NFL teams must trim their 90-player preseason rosters to the regular-season limit of 53 active players by 3 p.m. CDT Tuesday, and three of the four teams who concluded their preseason schedules on Thursday night started working their way toward that number on Friday.
The New England Patriots, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers combined to waive 27 players and release five on Friday.
Among the players waived by the Patriots was former Auburn defensive tackle Philip Blidi. Blidi had signed with New England on Tuesday and played 17 defensive snaps in the Patriots’ 42-10 loss to the Giants on Thursday night.
The Tennessee Titans had waived Blidi on Sunday. Blidi joined the Titans as an undrafted rookie in May.
The Patriots released former James Clemens High School standout Monty Rice. The linebacker had played in 38 games over the previous four seasons since entering the NFL as a third-round selection in the 2021 draft. Rice was released after getting 48 defensive snaps and 17 special-teams plays in Thursday night’s preseason game.
Among the players released by the Giants was wide receiver Montrell Washington. The former Samford star has not appeared in a regular-season game in the past two seasons after playing in 15 as a fifth-round rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022.
Among the players released by the Steelers was cornerback Mikey Victor. The former Alabama State defensive back signed with Pittsburgh on Aug. 11 after spending most of the offseason as an undrafted rookie with New England.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OURNFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.