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New England Patriots Release Defensive Tackle Travis Shaw
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- New England Patriots Release Defensive Tackle Travis Shaw
(Eric Canha)
The New England Patriots made a roster move to cap off this week before training camp began. They have released undrafted rookie free agent Travis Shaw.
Shaw signed with the Patriots on May 20th, 2026, about a month after the NFL draft. Sahw's college career began in North Carolina from 2022 to 2024 before transferring to Texas in 2025.
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In three years with the Tar Heels, Shaw played in 37 games with no starts and registered 55 tackles as well as a pair of fumble recoveries. After transferring to the Longhorns, Shaw played in 13 games, had his first career start, and added 13 tackles to his résumé.
Shaw has a lot of size and prowess, weighing 335 pounds and standing 6 feet 5 inches. However, due to his lack of college production, many feel that's why no team picked him up in the draft or as a free agent. He made it onto the Patriots for a brief amount of time this summer due to an impressive tryout ahead of minicamp.
So what does the release of a UDFA defensive tackle mean for the team going into training camp? Truthfully, not much changes really. Waiving Shaw does not open up much salary cap space, as Shaw carried only an $885,000 cap hit with no guarantees.
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Players like Milton Williams , Christian Barmore , and Cory Durden feel like a lock for the 53-man roster even ahead of training camp. That depth chart also includes Leonard Taylor III , Eric Gregory , David Blay Jr., and Jeremiah Pharms Jr. With Shaw being gone, there's a sign of hope that one of these names above has a fighting chance now at a roster spot. Even if it means they just squeeze themselves onto it.
Rookies are now set to report to Gillette Stadium on July 22nd for training camp, and veterans follow a few days later. The Patriots do have a void to fill in the trenches of the defensive line since parting ways with Khyiris Tonga this offseason.
They now have one less player in that pool of names to attempt to fill that void. It's going to make for some fun competition to cap off the summer in Foxborough.
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