Patriots Practice Report: Devin Lucien Among 18 Absent On Cutdown Day

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots practiced Saturday afternoon for the final time before culling their roster from 90 players to 53.

Eighteen players were missing from the session.

Of the 18, seven were cut Saturday: linebackers Jonathan Freeny and Michael Bart, offensive linemen Max Rich and Jason King, fullback Glenn Gronkowski, safety Jason Thompson and tight end Sam Cotton. Three more — wide receiver Julian Edelman, defensive end Derek Rivers and Cyrus Jones — are headed to injured reserve.

Linebacker Shea McClellin and offensive tackle Tony Garcia, both of whom have been injured for much of the summer, also were not present.

Rounding out the absences were wide receivers Devin Lucien and Tony Washington, running back LeShun Daniels and defensive tackles Josh Augusta and Vincent Valentine.

Of that group, Valentine would be by far the most surprising cut, as he played a prominent role on the Patriots’ defensive line as a rookie last season. Perhaps his absence was injury-related.

Lucien had his best game as a pro Thursday in the Patriots’ preseason finale (five catches, 95 yards, one touchdown) but faced an uphill battle in the Patriots’ deep receiving corps.

Safety Nate Ebner and linebacker Harvey Langi both returned to practice after sitting out last week.

It’s important to remember that the Patriots entered Saturday needing to cut 24 additional players to get down to the 53-man maximum, and that number increased to 25 after they reportedly traded for Detroit Lions cornerback Johnson Bademosi. That means more than two dozen of the players who practiced Saturday will not make the team.

The deadline for roster cuts is 4 p.m. ET.