53-man roster

The summer offseason has flown by again and we’re now on the road to Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles! With the NFL roster cutdown deadline on Tuesday 29 August at 16:00 ET, here’s my Patriots 53-man roster projection.

Quarterbacks (2)
IN: Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe
OUT: Malik Cunningham

Notes: I feel there are a few players that the Pats will be trying to squeeze onto the roster, Cunningham is one of them, but for me, I think they’ll end up trying to get him on the practice squad.

Running Backs (4)
IN: Rhamondre Stevenson, Ezekiel Elliott, Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor
OUT: C.J. Marable, Ty Montgomery II

Notes: Originally, I had Pierre Strong Jr. making the roster, but this afternoon he was traded to Cleveland, so Kevin Harris & J.J. Taylor have squeezed on to round off the RB room. If you’ve been keeping up with training camp, there are no real surprises here other than Montgomery, but given his injury issues, I can’t see him making the initial 53.

Wide Receivers (6)
IN: DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte
OUT: Thyrick Pitts, Raleigh Webb

Notes: Both rookies Douglas and Boutte have impressed this summer, earning them a spot on the team to begin the season. I think Bourne is trending to be WR1/2, he’s looked like their best receiving option this summer.

Tight End (3)
IN: Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, Anthony Firkser
OUT: Matt Sokol, Johnny Lumpkin, Scotty Washington

Notes: I went back and forth on what the team might do in this position. In the end, much to the delight of my colleague Clare Cooper, I’ve gone with these three for now, something of note is Gesicki’s shoulder injury that could impact him early on in the season. Look for Sokol to end up on the practice squad.

Offensive Line (9)
IN: Cole Strange, David Andrews, Trent Brown, Mike Onwenu, Riley Reiff, Sidy Sow, Tyrone Wheatley Jr., Jake Andrews, Antonio Mafi
OUT: Andrew Stueber, James Ferentz, Bill Murray, Chasen Hines
NFI/IR: Kody Russey, Calvin Anderson

Notes: I don’t feel great about the offensive line, especially at the tackle position which has been the main area of concern all summer. Earlier today, the team acquired OT Tyrone Wheatley in a trade with Cleveland. He’s raw but looks to have some upside.

I’d expect all the cut names to make it back onto the practice squad if they clear waivers.

Defensive Line (7)
IN: Deatrich Wise, Davon Godchaux, Christian Barmore, Keion White, Lawrence Guy, Daniel Ekuale, Sam Roberts
OUT: Carl Davis, Jeremiah Pharms, Justus Tavai
PUP/IR: Trey Flowers

Notes: Carl Davis was reported to have been cut earlier, although I had already planned on sticking him down as a semi-surprise release. Perhaps a question about Lawrence Guy potentially being a surprise cut, but I think he’ll stick around for one more year.

Edge Rushers (4)
IN: Matthew Judon, Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Ronnie Perkins
OUT: NONE

Notes: At one point I did think perhaps the Ronnie Perkins project was finished, however, some strong training camp and preseason performances have kept his story alive. That aside, the list is straightforward.

Linebackers (4)
IN: Marte Mapu, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai, Chris Board
OUT: Mack Wilson, Calvin Munson, Diego Fagot, Joe Giles-Harris

Notes: Mack Wilson is perhaps the only surprise cut from this list as he’s had a fairly underwhelming summer. He could well stick around, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they move on and use the extra spot elsewhere. Chris Board is a lock as a duel-positional player along with his specialist abilities.

Cornerbacks (5)
IN: Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones, Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant
OUT: Quandre Mosely, Rodney Randle, Shaun Wade, Ameer Speed
IR: Isaiah Bolden

Notes: The legal situation surrounding Jack Jones is still one to watch as we wait to see how that will be resolved, but I’m pretty happy that the 5 I’ve picked are locks. Ameer Speed will hopefully stick around as he’s had a good summer, Isaiah Bolden could end up on IR after his scary injury against Green Bay last week.

Safeties (4)
IN: Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills
OUT: Brad Hawkins, Joshuah Bledsoe

Notes: I feel this one is fairly straightforward. Bledsoe is a player I would like to see get on to the practice squad.

Special Teams (5)
IN: Chad Ryland, Bryce Baringer, Joe Cardona, Matthew Slater, Brenden Schooler
OUT: Nick Folk, Corliss Waitman

Notes: The kicking competition in both disciplines has been an interesting story to follow this camp, there hasn’t been much between either in both punting and kicking.

Regarding the kicking comp, I’ve gone with the rookie Ryland over Nick Folk, although if I’m right, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some roster gymnastics to keep Folk around in some fashion.