Hassan Haskins is out. The Patriots released the running back Friday, a final trim before the regular season kicks off. This isn't a surprise—it's a resource decision. With Rhamondre Stevenson locked in as the primary back and Jam Miller and JaMycal Hasty already on the roster, the Patriots didn't have the carries to justify keeping Haskins around.
Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf are being ruthless about roster composition this late in August, and that's the right call. Every spot matters at this point in the calendar. If Haskins was going to be a healthy scratch most weeks, he's got no business taking up a roster slot when the team could use that flexibility elsewhere. The backfield is defined. Moving on makes sense.
This move also tells you something about how Vrabel and Wolf view the depth chart overall. They're confident enough in their current running back room—even with the third and fourth options—that they can afford to cut loose a veteran body. That's either confidence in what's already there or a signal that they're not planning to rely heavily on the backfield in their offensive scheme. Given Vrabel's history, it's probably both.
The Patriots had a full roster to work with heading into cutdown day. Now they don't. This is the NFL in late August—you make the hard calls, you move forward, and you don't look back. Haskins will find work elsewhere if a team needs him. The Patriots move on to whoever's next.