Here’s my final 53-man and I feel pretty good about it. Commentary below to keep it tight and easy to read.
QB (2) T.Brady, J.Garoppolo
RB (5) B.Bolden, J.White, D.Lewis, T.Cadet, J.Gray
WR (6) J.Edelman, B.LaFell, D.Amendola, R.Wayne, A.Dobson, M.Slater
TE (3) R.Gronkowski, S.Chandler, M.Hoomanawanui
C (2) R.Wendell, B.Stork
G (3) T.Jackson, J.Kline, S.Mason
T (4) N.Solder, S.Vollmer, M.Cannon, C.Fleming
DE (6) C.Jones, R.Ninkovich, J.Sheard, T.Flowers, G.Grissom, R.Johnson
DT (4) S.Siliga, D.Easley, M.Brown, A.Branch
ILB(2) J. Mayo, J.Freeny
OLB(2) J.Collins, D. Hightower
CB (5) M.Butler, T.Brown, B.Fletcher, L.Ryan, R.McClain
SS (3) P.Chung, J.Richards, T.Wilson
FS (3) D.McCourty, D.Harmon, N.Ebner
ST (3) S.Gostkowski, R.Allen, J.Cardona
SUSP WEEK 1: L. Blount
The big news here is Rufus Johnson sneaking on at the expense of James Morris. Nothing against Morris but he’s easy to get onto the practice squad or to just keep on the “shadow roster” for a week or two. Rufus has played well every week and while he’s had some struggles against the run you can’t discard quality edge players.
Tavon Wilson also sticks because of special teams ability. I think he’s done enough to warrant a spot. Depth at linebacker and defensive tackle isn’t great, but with versatile DEs they factor into both those positions as well.
Still, there will very likely be at least one significant surprise this weekend. Last night we were speculating that Chandler Jones could theoretically be trade bait. As @PatsCap pointed out yesterday the Pats need to free up some cap space due to all the guys that landed on IR already. With a ton of depth at defensive end I don’t think moving Chandler for a second-round pick would be that big of a blow. A rotation of Ninkovich/Sheard/Flowers with a sprinkling of Grissom/Rufus would be just fine. And with no first rounder next year it would make sense to load up on second rounders whenever possible. Just a theory, but it’s Labor Day weekend, the time when shocking moves happen.