Four Former Vols Released
By Zach Ragan
May 3, 2013; Foxboro, MA USA; New England Patriots rookie Ben Bartholomew poses for a photo during rookie minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
53 man rosters were being set all around the league on Saturday and four former Tennessee Volunteers didn’t make the cut.
Former Vols Tauren Poole, Ben Bartholomew, Zach Rogers and Robert Meachem were all cut by their respective teams. Two of the cuts came as a surprise, two were no surprise at all.
Fullback Ben Bartholomew’s release by the New England Patriots doesn’t come as much of a surprise at all. That’s not to take anything away from the player that Bartholomew is — he’s a hard worker — it has more to do with the Patriots’ offense. New England doesn’t typically utilize fullbacks, which would’ve left Bartholomew as solely a special teams player. The Patriots likely didn’t want to use a valuable roster spot on a player that couldn’t provide them depth at other positions.
The other non-surprise was the San Diego Chargers releasing wide receiver Robert Meachem.
Meachem, a former first-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2007, never lived up to the four-year $25.5 million contract he signed with the Chargers prior to the 2012 season. Meachem played in 15 games last season, catching only 14 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns. That’s not exactly the type of production you expect from a player you’re paying to be your number one receiver.
The biggest surprise among the former Vols that were released on Saturday was definitely wide receiver Zach Rogers being cut by the New York Jets.
Rogers was praised early on by Jets head coach Rex Ryan, and was often singled out by Jets beat writers for standing out in practice. Many of those same beat writers predicted that Rogers would not only make the final 53-man roster, but have a significant role in the offense as well. Rogers should definitely catch on with another team. If not, I’d expect the Jets to sign him to their practice squad.
It was also somewhat of a surprise to see former Vols running back Tauren Poole cut by the Carolina Panthers. Poole had been receiving a decent amount of playing time with fellow running back Jonathan Stewart sidelined. It was reported this weekend that Stewart, who is already starting the season the P.U.P. list, is in danger of missing the entire season. The Panthers have rookie running back Kenjon Barner and veteran Mike Tolbert on the roster, in addition to starter DeAngelo Williams, which possibly made Poole expendable.
Poole, in his second NFL season, spent his rookie year on the injured reserve list. I’d expect the Panthers to retain Poole on their practice squad.
For more on former Vols in the NFL, make sure to follow along on Twitter @AllforTennessee and @ZachAFT