When it comes to Patriots starters fans have known and grown fond of, Jeremiah Pharms is not quite on the level of receiver Kendrick Bourne and safety Jabrill Peppers, both of whom were cut by the team during a chaotic week of transactions. Pharms appeared to weather the storm.
Until Saturday, with just around 21 hours to go before the team was slated to kick off against the Raiders in Week 1.
The Patriots announced a handful of transactions to reconfigure the roster just before game day, and in a surprise, New England is cutting Pharms and elevating Corey Durden from the practice squad.
Pharms had been with the team since 2022 after signing out of the USFL. He worked his way onto the 53-man roster during the 2023 season and, last year, appeared in 16 games with five starts and 2.0 sacks. With a Pro Football Focus grade of 58.1, Pharms was not a standout but was certainly serviceable, ranking 93rd among 219 defensive linemen.
Patriots Aggressive in Turning Over Roster
The Patriots have taken a no-holds-barred approach to remaking the team’s roster entering 2025 under Mike Vrabel, and Pharms is down as another casualty of that approach. More than half the players who started games for New England in 2024 are not with the team anymore.
Per the Patriots’ website: “Pharms is the latest holdover to be released by the new regime. Durden is considered a high-motor interior defender with solid play speed in pursuit, while Pharms was more of a gap-plugging defensive tackle with some pass-rush upside. Although it’s not a significant roster move, this could be another example of stylistic fit playing into the Patriots decision-making on the defensive line.”
The Patriots also announced they are elevating cornerback Corey Ballentine and linebacker Mark Robinson from the practice squad. Ballentine will play on special teams and could get some action as the team makes up for the absence of starter Christian Gonzalez.
Only 1 Patriots 2024 Defensive Lineman Remains
Pharms could yet stick around on the practice squad but, still, this move is embelmatic of the Vrabel approach so far.
The Patriots have Christian Barmore returning on the interior of the defensive line, but he is now the only returning player in that group. The Patriots signed top free-agent lineman Milton Williams to a $104 million contract in the offseason, and also brought in journeyman nose tackle Khyiris Tonga.
New England drafted Joshua Farmer in the fourth round in 2025, then added Durden and undrafted free agent Eric Gregory after he was cut by the Bengals. That’s six defensive linemen, five of whom are new.
