If Mike Vrabel was looking to make a statement move in his first season as head coach of the New England Patriots, he certainly did so on Tuesday.
With rosters required to be trimmed to 53 players, the Patriots cut guard Cole Strange, a first-round pick in 2022.
Though offensive line is viewed as one of New England’s weaker areas, the club parted ways with a player who started 29 games in three seasons with the Patriots.
According to reports, 2025 third-round pick Jared Wilson is expected to start at left guard when the Patriots open their season at home against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 7.
Strange started all 17 games as a rookie but was limited to 10 games — all starts — in 2023 because of a knee injury. He also missed the first 14 games of last season still recovering from the injury.
New England selected Strange with the 29th pick out of Chattanooga in 2022 — a pick that many pundits viewed with skepticism when it was made.
