Per usual, NFL teams will be required to trim their rosters to 53 by Saturday at 4 p.m.
But of course, in the coronavirus era, things are never simple. There are a number of rule changes in place for the 2020 season, including the expansion of practice squads and gameday rosters.
For the Patriots that means 69 of the 80 players they’ve had in camp could find jobs within the organization, even if they don’t make the 53-man roster.
Go inside the roster rule changes for 2020 here.
We’re tracking each of the roster cuts as they happen. Follow along:
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Thursday
Wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, defensive lineman Michael Barnett, and cornerback Michael Jackson were released.
Sanu joined the Patriots last fall in a trade with the Falcons for a second-round pick. He had 10 catches for 81 yards against the Ravens in his second game but injured his ankle returning a punt in Philadelphia a week later and was never able to recover fully or be a factor in the offense.
“I have a lot of respect for Mo, but ultimately things just didn’t work out,” coach Bill Belichick said Friday. “I think he tried very hard, I think we tried hard. I don’t think it was anybody’s fault or anything like that. It was just one of those situations that just didn’t work out as well as everyone hoped it would have when the transaction was made.”
Barnett, a rookie out of Georgia, signed with the Patriots on Aug. 24. Jackson was acquired in a trade with the Lions; the Patriots sent an undisclosed 2022 pick to Detroit for the 2019 fifth-round pick out of Miami.
Katie McInerney can be reached at katie.mcinerney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @k8tmac.