New England Patriots: 5 Players Who Will Be Cut During Training Camp

There are always a handful of cuts during NFL training camp that catch everyone off guard. With only one week of practice for the New England Patriots, though, it is far too early to forecast the big-name underachievers. Those names will reveal themselves in the coming weeks, and we were already treated to three surprising cuts in the names of Ty Warren, Alge Crumpler and Nick Kaczur.

There are several players, however, whose absence from the final 53-man roster is imminent. Those are usually the players who can't (or don't) contribute on special teams, and don't offer much versatility outside their primary position.

Sometimes, however, it's entirely out of that player's control. Sometimes, it's more a circumstance of just too much talent ahead of them on the depth chart.

With that in mind, who are the Patriots players most likely to be cut soon?

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz.

Josh Barrett

Josh Barrett's time with the Patriots has been so unmemorable there aren't even any photos of him in a Patriots uniform. 

Nonetheless, he is set to make around $900,000 this season, according to unofficial figures at PatsCap.com. That number may not be all that high, but it's a bit high for a player who projects to be the fifth or sixth safety on the roster.

His contributions in the return game are minimal, and we haven't seen much of him in drills. That would be the ultimate sign that the team had faith in him, and wanted to give him a chance to prove himself and make the team. As it is, he'll have a hard time beating out Bret Lockett for the fifth spot.

Darryl Richard

Richard is another player, like Barrett, who hasn't yet contributed in his time as a Patriot. Richard also has a surplus of talent above him on the roster, and, with the addition of Albert Haynesworth, it becomes even less likely he'll make the roster.

But that's not all. Names like Brandon Deaderick, Myron Pryor, Mike Wright, Ron Brace, Kade Weston and Kyle Love all appear to have a better shot at making the roster than Richard.

Richard has experience in the 4-3, so he could make for some solid depth in that regard, but he's probably better left on the practice squad anyway. If the Patriots decide to stick with a 3-4, though, there's almost no chance that Richard will make the final roster.

Matthew Slater

No matter what Slater does, it seems he will consistently be the odd man out in the receiving corps. There's rarely ever any hope for him to make the roster, as there are always so many bodies ahead of him on the depth chart.

The lone high note for Slater of late was a deep reception on a Tom Brady throw at the Patriots' private practice at Boston College.

Now, with Chad Ochocinco in the fold, and young receivers Brandon Tate and Taylor Price fixtures in the return game, it appears that could be the lone high note of Slater's offseason, as well.

Eric Kettani

Kettani is a big boy at 5'11" and 235 pounds, but is probably less of a running back than a fullback. There currently isn't a true fullback on the roster, but the Patriots hardly ever use one anyway. Thus, it appears Kettani may be little more than a camp body.

Picked up as an undrafted free agent in 2009, Kettani hasn't yet taken a single NFL snap, and may be relegated to the practice squad in the long run. He has shown flashes of talent in training camp, but, with so much talent at running back, it appears he would probably only be called upon if the Patriots were inundated with injuries.

Sammy Morris

The Patriots usually designate five roster spots for running backs. That being said, those roster spots may already be accounted for. With two rookies in Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley, the two feature backs from last year in Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis and lifer Kevin Faulk, it looks like Morris might be the odd man out.

It's too bad, too, because Morris was solid for the Patriots when he was on the field between 2007-2009. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry in that three-year period, despite being marred by injury throughout that span. 2010, however, was a noticeable down year for Morris. Not only was he injured, but his productivity took a huge hit, as he only averaged 2.8 yards per carry on 20 carries.

His lone bright spot was on a successful two-point conversion in the Patriots playoff loss to the Jets—hardly enough to help him keep his job in 2011.