FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick declined to get into specifics when asked about the two most notable roster cuts made by the team on Saturday, wide receiver Reggie Wayne and running back Jonas Gray.
"We kept, and we’re going to keep, the people we feel like are best for our football team. It’s not an easy decision," Belichick said when asked on his Sunday morning conference call. "Everyone has value; we just have to try to figure out the best combinations and the best mix for it. That’s what we’re in the process of doing. How things finally turn out here in a few days, we’ll just have to see.”
Belichick expects more transactions in the coming days, and part of that will be formulating the team's 10-man practice squad on Sunday.
When asked where things went wrong for Gray, Belichick said, "We kept the players on the roster that we feel like earned those spots, and the best players for our football team. That’s not in any way critical of anyone else. We have to do what we feel like is best for our football team.”
Two other soundbites from Belichick:
On undrafted receiver Chris Harper landing a spot on the initial 53-man roster: "I think Chris has had a good year for us, from the spring through training camp. He's been productive as a receiver and in the return game. He did all the things we asked him to do, and he did them pretty well."
On running back Travaris Cadet landing a spot on the initial 53-man roster despite not playing this preseason: "Unfortunately he didn't get an opportunity to play in the preseason games, [but] based on the information we had, and the way he and all the other players performed over the course of training camp and the offseason, in addition to our evaluations, in his case, New Orleans, those things all factored into it."
