Here's who made the cut for the 2022 New England Patriots' 53-man roster

The Patriots initial 53-man roster for the 2022 NFL season is here.

On Tuesday, the team made 26 moves to get to the league-wide roster limit, cutting 24 players and placing two others on the injured reserve. Don’t expect this lineup to stay intact long as the Pats are expected to shuffle some players around this week and before their regular-season opener in Miami.

The Patriots didn’t make any trades, but as always, there were a few surprises. The biggest was the Pats releasing three-time Pro Bowl special-teamer Justin Bethel.

For the 19th consecutive year, an undrafted free agent made the Patriots initial 53-man roster when defensive end DeMarcus Mitchell and special teamer Brenden Schooler made the team. Overall, nine rookies made the team.

Here’s a look at the Patriots first 53-man roster of the 2022 season.

Quarterback

Mac Jones, Brian Hoyer, Bailey Zappe

No surprises here. The Patriots came into training camp with good depth at their quarterback position and didn't mess with it. You have your starter, veteran mentor and a rookie backup. It’s a perfect quarterback room setup.

Running back

Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong

Cut: J.J. Taylor, Kevin Harris

Montgomery was carted off the field in Las Vegas with an ankle injury. The fact that the Pats cut Taylor and Harris could be a good sign for the veteran. Conversely, the team could also place Montgomery on the injured reserve and bring back one of the younger backs. With Harris and Stevenson alone, the Pats are in good shape.

Wide receiver

Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton

Cut: Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Tre Nixon, Josh Hammond / Injured reserve: Kristen Wilkerson

The plan here will be to place Thornton on the injured reserve. He had surgery on his clavicle last week and will be out for 6 to 8 weeks. The Pats still have nice depth with Meyers, Parker, Agholor and Bourne. It’ll be interesting to see if they sign another receiver once Thornton is on the IR.

Tight end

Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith

Cut: Devin Asiasi, Matt Sokol, Jalen Wydermyer

Asiasi was a surprise cut. The 2020 third-round pick had a solid summer and looked like the third tight end on the roster. Instead, that draft class, which saw tight end Dalton Keene cut earlier, took another hit. Henry and Smith looked solid this summer and both should factor heavily in the offense.

Offensive line

Trent Brown, Cole Strange, David Andrews, Michael Onwenu, Isaiah Wynn, Yodny Cajuste, Justin Herron, Chasen Hines

Cut: Arlington Hambright, Drew Desjarlais, Yasir Durant, Will Sherman, Chasen Hines, Kody Russey, James Ferentz

The Patriots opted to keep Wynn, who was the subject of trade rumors. That’s probably a good move. The team needs as much offensive line depth as they can get. This group didn’t look great in the preseason, so here’s hoping they only get better.

Help wanted: For Mac Jones to improve, Patriots need the offensive line to step up

Defensive line

Davon Godchaux, Christian Barmore, Lawrence Guy, Deatrich Wise, Sam Roberts, DeMarcus Mitchell, Carl Davis

Cut: LaBryan Ray, Henry Anderson, Jeremiah Phams

Suspended: Daniel Ekuale / Injured reserve: Henry Anderson

They’re in great shape with Godchaux, Barmore, Guy and Wise. Roberts is a great story. The sixth-round pick makes the team coming out of Division II Northwest Missouri State. Mitchell is another undrafted free agent gem, who earned a roster spot.

Linebacker

Matthew Judon, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Mack Wilson, Raekwon McMillan, Anfernee Jennings, Josh Uche, Jahlani Tavai

Cut: Cameron McGrone, Harvey Langi, Nate Wieland

There are a lot of new faces here. This group will be led by Judon and Bentley, but Wilson and McMillan will help at inside linebacker. Jennings was one of the best stories of camp. The 2020 third round is finally healthy and it showed. McGrone had a lot of hype this offseason, but it never materialized.

Cornerback

Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Myles Bryant, Marcus Jones, Jack Jones, Shaun Wade

Cut: Terrance Mitchell

There was a time when Mitchell was practicing with the starting defense. Instead, the Pats will move Jonathan Jones to the outside opposite of Jalen Mills. They’re also keeping several young cornerbacks in Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant, Jack Jones and Shaun Wade. The arrow is pointing up with this group.

Safety

Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Joshuah Bledsoe

Cut: Brad Hawkins

Bill Belichick said on Monday that he felt the most comfortable with his safety group. This is clearly the Patriots deepest position. There are four legit players in McCourty, Phillips, Dugger and Peppers. Bledsoe is another great story from camp after missing his 2021 rookie season due to a wrist injury.

Special teams

Nick Folk, Jake Bailey, Joe Cardona, Matthew Slater, Cody Davis, Brenden Schooler

Cut: Tristan Vizaino, Justin Bethel

Bethel was the biggest surprise cut for the Patriots. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler and excellent special-teamer. We didn’t see that coming. Instead, the team opts for Schooler, a standout undrafted free agent.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: New England makes 27 moves to get its roster to 53 on NFL cutdown day.