The New England Patriots are in a prime position to add a useful player to their roster before Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season because of their position on the league's waiver wire claim order.
The Patriots finished with the third-worst record in the league last year, so when the preseason winds down and players start to get released as teams trim their rosters to 53 players, New England will be in a good spot to claim one of these players off waivers.
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How much of an advantage is it to have the third-highest waiver priority?
"Yeah, absolutely. Our scouting department right now, all they're doing is just grinding through the preseason film, watching players, talking to other teams, seeing who might become available," Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf told reporters at a press conference Sunday.
"Having a third claim spot is a good advantage, and we'll be aggressive, I think."
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Teams must trim their rosters from 90 players to 53 by Tuesday, Aug. 27, which is only eight days away. Some of those moves will take place before that deadline.
The Patriots would benefit from picking up any help at left tackle that they can find. Vederian Lowe or Chukwuma Okorafor will likely be the starting left tackle, and that's a less-than-ideal scenario for the team. Lowe, in particular, struggled in last week's preseason game versus the Philadelphia Eagles.
Defensive tackle is another position the Patriots would be wise to target on the waiver wire given Christian Barmore's absence.
The Patriots have one more preseason matchup -- Sunday at the Washington Commanders -- to analyze players in game situations before having to determine what their final 53-man roster will look like.
It's going to be a busy week full of roster transactions around the league, and the Patriots have a chance to be in the middle of the action with their high waiver priority.