In a surprising move, the New England Patriots released defensive tackle Dominique Easley Wednesday.
Patriots surprisingly release 2014 1st-round pick Dominique Easley
Reports say “philosophical differences” between Easley and the Patriots led to his release, though questions persist.
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This decision was unexpected despite Easley’s injury history. He was plagued by injuries at the University of Florida, including torn ACLs in each knee. Each of Easley’s first two seasons with the Patriots ended with him being placed on injured reserve. A knee injury ended his 2014 season, and a quad injury forced the team to place him on injured reserve late last season.
Injury concerns aside, Easley was generally regarded as a top-10 talent. He was enjoying a relatively productive 2015 season up until he injured his quadriceps in Week 14, recording two sacks and nine tackles from the nose tackle position.
Since Easley was slated to make just over $1 million in each of the next two years, his release is likely based on more than just his performance on the gridiron. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reports off-field issues factored into the Patriots’ decision to cut ties with him and Curran adds there were “philosophical differences” between Easley and the organization over injury programs. The Patriots will incur a dead cap hit of $2.89 million.
The Patriots have changed around their defensive line this offseason, most notably with the decision to ship Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for offensive lineman Jonathan Cooper. The Patriots have also brought aboard veterans Chris Long and Terrance Knighton.
Given that Knighton plays on the interior of the line, he could take some of Easley’s snaps. But considering he played just 34.9 percent of snaps in Washington last season, he can’t be counted on to be a significant contributor.
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