Patriots Make Roster Moves; Release Bourne & Baker in Shake-Up

Posted By on August 27, 2025

The Patriots continued to reshape their roster today with a series of significant moves, releasing wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Javon Baker and making two waiver claims. The team also announced the signings of 16 players to its practice squad, many of whom were on the initial 53-man roster announced just yesterday.

The most notable release is Bourne, whose tenure with the Patriots has officially come to an end after four seasons. The move follows reports that Bourne had requested his release and a potential trade with the Minnesota Vikings fell through. Bourne’s departure will save the team considerable cap space. Bourne had a standout 2021 season with 55 receptions for 800 yards, but his production declined in the two subsequent seasons due to injuries, including a torn ACL in 2023.

The Patriots also released second-year wide receiver Javon Baker, who was a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Baker’s release is particularly surprising, as he was included on the initial 53-man roster. He is expected to be a strong candidate to return to the Patriots’ practice squad if he clears waivers.

When asked about players requesting trades, Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel was coy at first.

“I guess when it when it doesn’t work out, you break up with somebody, your girlfriend doesn’t want to be with you, and then you say, “Well, I don’t want to be with you either.” I’m not going to get into all that.”

To fill the two open roster spots, the Patriots were awarded two players off waivers: quarterback Tommy DeVito from the New York Giants and cornerback Charles Woods from the Los Angeles Rams. DeVito, a cult hero in New York, will join the Patriots’ quarterback room behind Drake Maye and Josh Dobbs. Woods, a second-year player, is known for his special teams contributions and will add depth to the secondary.

In addition to the roster changes, the Patriots signed 16 players to their practice squad. Many of these players were part of the 21 released by the team yesterday as part of the initial 53-man roster cutdown. The group includes several promising players from training camp and preseason, such as cornerback Miles Battle, tight end C.J. Dippre, and linebacker Bradyn Swinson.

The full list of practice squad signings is as follows:

  • CB Miles Battle

  • G Mehki Butler

  • G Jack Conley

  • CB Brandon Crossley

  • TE C.J. Dippre

  • RB Terrell Jennings

  • WR John Jiles

  • DE Truman Jones

  • C Alec Lindstrom

  • DB Kobee Minor

  • DT David Olajiga

  • LB Cam Riley

  • DT Jahvaree Ritzie

  • TE Gee Scott Jr.

  • LB Bradyn Swinson

  • WR Jeremiah Webb

Vrabel spoke earlier today about the value of the practice squad and how it has changed through the years.

“We were laughing the other day when it was 53 players and five guys on the practice squad, and we actually practiced and functioned, and now we have – probably, we’ll have 70, and we’ll be wondering how we can practice with that many players. So, what it’s given you, it’s given you a good blend of having some veterans that may be able to go in right away and be elevated. It also gives you an opportunity to develop some younger players, which you’ll see when that list comes out. So, you’ll be able to kind of recognize both of those who may need some more time and want to invest some more time into them, or a veteran that’s played in this League and would be ready to go if we needed to elevate them.”

The release of Bourne and Baker, combined with the waiver claims and practice squad signings, shows the team’s willingness to make difficult decisions to improve the overall roster.

Vrabel says it is a balancing between managing the roster for the future and for now.

“Those are just things that you try to figure out how you – we’ve got to go win games, and then we have to build and try to develop players, strengthen the roster and just try to have a vision for guys. Not that that’s always going to be perfect, but you have to try to have some idea of what they’re going to be and what they’re going to do for us. So, I think that I think that was just the balance that we try to wage and figure out where we can have guys who would be on the – again, we’ve got to get down to 48 for the game where there will be some guys that are inactive. Who can do multiple roles? Who do you trust out there? But also, they have to have a level of ability to go and perform as well. So, special teams plays a factor into it and multiple positions. Some position flex plays a part of it as well.”

The roster is far from set and Vrabel reiterated that the roster and the practice squad will change as the season goes on. Expect more changes in the coming weeks.