Let the cuts begin.
Yes, it's early. Patriots training camp hasn't even started yet. Still, that doesn't mean guys can't lose their jobs, a fact of which Joseph Addai is well aware right now.
The Patriots announced on Wednesday that Addai has been released.
It's a bit of a puzzling move because the he figured to be a decent fit in New England. Addai was signed back in May after a six-year stay with Indianapolis. Even if he had lost a step or two, at the time, he was viewed as a capable back used to playing in a pass-happy offense. His hands were thought to be good enough to be an option as a receiver out of the backfield, and he figured to have enough experience to perform blitz-pickup duties.
And he was only 29 years old. He had to have had something left in the tank, was the thought.
Well, maybe not.
The move leaves the Patriots a little thinner at running back. Second-year backs Shane Vereen and Stephen Ridley are back, as is Danny Woodhead. After that, there's undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss Brandon Bolden, and that's it.
Addai made 75,000 guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus.