Report: New England Patriots Plan to Release Chris Board

With the NFL’s legal tampering period about to begin, the New England Patriots found themselves making more news. However, unlike the recent signings of Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne, this time a player will be leaving Foxboro. According to reports, New England will waive special teams standout Chris Board this week.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was the first to report the news.

The #Patriots plan to release veteran special teams standout Chris Board this week, per source. He played in all 17 games for New England last season.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 11, 2024

Board is a six-year NFL veteran. He played for the Baltimore Ravens (2018-2021) and Detroit Lions (2022) before joining the New England Patriots last season. Although he had previous experience as a linebacker with both Baltimore and Detroit, Board was strictly a core special teams player for New England. He played only one defensive snap all season.

The move may indicate a shift in philosophies under the new Patriots regime. While core special teams players occupied several roster spots in the Bill Belichick era, it is unclear if that will continue under the leadership of Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo.

Chris Board appeared in all 17 games his lone season with the New England Patriots. According to Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan, the move creates an additional $1.045 in cap space for New England.