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Samuel exemption

The roster exemption granted to the Patriots for cornerback Asante Samuel is good through Monday, Sept. 10.

If the Patriots decide to activate Samuel before that date -- which is one day after the season opener against the Jets -- the exemption will be lifted.

All teams must cut rosters to 53 players by Saturday, but the Patriots can slice to 54 because Samuel won't technically count against the roster limit unless the team lifts the exemption, which seems unlikely before Saturday.

Also, the Patriots had put in a waiver claim on former Rutgers punter Mike Barr, who was waived by the Steelers on Monday. But the Cardinals also put in a claim on Barr, and the Cardinals had priority based on finishing with a worse record in 2006. Barr joined the Cardinals on Tuesday and will challenge veteran Scott Player for the job.