Eric Gregory is heading back to the waiver wire. The Patriots waived the defensive tackle ahead of Friday's 53-man roster deadline, a move that signals exactly where Eliot Wolf and Mike Vrabel stand on their interior defensive line depth. Gregory's departure isn't shocking—it's practical.
Look at what the Patriots have on the DT depth chart right now. Jeremiah Pharms Jr., Travis Shaw, and Leonard Taylor III form a solid core. Behind them, the team has plenty of bodies: Cory Durden, Isaiah Iton, Milton Williams, Jaquelin Roy, Khyiris Tonga, Joshua Farmer, David Blay Jr., Casey Rogers, and Christian Barmore all ahead of Gregory on the depth sheet. That's 12 defensive tackles total. When you're stacked that deep at a position, somebody has to go—and Gregory drew the short straw.
This isn't about talent. Gregory claimed a spot on the wire last August and made the team. That's legitimate. But in a crowded room with younger options and established producers, he became expendable. The Patriots clearly believe their current rotation can handle the interior without him. Whether that confidence is justified won't matter until we see how Pharms, Shaw, and the rest hold up once the games count.
What matters now is roster math. Every team has these moments before the deadline—you look at your sheet, count bodies, and realize you need to cut somewhere. The DT position was the Patriots' pressure point. Gregory took the fall. Some team will grab him off waivers and get a camp-tested player who's proven he can stick in an NFL rotation. For New England, it's about trusting the guys already in the fold and opening a roster spot for flexibility moving forward.
That's how you build depth. Not by keeping everyone, but by making hard decisions about who you actually need.
Based on reporting from Pats Pulpit.