It’s never easy to pare down the New England Patriots’ roster to 53 men. This year, as always, will be a tricky one. And I can’t help but wonder if the Patriots will shuffle the back end of the roster at the last minute to swap depth at one position (like receiver or running back) to add some talent at a position that’s lacking (like cornerback).
We posited over potential trades last week. In this roster projection, I’ll stick with the players currently on the roster. Let’s consider what we saw in preseason Week 1, with the Patriots beating the Washington Football Team. Here’s an updated roster projection heading into the second preseason game.
Quarterback (3): Mac Jones, Cam Newton, Brian Hoyer
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
PUP: Jarrett Stidham The Patriots need to roster three quarterbacks in the pandemic. With Stidham likely to miss most or all of 2021, Hoyer’s spot is safe.
Running back (6): Damien Harris, James White, Sony Michel, Rhamondre Stevenson, J.J. Taylor, Jakob Johnson
(AP Photo/Stew Milne)
The Patriots are going to have a really tough decision to make. Are they willing to cut J.J. Taylor, who would be available to sign with the rest of the NFL? In a perfect world, they could stash him on the practice squad, but I’m not sure he’d last. There are a number of RB-needy teams. So for now, after a strong preseason performance, the Patriots roster an extra running back — and, in turn, go really light at the receiver position. (More on that later.) Harris, White and Stevenson are locks. There’s maybe a 15% chance the Patriots trade Michel, but he has looked explosive. I’d bet Bill Belichick wants to keep him around. And the fullback, Johnson, should be useful in what is likely to be a run-heavy offense.
Tight end (3): Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Devin Asiasi
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IR: Dalton Keene PUP: Matt LaCosse
LaCosse suffered an injury in training camp joint practices on Monday, so the Patriots might use that as an opportunity to stash him on PUP. Asiasi hasn’t shown much promise, but he should develop into a more dynamic weapon than LaCosse. Smith and Henry, meanwhile, are locks (of course).
Receiver (5): Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, N’Keal Harry, Gunner Olszewski
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
The receiver group is awfully light in 2021, in part because they’ve got weapons at other positions. Agholor, Meyers and Bourne are clear locks to make the team. Olszewski hasn’t developed as a receiver, but he’ll make the team as a punt returner. And there’s N’Keal Harry, a mystery. He did not put together a good performance in the preseason opener, with 61% of offensive snaps but just one 7-yard catch. If that keeps up, the Patriots would probably just trade him. He simply cannot contribute on special teams enough to justify being WR4. But he had another solid practice on Monday. Perhaps he’ll finally turn a corner and make consistent contributions in one of these preseason games. In this case, the Patriots would part ways with Kristian Wilkerson and Isaiah Zuber in hopes they’ll land on the practice squad.
Offensive line (9): Isaiah Wynn, Michael Onwenu, David Andrews, Shaq Mason, Trent Brown, Justin Herron, Marcus Martin, Alex Redmond, Yodny Cajuste
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
PUP: Ted Karras If Karras ends up on PUP — and it’s not totally clear that he will — then I think Redmond makes the team. Martin seems like he’s solidifying his spot. Herron seems to have done the same, especially after a strong rookie season. And then there’s Cajuste, an oft-injured third-round pick who is getting some work at right tackle. He’ll fight against William Sherman, a college tackle who is spending plenty of time at guard, and Korey Cunningham, who is a veteran backup tackle.
Safety (4): Devin McCourty, Adrian Philips, Kyle Dugger, Myles Bryant, Cody Davis
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Davis is a tough one, because the more he plays defense in practice, the more I think he’s not going to play defense in NFL games. He reminds me of Justin Bethel, a gifted special teams player who just doesn’t have it on defense. Belichick usually allows a handful of roster spots for those kinds of players. So let’s say he edges Brandon King, another special teams-only player. Bryant is a solid nickel corner and safety, with enough versatility and execution to make the team. McCourty, Phillips and Dugger are making the team. No question.
Cornerback (5): Stephon Gilmore, J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones, Jalen Mills, Joejuan Williams
Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
It’s tough — and maybe even unfair — to project Gilmore’s return when there has been no sign of him at practice, except occasionally to watch from the sideline in workout clothes. He’s clearly working back into football-ready shape. But there’s no saying how ready he is. If he did return, he’d help out a cornerback group, which has been lacking in depth in his absence. Williams is a bubble player that has been off and on my projections. For now, he’s safe as a core special teams player and a former second-round pick who might get a little extra leeway.
Outside linebacker (5): Kyle Van Noy, Matt Judon, Josh Uche, Chase Winovich, Ronnie Perkins
(Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
They’ve got a fascinating mix of established veterans (Van Noy, Judon), emerging talent (Uche, Winovich) and a developmental rookie (Perkins). There’s plenty to like about this group, which has some versatility to help out a light inside linebacker group.
Inside linebacker (2): Dont’a Hightower, Ja’Whaun Bentley
(AP Photo/Stew Milne)
IR: Raekwon McMillan PUP: Cameron McGrone, Anfernee Jennings Perhaps the Patriots will keep Jennings on PUP, in part because he hasn’t been so good that they need to rush him back. They can see how they fare with their versatile group, and in the event of injury, they could work Jennings off PUP. But Hightower and Bentley are clearly making the team.
Defensive line (6): Davon Godchaux, Lawrence Guy, Deatrich Wise, Christian Barmore, Henry Anderson, Akeem Spence
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports This is a tightly constructed group. Only Anderson and Spence have some uncertainty about their roster spot. But they have gotten an awful lot of fun with the No. 1 defense. It’s hard to imagine anyone else bumping them off roster. The only way a bubble player gets on is if the Patriots trim at another position.
Specialists (5): Quinn Nordin, Jake Bailey, Joe Cardona, Justin Bethel, Matthew Slater
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Nordin missed an extra point in the first preseason game. Chalk it up to a rookie mistake. He was 3 of 3 on field goals and 1 of 2 on PATs. That miss needs to be his only PAT error if he wants to make this team and beat out Nick Folk.
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