The Patriots are cutting bait on one of their more recent draft investments. Jordan Schultz reported Monday that New England is releasing offensive tackle Caedan Wallace, sending the former 3rd-round pick to waivers as he tries to catch on somewhere else.
Wallace came out of Penn State in the 2024 draft with real hype as a road-grading tackle, but the fit in New England never quite clicked. He appeared in 10 games total across his 2 seasons with the Patriots, starting just 2 of them, and last year his role shrank down to mostly special teams duty over 4 appearances, per NBC Sports.
That's a rough trajectory for a 3rd-round tackle who was supposed to be developing into a starter by year 2. Offensive line was a glaring weakness for New England during this stretch, which makes it even more notable that Wallace couldn't carve out a bigger role — it wasn't like the position was locked down in front of him.
The timing lines up with a corresponding move: the Patriots also brought back long snapper Niko Lalos, and roster math being what it is in August, somebody had to go. Wallace drew the short straw.
Now it's about finding a new home. Going on waivers means another team can simply claim him rather than wait for him to hit free agency, and plenty of clubs shopping for offensive line depth could see value in a former 3rd-round pick with starting-caliber tape at Penn State, even if it never translated in New England. For Wallace, it's officially a fresh-start situation — for the Patriots, it's one more swing at a premium pick that didn't pan out.