Former first-round pick defensive lineman Dominique Easley is now a free agent, with no team claiming him after the New England Patriots waived him Wednesday. 

According to ESPN, the roster move was a bit surprising since Easley was expected to have a steady role as the Patriots' interior sub rusher. Along with this, the team will also deal with a higher salary-cap charge of $3.6 million, instead of only $1.9 million if they decided to keep him. The report added that that would have changed if he was claimed by a team, but it did not happen. 

Now, Easley is on the market, waiting on a team seeking for a defensive lineman to sign him to a contract. 

In a post on Instagram Thursday, Easley thanked Patriots owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, the coaching staff, and his teammates. The 23-year-old also stated that he will always be "glad" being part of the franchise, calling the fans the best part of the experience. 

In a total of 22 regular season games played for New England, Easley recorded 25 tackles, three sacks, one interception, one pass defended, and three stuffs. 

Despite Easley being an efficient player, injuries are a part of him as he closed each of his first two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) on season-ending injured reserve. This might be one of the reasons why the Pats decided to part ways with him ahead of the 2016 season. 

It is a busy off-season in New England with the Patriots accomplishing roster moves here and there, trying to improve the current state of the team. They already acquired offensive and defensive players, with those likely not being the last as the 2016 NFL Draft approaches. 

The Pats are aiming to bounce back next season and return to the Super Bowl after making it to the American Football Conference (AFC) championship game during the previous campaign.