The New England Patriots trimmed their roster from 77 to 53 on Tuesday, using all the tools they had at their disposal. They swung a trade and sent players to injury reserve lists, but a majority of them — 19 of 24 players, to be precise — were simply cut.
Not ever cut is the same, however: the NFL differentiates between so called vested veterans and those with less experience on their respective résumés. Whereas the former group immediately entered the open market, all the players in the latter will pass through the waiver wire to either end up on another team or as free agents.