Patriots Continue Making Roster Moves, Release Two Players

The New England Patriots continue to make moves with their roster. Over the last few days, it's been all about addition. The team has signed several notable free agents, including Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Matthew Judon and others.

On Thursday morning, it was about subtraction.

To offset some of that spending, the Patriots decided to move on from two players: wide receiver Marqise Lee and defensive tackle Beau Allen. Field Yates with ESPN points out on Twitter that Lee opted out last season, while Allen was unable to play due to injury.

Lee is a former second-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars back in the 2014 NFL Draft. After six seasons in the AFC South, Lee made the move to Foxborough back in April of 2020. Four months later, he chose to opt out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One has to wonder how this affected the 29-year-old. New England lacked true playmakers at wide receiver, which means Lee would've had an opportunity to prove his worth. Instead, the team didn't get to see him in action and have since gone in a different direction.

The additions of Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne at wide receiver as well as Smith and Henry at tight end made Lee expendable.

As for Allen, he turns 30 in November and is coming off an injury-riddled season. Considering the moves to bring in defensive linemen such as Judon and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, there was little reason to keep him around.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.