The 80-man iteration of the New England Patriots will officially be together for one more practice on Monday before rosters must be cut down to 53 by 4 pm on Tuesday afternoon.
Based on Monday's brief media availability before the session started, one notable absence could suggest a surprise move impending.
Zack Cox of NESN reported only four Patriots missing from the open portion of practice, with three of those players -- Tyquan Thornton (collarbone), Kristian Wilkerson (concussion), and Ty Montgomery (ankle) -- nursing injuries. Wilkerson hasn't practiced since sustaining a big hit during joint practices with the Carolina Panthers two weeks ago, and Montgomery went down with an ankle injury during last Friday's preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The one unaccounted-for player that might make waves, though, was backup tackle Yodny Cajuste.
The fourth-year pro, who was taken in the third round of the 2019 draft, had seen a significant amount of action this training camp and preseason when starting tackles Isaiah Wynn and Trent Brown and swing tackle Justin Herron sat out at practice for various reasons. At times, the running game looked better with Cajuste in the lineup at right tackle than the other two, and he also has the versatility to play either tackle spot and arguably has looked better than Herron overall.
Given that he didn't appear to suffer an injury during last Friday's preseason game -- though he did leave the preseason opener with a leg injury -- his absence doesn't seem to bode well for his roster chances.
It would certainly feel a bit jarring after Belichick proclaimed 2022 was "the best camp (Cajuste) has had" a few weeks ago and praised the backup tackle's work ethic and conditioning after several years of injury struggles.
Then again, it wouldn't be the first time Belichick spoke well of a player before cutting him.
If Cajuste didn't make the initial 53-man roster, he'd probably have several suitors around the league among teams looking for offensive line depth, though there's a chance he could sneak back onto the practice squad.
But after seeing him as much as they have in practice and in games, perhaps the Patriots might simply decide they've seen enough and move on. We'll see if Cajuste remains on the squad past tomorrow.
