Tight end Asante Cleveland has probably received better Christmas gifts than the one he got from the Patriots on Friday.
Cleveland was waived so that the team could pick up cornerback Troy Hill off of waivers from the Bengals. We’ll pause now so that everyone can picture the ends of Bill Belichick’s mouth curving upward like he was the Grinch because we love a Christmas classic.
Hill had six tackles in three games for the Bengals before being waived so cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris could be added to the roster.
Unfortunate timing is about the only remarkable thing about the transaction. The Patriots, like many other teams, churn the bottom of the roster often and Cleveland drew the short straw this week for a move that wouldn’t have felt any better for Cleveland on December 26.
Cleveland, who has one catch in four games this season, will be available to the rest of the league on waivers. If he clears, he could be back with the Patriots to ruin the start of someone else’s new year.