NFL Notebook: New cutdown schedule means frantic stretch looms across league

Taking a Sunday-morning trip around the NFL....

1. Cuts will come down at the end of this week, but even if a player doesn’t get a call from The Turk, it’s no guarantee he’ll end up on the opening night roster. With one leaguewide cut set for next weekend (as opposed to two cutdown dates in years past), it means there will be more than 1,000 guys on the street at the same time, some of whom will undoubtedly draw the attention of some other teams. That means those who might have made it by the skin of their teeth will find themselves on the outside looking in come kickoff, and it’ll mean even more player movement between the series of cuts on Saturday and kickoff on Thursday. It’s always been like this — by way of comparison, the Patriots made six personnel moves between the initial cuts and creation of the practice squad and opening day last year. There were also six moves between the “last cuts” and opening night in 2015 as well. In 2014, they made 14 moves in that same stretch. But things should reach a whole new level this time around because there will be so many more options on the market. Ultimately, the lesson for players is a simple one: Even if you think you’ve made it, you can’t get too comfortable.



2. In the context of this conversation, it’s also worth noting that when it comes to cuts, it’s sometimes better to get the axe too early than right at the deadline. It’s difficult to know how much this might have played into the decision to cut Kony Ealy loose on Saturday, but the fact that Ealy will enter the market before Saturday’s massive cutdown gives him an edge in the process. Bill Belichick noted as much in his conference call with the media on Saturday afternoon. “It gives him an opportunity about a week ahead of next week to hopefully create a better opportunity for himself, and think he deserved that,” Belichick said. “We didn’t everything we asked him to do. It just didn’t work out for either one of us.”

3. With Ealy now gone, here are six veteran defensive linemen who have shown something of a knack for getting after the passer in the past and are still on the open market:

—DL Tyson Jackson: The 31-year-old, the third overall pick in the 2009 draft, is a 6-foot-4, 295-pounder who has played with the Chiefs and Falcons. In 122 career games, he has nine sacks.

—DL Desmond Bryant: The Harvard product is a 6-foot-5, 290-pounder who was cut by the Browns earlier this month. In seven seasons in the league (four with Oakland, three with Cleveland), he has 26 sacks. Best known for this mugshot.

—DL Jared Odrick: A first-round pick of Miami in 2010, the 6-foot-5, 298-pounder has played for Miami and Jacksonville and has 23 career sacks.

— DL Dwight Freeney: Matt Light called him the toughest guy he’s ever faced. The former Colts pass rusher is a 6-foot-1, 269-pound vet out of Syracuse who has 122.5 career sacks. However, it’s legitimately worth asking if he’s hit his expiration date, as the 37-year-old was purely a situational pass rusher last year — he was on the field for 37 percent of the Falcons’ defensive snaps in 2016.

— DL Paul Kruger: A 6-foot-4, 270-pounder out of Utah, the 31-year-old has lined up for New Orleans, Cleveland and Baltimore, and has 35 career sacks. (That includes 11 in 2014 with the Browns.)

— DL Mario Williams: The first overall pick of the 2006 draft out of North Carolina State, Williams had the underachiever label stuck to his over the previous few years. At 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds, the 32-year-old played with Miami, Buffalo and Houston, and has 97.5 career sacks.

4. When it comes to available players, one other name worth mentioning here is linebacker Ahmad Brooks, who was recently let go by the Niners. Brooks is a 33-year-old who has been in the league 11 seasons, the last nine with San Francisco. His skill set certainly might intrigue the Patriots (he has 53.5 career sacks) but there are two things to keep in mind when it comes to Brooks. One, on the surface, there appears to be some positional redundancy when you consider his skill set and that of veteran David Harris. And two, Brooks has some legal issues in his past that would likely have to be addressed prior to him signing in New England. Ultimately, there’s a lot to consider at this time of the year when it comes to these sorts of things, but I believe the Patriots would pass on Brooks.

5. Of course, there’s also the possibility that New England will be able to find a replacement that’s currently on the roster. One of those prospects is rookie free agent Adam Butler, the defensive lineman out of Vandy who continues to flash positively, and with the release of Ealy, stands to be one of a few youngsters who will get even more opportunities over the last week of preseason. Butler is a 6-foot-5, 300-pounder who had 23 snaps on Friday against the Lions and finished with a tackle and two quarterback hits. “Adam has had a strong, strong camp,” Belichick said Saturday. “We talked about it the other day; he’s played in a number of different spots, which he did (Friday) night — on the center, on the guard, on the tackle. Even on the tight end for a couple of snaps. A long way to go. (He’s) got a lot to learn. But he’s a grinder. He comes to work every day and tries to get better on the things he needs to work on. He’s been a tough, consistent guy who has continued to show up and get better.”

6. It’s not just quarterbacks who are following Tom Brady’s advice when it comes to succeeding off the field. Rob Gronkowski has already talked about taking a page from the QB's training manual. And it sounds like Seattle wide receiver Kasen Williams is doing the same thing. He recently said he has been reading one of Brady’s favorite books, “The Four Agreements.” In addition, he’s changed his diet, and while it doesn’t strictly follow the TB12 approach, some of the foundations of his meal plan sound familiar, including some ultra-healthy shakes. "It’s tough because the shakes aren’t good," Williams said with a laugh. "But I know that they’re healthy, and I know that they’re putting me in the best position to be more conditioned, to catch my breath faster, to run faster and all those things." It’s paid off this summer — in the Seahawks' first two preseason games, he caught six balls for 147 yards and a touchdown on eight targets.

7. Even though there’s one preseason game left on the schedule, it’s never too early to look ahead to the opener against the Chiefs, a team that is suddenly dealing with a quarterback controversy. Admittedly, it’s “controversy” with a lower case “c,” but the play of rookie signal-caller Pat Mahomes has caused some to suggest he should be the starter in place of veteran Alex Smith. It’s not an overly divisive issue quite yet, but the talk reached a point where head coach Andy Reid felt the need to come out and throw his support behind Smith earlier this month, saying there was “no gray area” when it came to Smith as the starter. Regardless, Mahomes has certainly made the most of his opportunities: Through three weeks this preseason, he’s thrown three touchdowns with no interceptions while completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 207 yards. He’s tied for second in the NFL in passing touchdowns. While Smith remains the starter, to this point, Mahomes certainly has the capability to make things interesting in Kansas City.

8. Speaking of the Chiefs, one guy who’s excited to see Kansas City on the schedule for the opener? Tight end James O’Shaughnessy. The former Chief was taken in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, but Kansas City sent him and the 216th overall pick to the Patriots this spring for the 183rd overall choice. If he can stick on the roster, he sounds anxious about the opportunity to face his old team on Sept. 7. “Believe me, I think we all know it’s (the Chiefs), especially myself, and it’s going to be exciting,” he said earlier this past week. “You couldn’t ask for a better first game with the Patriots.”

9. Just so we can get out ahead of it now, here’s a look at Brady’s performance in the preseason finale for the last 11 years:

2016: 16-for-26, 166 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack vs. NYG
2015: DNP vs. NYG
2014: DNP vs. NYG
2013: DNP vs. NYG
2012: DNP vs. NYG
2011: 5-for-9, 116 yards vs. NYG
2010: 4-for-8, 51 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT vs. NYG
2009: DNP vs. NYG
2008: DNP vs. NYG
2007: DNP vs. NYG
2006: DNP vs. NYG

10. Big week for the Patriots on tap. There’s an off-day Sunday, but players will be back Monday and Tuesday, with a walkthrough on Wednesday before Thursday night’s preseason finale in Foxborough against the Giants. Then, cutdown day looms on Saturday, and the practice squad will be assembled just after that.