The New England Patriots parted ways with one of their former first-round picks on Tuesday afternoon.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Patriots waived offensive lineman Cole Strange Tuesday. The move made him one of the team’s roster cut victims ahead of the NFL’s 4 p.m. ET deadline for teams to reduce active squads down to 53 players.
Strange, 27, was New England’s first-round pick at No. 29 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft after playing out his collegiate career at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The Patriots’ decision to draft Strange as early as they did was the subject of a viral video depicting Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay reacting to the pick with shock.
‘Strange just went!’ McVay exclaimed when he saw the pick.
‘Oh my! UT-Chattanooga to the first round!’ Snead said.
‘How about that? And we wasted our time watching him thinking he’d be at (pick No.) 104 maybe!’ McVay said with a guffaw, prompting more laughter from his audience.
Across his three seasons with the Patriots, Strange started 29 games on the team’s offensive line. He missed most of the 2024 season on the PUP/reserve list as he recovered from the torn patellar tendon injury he suffered in 2023. The Patriots activated Strange last December, and he made three appearances (two starts) for the team, all at center.
Strange’s spot on the roster was in danger after New England spent three of its 11 draft picks bolstering its offensive line – including a third-round pick on center Jared Wilson – in late April.