For Jeremiah Pharms Jr., the road in Foxborough has come to an end.
The New England Patriots waived the Friends School (Wichita, KS) alumnus ahead of the NFL's 53-man roster deadline, closing out a tenure with the organization that dated back to 2022. Pharms Jr., a defensive tackle/end, spent multiple years in the Patriots' system but could not secure a final spot on the active roster as New England made its last round of cuts.
The waiver means Pharms Jr. now enters the league's waiver wire, where any of the other 31 franchises can claim him. Should he go unclaimed, he would become a free agent — and given his experience in New England's defensive system, interest from other clubs is plausible. Teams consistently mine the post-cutdown waiver pool for defensive line depth, and Pharms Jr.'s multi-year NFL exposure gives him a leg up on many players released in the same wave.
For Friends, a small Quaker school in Wichita, Pharms Jr.'s NFL journey has been a point of pride. Landing on an NFL roster from a non-scholarship program is a remarkable achievement in its own right, and his longevity with the Patriots organization underscored that the opportunity was earned, not accidental.
The next 72 hours will be telling. If Pharms Jr. clears waivers, expect his camp to move quickly toward a free-agent deal or a practice squad assignment — the latter of which would keep him in the league ecosystem even without a 53-man spot. His story in the NFL is likely not finished; it's simply turning a page.
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