ballantine is added as well.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Lotsa noise on twitter about Gonzalez being back. Nothing really concrete, tho he did post something on instagram with the song ‘get back’.

 

[Ross12]

This is correct. There are guys, like Corey Ballantine, off the street that are better than our camp marvels. The Pats depth just got better. Gonzo fills James' roster spot and eventually Ballantine is added as well.

I mean Gonzo is already on the roster though so he didn't fill a 53 man slot, but he will probably take a game-day roster slot. Maybe that's what you meant though

 

[Huckleberry1]

But damn. One game? His preseason was pretty highly praised.

Mi think this season is going to be about figuring out who fits into their long term plans and who doesn’t. And there’s going to a lot more cutting when the season ends. I won’t be surprised if when the 2026 season arrives more than 75% of the 24’ team is gone.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

Mi think this season is going to be about figuring out who fits into their long term plans and who doesn’t. And there’s going to a lot more cutting when the season ends. I won’t be surprised if when the 2026 season arrives more than 75% of the 24’ team is gone.

Even under Belichick during the 2nd dynasty, we were turning over 1/3 of of the roster every year. 2 years removed, that means you’d only have about 45% of the roster that played on that first team. From that view, while a 25% retention rate is certainly lower, it’s not as extreme as it might sound at first glance. Difference between 23 players and 13.

 

[Love The Drake]

Mi think this season is going to be about figuring out who fits into their long term plans and who doesn’t. And there’s going to a lot more cutting when the season ends. I won’t be surprised if when the 2026 season arrives more than 75% of the 24’ team is gone.

All about attitude and want to, I hope Maye is part of the long term plans, getting that wrong would be devastating.

I gotta tell you I really like Mckie on the Eagles whoever gives up a second and lands him or if he starts over Hurts in the next 2 seasons I wouldn’t be shocked.

I wanted to draft him or grab him as a UDFA cause I knew he was already better than Mac.

just realized this weekend for the Niners could be Mac and Kendrick that is pretty wild.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I mean Gonzo is already on the roster though so he didn't fill a 53 man slot, but he will probably take a game-day roster slot. Maybe that's what you meant though

Thanks for the coreection. Of course Gonzo is already on the 53.

I assume Gonzo is active this week, and assume he probably could have been active last week, but this situation is more urgent because Maye proved in week 1 that he can't read the opposing defense or go through his progressions. Vrabel, who was feeling cool and collected, is now in a panic. Vrabel knows he has to win with defense so James is released and Gonzo has magically healed.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Mi think this season is going to be about figuring out who fits into their long term plans and who doesn’t. And there’s going to a lot more cutting when the season ends. I won’t be surprised if when the 2026 season arrives more than 75% of the 24’ team is gone.

Which basically says Vrabel does not know what he is doing. With massive cap space and top of the draft picks, if more than 75% of the '24 team is gone before '26, then Vrabel did not know what he was doing in '25 and we should have hired Ben Johnson.

 

[Urgent]

He was one of the feel good stories of the preseason.
He played well against our receivers and the third string players from the preseason games…

 

[mgteich]

You have to trust the coaching staff after one game.

I liked his play in preseason, but at best he was a bottom of the roster guy on a team with a weak bottom of the roster.

after one poor play

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

He was one of the feel good stories of the preseason.
He played well against our receivers and the third string players from the preseason games…

I agree. Oh well. We repeat these camp lessons every year. New boss same as the old boss.

 

[Urgent]

Which basically says Vrabel does not know what he is doing. With massive cap space and top of the draft picks, if more than 75% of the '24 team is gone before '26, then Vrabel did not know what he was doing in '25 and we should have hired Ben Johnson.

I don’t agree.
The top of the round draft pick only really counts for the number one, and they were fourth in a three-person draft.
And there are only so many free agents and a 4-13 team isn’t that attractive.
It’s really unlikely to turn over 75% of a team in one year. You could argue they should’ve cut Dugger and Onwenu right away but incredibly painful financially in 2025.
Anyway, I think many good new coaches look at it as a two year turnover. Massive free agent spending is seldom the best way to rebuild a roster.

 

[Family]

after one poor play

We don't know. They might have planned to upgrade from him even before that.

I liked him for depth, and maybe he will develop into a real NFL player, but I have to trust the coaching staff probably views James without a ton of long term upside.

 

[mgteich]

We don't know. They might have planned to upgrade from him even before that.

I liked him for depth, and maybe he will develop into a real NFL player, but I have to trust the coaching staff probably views James without a ton of long term upside.

He's a good story and will be a good story on the Practice Squad. He is not the first or last rotation at the bottom few players of the roster.

There is a lesson for fans, one that we will never fully absorb. We really shouldn't get attached to players who do well against third stringers in camp or the pre-season.

 

[Family]

He is not the first or last rotation at the bottom few players of the roster.

He just was cut so obviously he is.

 

[Brick27]

In-season roster turnover is always happening throughout the league—especially at the bottom of the roster. Just look around. Nobody just rolls out the initial team they have week 1 and calls it a day excluding injury changes.

 

[Huckleberry1]

All about attitude and want to, I hope Maye is part of the long term plans, getting that wrong would be devastating.

I gotta tell you I really like Mckie on the Eagles whoever gives up a second and lands him or if he starts over Hurts in the next 2 seasons I wouldn’t be shocked.

I wanted to draft him or grab him as a UDFA cause I knew he was already better than Mac.

just realized this weekend for the Niners could be Mac and Kendrick that is pretty wild.

I’m not worried about Maye at all. I think it’s just like Josh Allen. He needs good coaching and time to develop, as by all accounts he’s very coachable, works hard, and picks things up fast. I think that there is a large contingent of Patriot fans who have absolutely no patience, and they start hyperventilating at the first hiccup. MacDaniels playcalling drives me nuts, but he’s a good coach when it comes to teaching quarterbacks, so I expect he will make good progress with Maye over the course of the season. If people can’t deal with the learning curve for Maye then that’s their tough ****, because turning him into a franchise quarterback will take time and patience, whether they have it or not.