New England Patriots Veterans Who Have Been Put on Notice This Offseason

Here today, gone tomorrow.

Just ask cornerbacks Alfonzo Dennard and Kyle Arrington; the former was released last week, and the latter has been informed of his release, according to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss.

Arrington and Dennard aren't the only ones who will be released. With 90 players on the roster, a goal of 53 and nearly four months until the beginning of the season, it's safe to say there will be plenty of additions and subtractions between now and the time the Patriots take the field for the season opener on September 10. 

The law of attrition will run its course at some positions; some players will be injured, others will be outperformed and some will pick up the playbook faster than others. But by the mere conviction of their offseason moves, the Patriots have already put multiple players on notice.

Tavon Wilson

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All three of Bill Belichick's obscure Day 2 picks over the past four years and one veteran will be competing for a starting job at strong safety. Between 2012 second-rounder Tavon Wilson, 2013 third-rounder Duron Harmon, 2015 second-rounder Jordan Richards and veteran Patrick Chung, the Patriots will be parting ways with at least one infamous/dubious player this offseason.

Wilson started in four games as a rookie, but he proved to be an "error repeater" by getting burned deep in coverage on a couple of occasions that year; the Patriots moved on almost instantly, inserting Steve Gregory into the lineup and then drafting Harmon the following offseason. Since then, Wilson's role has been relegated to mostly special teams and sub-package pass defense with five or six defensive backs on the field at a time. 

Wilson played only 188 snaps on defense in 2014, fewer than any Patriots safety besides special teams ace Nate Ebner. 

Wilson's role has diminished through the years, and in 2015, it may dwindle to nothing.

Jake Bequette

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The axe already came down on defensive end Michael Buchanan, and fourth-year pro Jake Bequette might be the next edge defender on the chopping block. 

Bequette was part of a pass-rushing tirade for the Patriots in 2012, when the team added three edge defenders: Bequette, defensive end Chandler Jones and outside linebacker Dont'a Hightower. Once again in 2015, the Patriots have added three edge defenders: Geneo Grissom (Oklahoma), Trey Flowers (Arkansas) and Xzavier Dickson (Alabama). 

Bequette has played a total of 43 defensive snaps in his three-year career, and he has spent much of the rest of his career on the Patriots practice squad; whether that was because the coaching staff felt he wasn't ready for a regular role on the active roster or because it simply couldn't find room, we're still not sure.

Now that the Patriots have added Grissom, Flowers and Dickson to their front seven, it might be time for Bequette to step up or step off the field. This could be his last shot to make the roster.

Michael Hoomanawanui

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The hits just keep coming for veteran tight end Michael Hoomanawanui. The 6'4", 260-pound, five-year veteran was the top backup option in a thin depth chart at tight end in 2014. Fast-forward to May 11, when the Patriots added their third tight end of the offseason, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, bringing their tight end total to six.

Now, "Hooman" has to be looking over his shoulder.

Even though he has seniority over every tight end on the roster besides Rob Gronkowski, Hoomanawanui is facing competition from experienced and talented players such as Davis, free-agent Scott Chandler, sixth-round draft pick A.J. Derby and 2014 trade acquisition Tim Wright. 

Hoomanawanui was the Patriots' top backup option in 2013, when Gronkowski missed the beginning of the season due to complications from forearm surgery and the end of the season with a torn ACL. Yet, he logged only 12 catches for 136 yards and one touchdown the entire season.

If Hoomanawanui is released, the Patriots would save $1.4 million of his $1.58 million cap number in 2014.

Tim Wright

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It's hard to believe that the Patriots would trade away guard Logan Mankins in 2014 and then turn around the next year and cut the player they received in return. 

Tight end Tim Wright did not have a disappointing first year with the Patriots, hauling in 26 catches for 259 yards and six touchdowns, but with so many additions to the depth chart, "not disappointing" might not be good enough to cut it.

Wright spent much of his first year learning the Patriots playbook, but in 2015, he'll have to show that he has a firm enough grasp on it to execute it in all its nuanced glory. If not, someone else could be asked to step into his spot.

With so many other capable options on the roster in Scott Chandler, A.J. Derby and Fred Davis, Wright needs to be aware that he's been put on notice.

Joe Vellano

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It was quite the fall from prominence for defensive tackle Joe Vellano. 

Vellano was thrust into a starting role in 2013 after defensive tackles Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly went down with season-ending injuries, and he played in all 16 games with eight starts that year. In 2014, the Patriots made additions in Alan Branch and Dominique Easley, along with an increased spotlight on Sealver Siliga. Those three cut into his playing time and resulted in him only appearing in five games with one start, while spending the rest of the season on the practice squad.

Now that the Patriots have spent a first-round pick on Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown, the meeting room will be pretty crowded with big bodies—even without Vince Wilfork. 

Siliga, Easley, Branch, Brown and Chris Jones seem to be the front-runners to make the final roster. Can the Patriots carry more than five defensive tackles? That will ultimately depend on whether the Patriots plan on running more 3-4 or 4-3 alignments in 2015. The former would call for more depth among big-bodied gap-stuffing linemen.

Vellano is no longer eligible for the practice squad, meaning this summer could be do-or-die time for him to make a case to keep his roster spot. 

Unless otherwise noted, all advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus. All salary cap and contract information provided by Over The Cap.