The [New England Patriots](https://www.patspulpit.com/)’ players did not have to report to Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, but the team as a whole was still quite busy, making four total transactions.
Offensive lineman Cole Strange was activated from the physically unable to perform list; wide receiver K.J. Osborn was waived; kicker John Parker Romo was signed to the practice squad; outside linebacker Keshawn Banks was released from the practice squad. With the dust settling, the Patriots still have a full 53-man roster and 16-player practice squad.
What else do the moves mean for the team, though, especially those regarding Strange and Osborn? Let’s take a closer look at them.
What activating Cole Strange means for the Patriots
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**Improvement up front:** Even though he has been the subject of frequent criticism since arriving in New England as the 29th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, there is no denying Strange is a talented football player. Adding him to the Patriots offense is therefore a definitive improvement for a unit in need of all the help it can get.
After all, he has the athletic skillset to perform in the team’s zone-focused blocking scheme, and has more starts on his career résumé than all but one member of the team’s current O-line. While it remains to be seen how long it will take him to shake off the rust, or indeed which position he will ultimately play, his presence is making the entire group a better one.
**Another new configuration:** All 27 of Strange’s career starts so far have come at left guard, and inserting him in that position over rookie Layden Robinson would make sense; the former has proven his starter qualities at the NFL level, the latter has not. However, it appears New England is adamant that Robinson deserves to see reps with the first-team offensive line regardless of his uneven play.
As a consequence, the Patriots might move Strange to center to replace eight-game starter Ben Brown. Inserting him in that spot is more of a gamble — Brown has played better than Robinson, and Strange has no in-game experience at center — but apparently one the team is willing to take with the future in mind.
Regardless of where the 26-year-old ends up, though, the Patriots will continue playing their game of musical chairs up front deep into the season. So far, the team has already started 11 players along its offensive line this year. Strange will be No. 12.
**Crowded interior offensive line:** While there are definitive and legitimate questions about quality, the Patriots do have quantity along their interior O-line. With Strange added to the mix, New England now has seven(ish) guards or centers on its 53-man roster plus another on the practice squad.
The group as a whole looks as follows, with Strange projected as the starting center:
> **53-man roster (7):** Layden Robinson (64 | LG), Cole Strange (69 | C), Michael Onwenu (71 | RG), Ben Brown (77), Lecitus Smith (68), Lester Cotton (61), Tyrese Robinson (65)
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> **Practice squad (1):** Liam Fornadel (63)
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> **Injured reserve (2):** David Andrews (60), Jake Andrews (67)
In addition to those eight players, second-year lineman Sidy Sow also could be added to the mix as a guard-tackle hybrid. Even if he remains more of a tackle moving forward, the Patriots have numbers son the interior. Whether that makes the position group a strength is a different story.
**One-year saga is nearing its end:** Strange suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee in Week 15 last season, and the injury will have kept him out for an entire year. He went down on December 17 and could be in line to make his comeback on December 15, which would be the same Sunday just one (leap) year removed.
Of course, there is no telling whether or not he will actually suit up, let alone play, this week against the [Arizona Cardinals](https://www.revengeofthebirds.com/); his return window closing could simply have forced New England’s hand. That said, his activation is in itself a big step for the former first-round draft pick.
What waiving K.J. Osborn means for the Patriots
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**No surprise:** The Patriots announcing their parting of the ways with Osborn comes as no real surprise considering his impact so far this season. While joining the team in the offseason with the hopes of contributing as a Z-receiver with some inside-out capabilities, he never managed to earn himself a consistent role.
His final numbers make this painfully clear. Osborn’s tenure ends with the same number of in-game appearances and receptions — seven each — as well as only 57 receiving yards and one touchdown. In total, he was on the field for 232 offensive snaps including zero in four of the last five games.
Even with rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker struggling, the Patriots continued to give them snaps over the veteran. The writing was therefore very much on the wall.
**Wide receiver depth takes a hit:** The Patriots entered the week with six wide receivers on their active roster plus two more on the practice squad. Removing Osborn reduces the numbers, but given his recent usage (or lack thereof) the actual impact will be more theoretical than anything.
Still, there are new “next men up” in case the injury bug decides to bite higher up on a depth chart that now looks as follows:
> **53-man roster (5):** Kayshon Boutte (9), Kendrick Bourne (84), DeMario Douglas (3), Ja’Lynn Polk (1), Javon Baker (6)
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> **Practice squad (2):** John Jiles (83), Braylon Sanders (80)
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> **Injured reserve (1):** JaQuae Jackson (82)
**Leadership questions:** Osborn may not have been part of the game plan lately, but as one of the two most experienced players in the wide receiver room — the other being Kendrick Bourne — he still played a role as a mentor and leader. Now, it appears even more of those responsibilities will have to fall on Bourne.
**Underwhelming return on investment:** When the Patriots added Osborn in March, they did so via a one-year, $4 million contract that included $3.18 million in guarantees. At a cost of $500,000 per catch, it goes without saying that the price tag and the production did not align.
In that regard, Osborn is in some good company. He is one of several free agency signings made by first-year GM Eliot Wolf that did not work out: the 27-year-old joins offensive linemen Chukwuma Okorafor and Nick Leverett as well as defensive tackle Armon Watts as March pickups no longer with the team.
**Salary cap ramifications:** Speaking of the price tag associated with Osborn, waiving him gives the Patriots some more salary cap space to work with (i.e. roll over into 2025). Eight per-game roster bonuses that were originally considered likely to be earned are now no longer on New England’s books, resulting in combined savings of $320,000.
What their other Tuesday moves mean for the Patriots
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**Eye on the future?** The Patriots signing John Parker Romo to their practice squad seemingly serves two purposes. For one, he will provide depth at kicker behind Joey Slye over the last four weeks of the season. The team additionally will be able to get an extended look at the 27-year-old heading into 2025.
Fact is that the kicker position is a need for the Patriots moving toward the offseason. Slye is not just an unrestricted free agent, he also has made just 78.6 percent of his field goal attempts this season. Not all of his six misses this year were necessarily his fault — one was a block, for example, and one a 68-yard try — but they were costly nonetheless for a team not good enough to leave points on the board.
Will Romo challenge Slye this year, though? Maybe, but it seems more likely his signing was made with an eye on the future and on possibly limiting Slye’s practice workload in a long season.
**Core special teamer wanted:** The Patriots have gone through multiple core special teamers lately. Raekwon McMillan was the first to go, followed by Joe Giles-Harris. Now, Keshawn Banks is off the team as well after playing a combined 78 percent of special teams snaps in his three game day elevations from the practice squad.
The last two weeks, he was employed on five units: kickoff and punt return, kickoff and punt coverage, and field goal/extra point block. The Patriots need to find a way to replace that production, either by finding another practice squad member to regularly elevate for that specific usage or by giving his snaps to others already on the roster.