Patriots Roster Projection: Deion Branch Likely Safe After Waiver Of Jabar Gaffney

The New England Patriots trimmed their roster on Monday afternoon, meeting the mandatory 75-man threshold and deadline. The biggest headliner who was waived had to be wide receiver Jabar Gaffney.

Bill Belichick jettisoning Gaffney came as a surprise to those who follow the team closely. Combined with the release of wideout Donte Stallworth, it opened up some room on the outside in the Pats' offense.

Deion Branch figures to be the biggest beneficiary of the release of Gaffney and Stallworth. Jared Stegall of Pats Pulpit took a look at what Monday's cuts meant for the roster going forward, and who is now likely to make it through the 53-man cutdown on Friday. He thinks Branch is now probably safe:

With Gaffney and Stallworth now off the roster, it seems pretty evident that Deion Branch will make the final 53-man roster.

Much has been publicized about how Branch was considered the odd man out, and would likely have to battle Stallworth for the final wide receiver spot. Gaffney had such good chemistry with Tom Brady back in 2007, he's a sure bet to make the final roster, right? Well, not exactly.

Branch has worked very hard over the offseason, and was able to deal with the pressure exceptionally well. He's clearly shown Bill Belichick that he's not washed up, and can out preform guys like Gaffney and Stallworth, who have had success in the Patriots offense.

While the Gaffney move really sent shockwaves throughout the league, it's clear that Branch still has what it takes to stick around in Foxborough.

You can read Stegall's roster analysis, which covers both sides of the ball, here at Pats Pulpit.

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