Albert Haynesworth Released: What It Means for the Patriots Defense

It wasn't the way the New England Patriots hoped it would end, but it can't be seen as much of a surprise.

The Patriots released Albert Haynesworth on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald.

When Haynesworth first arrived, he described it as having awoken a sleeping giant. Something happened on Sunday, though, that awakened his attitude problems against the Giants. 

It started so well, with Haynesworth playing a season-high 30 snaps against the Miami Dolphins in the season opener, while generating three pressures and two holding penalties according to Pro Football Focus. In the end, he played in just 30.56 percent of snaps in games he was active according to PFF via Twitter.

It wasn't all bad, but it certainly didn't end well. Haynesworth was pushed around with ease against the Giants, with David Diehl clearing him out of the way for Brandon Jacobs' 10-yard touchdown run. Chris Snee got the better of Haynesworth on a separate occasion. In that game, Haynesworth played a season-low nine snaps.

If that weren't bad enough, he and Patriots defensive line coach Pepper Johnson got into a heated exchange on the sideline in the second half of Sunday's loss—the last time Haynesworth saw the field.

One positive to glean from the situation is that it doesn't really hurt the Patriots defensive line rotation much, simply because he was such a small part of it. Let's take a look at that rotation by snap numbers, with the help of Pro Football Focus:

Vince Wilfork: 495 snaps
Kyle Love: 257 snaps
Shaun Ellis: 239 snaps
Albert Haynesworth: 132 snaps
Gerard Warren: 110 snaps
Brandon Deaderick: 69 snaps
Myron Pryor: 37 snaps
Landon Cohen: 15 snaps
Ron Brace: 15 snaps
Mike Wright: 15 snaps (now on injured reserve)

Analysis: The Patriots remain deep on the defensive line despite the release of Haynesworth. Expect increased playing time for Love and Warren, who are both in a similar mold to Haynesworth as rotational players who create penetration on the inside of the defensive line.

It also bears mentioning that Brace's 15 snaps all came in Sunday's game against the Giants, with Haynesworth getting just nine snaps. After spending the first six weeks of the season on the physically unable to perform list, expect Brace to be thrust into the rotation sooner than later.

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