Seven Players Released by Patriots

The New England Patriots released six veteran players and one rookie earlier today. The three big names were defensive end Ty Warren, tight end Alge Crumpler, and offensive tackle Nick Kaczur. The other four players were defensive lineman Marcus Stroud, linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, corner back Tony Carter, and linebacker Ryan Coulson. These moves were obviously done in order to be under the $120 million dollar salary cap for the top 51 players.

Kaczur being cut was not a surprise but Crumpler and Warren were not expected to be cut. Both Crumpler and Warren have been battling injuries and Warren has been injury prone the past few seasons. Defensive linemen Mike Wright and Albert Haynesworth will most likely have a bigger role in the upcoming season and this probably means Bill Belichick is looking to re-sign Gerard Warren. But for Crumpler, it is going to be hard to replace his leadership in the locker room, especially since Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco are now on board and young tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski still have much to learn. It does always help when you have Tom Brady in the locker room though.

The Patriots did however re-sign corner back Kyle Arrington and signed rookie draft picks Ryan Mallet (quarterback) and Marcus Cannon (offensive guard/tackle).

Patriots to Cut Banta-Cain

With NFL free agency in full swing, the New England Patriots made their first big move by informing outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain that he will be released on Thursday, the first official day they can. The announcement comes just a few days after news hit that Banta-Cain will need surgery for an abdominal injury. Banta-Cain has been very productive for the Patriots as he was second on the team in sacks last season. Many people wonder how Bill Belichick will fill the role Banta-Cain had which is now left vacant.

It seems unlikely Banta-Cain's injury was the main reason he will not be returning to the Patriots in 2011, as he is only scheduled to miss four to five weeks. My guess is Belichick will use second year pass rusher Jermaine Cunningham in a much larger role this year. It is unlikely - despite how much people want it to happen - that Belichick will sign a big name player to help with the pass rush. Players who will also have a bigger role will be Eric Moore and Rob Ninkovich.

The Patriots open their season in Miami on Monday Night Football.