Images courtesy of New England Patriots
On Wednesday evening, the Patriots announced the release of three players from the roster, Tae Hayes, Quinn Nordin and Kristian Wilkerson.
Hayes was brought in late in the year and signed to the practice squad on Dec. 31, 2022 after originally being signed to the practice squad on Dec. 27. Hayes played in the final two games of the year for New England and had three tackles. Overall, he has played in just 13 NFL games as a journeyman following his original entrance into the league a few years ago. Hayes has 13 total tackles and two passes defensed. Hayes also played for the Birmingham Stallions (USFL) last spring after joining the team as a ninth-round draft pick. He had 33 total tackles and one interception with them.
Nordin is an interesting one. Originally, Nordin was signed by New England as a rookie free agent out of Michigan on May 6, 2021. Nordin made the 53-man roster as a rookie free agent, but was inactive for the season-opener. He was inactive for 11 games before being released and finishing the year on injured reserve. After signing a future contract in 2022, Nordin spent the year on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List. In camps, Nordin would often boom the ball deep into the media viewing area with a thunderous sound off his foot. Who can ever forget his big showing in preseason at Gillette one night too? While New England still has Nick Folk, Nordin’s release is a bit surprising given Folk’s age. Don’t be surprised if they bring in another rookie free agent or even draft one late this year, particularly Michigan kicker Jake Moody, who single handily won the East-West Shrine Bowl for the Patriots’ staff.
Wilkerson originally made his way into the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Tennessee Titans out of Southeast Missouri State. Wilkerson was released by Tennessee at the end of training camp and signed by New England to the practice squad. Wilkerson was on the practice squad for most of 2021 and then spent all of 2022 on injured reserve. Wilkerson joined the active roster for one game in 2020 and three games in 2021. His biggest career game to date came against the Jaguars in the final game of the 2022 regular season when he caught four passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns. In camp a couple years back he seemed like he could be a breakout star. Instead, he now just becomes another name in a long list of receivers that haven’t found a way to work out long term in Foxborough.