Patriots Roster Catch-Up

There's never a dull moment for Patriots fans and the past few days have been no exception. Most teams cut their roster down to 52 players at the deadline and that's it, they're ready to go for the season.

But not that Pats. They got their roster down to 53 (Kevin Faulk not counting because of his one week suspension) on Saturday, but continued to make a number of moves over the long weekend. 

While most teams are solely focused on their week one game, the Patriots are still working on making their roster as strong as it can possibly be from their best player all the way down to their practice squad players. This is why the Patriots win as much as they do. 

Just look at the flurry of activity done after the roster had supposedly already been set:

Chad Jackson cut. John Lynch cut. Signed CB Deltha O'Neal. Steven Spach cut. Claimed a tackle and a tight end off waivers from other teams. Placed waiver claims on at least three offensive lineman (who ended up going to other teams).

Just another few days at the office for the Pats.

So what can we gather from all the moves made over the long weekend?

Chad "The Chad" Jackson can in fact now be labeled a bust. 

From the sound of it, John Lynch will likely be back with the team after week one. It is widely rumored that he was released so that the Pats would not have to guarantee his full salary, a concession that veterans get if they are on the roster for week one.

Deltha O'Neal is a quality pickup. He was bumped to third on the Bengals cornerback depth chart last year, but he's been to two Pro Bowls  and, at 31, should still have something left in the tank. This guarantees we won't live or die based on how a rookie cornerback performs.

The Pats are still working to add to their offensive line depth, especially at the Guard position. Expect there to be at least another move made in this area in the next couple of days.

Overall it's business as usual for the boys in blue, and that's what makes them so much fun to follow even when they haven't played a meaningful game since February.