The New England Patriots made a couple of surprising cuts Friday, releasing wide receiver Deion Branch and backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, according to sources, as they pare down their roster from 75 to 53 to meet Friday night's deadline.

Branch spent parts of six seasons with the Patriots, registering 312 receptions for 4,152 yards and 24 touchdowns. His roster spot was thought to be safe after the release of receivers Jabar Gaffney and Donte' Stallworth earlier this week.

His release projects to leave the Patriots' receiving corps a little thin. Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd are starters at the position, with Julian Edelman and Matthew Slater as projected backups.

Branch re-signed with the Patriots in March after catching 51 passes for 702 yards and five touchdowns last season.

The cuts come on the heels of the Patriots' 6-3 loss to the Giants in their final preseason matchup. Hoyer's performance in the loss was resoundingly unimpressive: He went 9-of-15 for 96 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.

The 26-year-old Hoyer, who has been with the Patriots since 2009 after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State, was due to make $1.9 million this season and would have hit free agency at season's end.

The release of Hoyer makes Ryan Mallett the backup quarterback and signals the team's intention to head into the season with two quarterbacks instead of three.

Hoyer finishes his Patriots career with 13 regular seasons games played (none of them starts).