The New England Patriots have made yet another opening on their active roster. Shortly after wide receiver Eric Decker announced his retirement, the Patriots released safety Eddie Pleasant. ESPN’s Field Yates first had the news.

Source: the Patriots are releasing veteran safety Eddie Pleasant. He was signed this offseason after six years with the Texans.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 26, 2018

Eddie Pleasant Released By New England Patriots

Pleasant was signed by the Patriots on July 24th to compete for a role as a depth safety. The six-year NFL veteran played in all three games, but saw decreasing playing time in each one. In last Friday’s matchup against the Carolina Panthers, Pleasant saw just five snaps on defense.

Pleasant spent the first six years of his career with the Houston Texans. While he was officially listed as a safety, Pleasant was primarily a special teamer early in his career. However, as his career went on, he saw more and more time at safety.

With Pleasant off the roster, it looks as though Jordan Richards is all but a lock to make the final roster. Richards, a 2015 second-round pick, has disappointed so far through his NFL career.

Primarily a special teamer, Richards saw an uptick in defensive snaps last season and didn’t handle the increased responsibility well. Richards was too slow to match up with running backs in coverage and too small to make plays against the run. Through three preseason games, Richards hasn’t appeared to improve any aspects of his game.

Additionally, the Patriots may attempt to use longtime cornerback Jason McCourty as a depth safety. McCourty was acquired for a conditional seventh-round pick over the 2018 off-season and was expected to see time opposite Stephon Gilmore at cornerback.

However, the Patriots used McCourty at deep safety during the third preseason game. The results were mixed, but that’s to be expected, as McCourty had never played safety in the NFL before.

With Decker’s retirement and Pleasant’s release, the Patriots now have 86 men on their active roster.

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