Patriots 53-man roster projection: 2.0
FOXBOROUGH- The New England Patriots finished up their fifth practice on Monday night and will enjoy their first off-day of training camp today. Do you know what that means? Perfect time for another roster projection. Let's get right into it.
Quarterback
- Tom Brady
- Brian Hoyer
- Jarrett Stidham
Cut: Danny Etling
Five days in and it still looks like Stidham is going to need some time to process what is going on in front of him. A lot of new defensive looks are being thrown at him all the while he is still trying to nail down the playbook. Looks like it might make sense for the Patriots to keep Hoyer around as Stidham develops. Meanwhile, fan-favorite Etling hasn't done much to prove he should be on an NFL roster at QB or WR.
Runningback
- Sony Michel
- James White
- Rex Burkhead
- Damien Harris
- Brandon Bolden
Cut: Nick Brossette
Michel returned to practice which was a welcome sign for the former Georgia Bulldog who has battled knee injuries in the past. White and Burkhead have looked like their former selves and Harris has looked solid in the early-goings. Bolden expects to see most of his action on special teams.
Fullback
- James Develin
Cut: Jakob Johnson
Johnson is very likely to stick around on the practice squad as he doesn't count against the team's roster due to the NFL's International Pathway Program.
Wide Receiver
- Julian Edelman
- N'keal Harry
- Phillip Dorsett
- Maurice Harris
- Braxton Berrios
PUP: Demaryius Thomas Suspended: Josh Gordon
Cut: Dontrelle Inman, Jakobi Meyers, Damoun Patterson, Ryan Davis, Gunner Olszewski
Harris has looked like the best receiver in camp thus far leading the team in catches and targets. Harry has also looked fairly good but still needs time to get comfortable with the playbook. There were a couple of instances in the first days of practice where the team had to do laps because Harry lined up in the wrong position. Look for him to clean that up over time.
Berrios may have had his best day on Sunday as he caught a deep touchdown from Brady in an 11 on 11 period. Meyers, as of today, is a primary practice squad candidate.
Tight End
- Matt LaCosse
- Stephen Anderson
Suspended: Ben Watson
Cut: Ryan Izzo, Andrew Beck, Lance Kendricks
Anderson might be the best pure receiving tight end out of the whole bunch, but LaCosse looks like he will be the starter in Week 1. Kendricks, Beck, and Izzo have done little to separate themselves.
Offensive Line
- LT Isaiah Wynn
- LG Joe Thuney
- C David Andrews
- RG Shaq Mason
- RT Marcus Cannon
- LT/RT Dan Skipper
- C/G Ted Karras
- C/G Hjalte Froholdt
NFI: Yodny Cajuste
Cut: Cedric Lang, Tyree St. Louis, James Ferentz, Cole Croston, Tyler Gauthier
Skipper has been getting reps with the ones at left tackle in team periods as Wynn slowly returns to full health. Cajuste will likely open the season on the NFI which means he will not count against the team's roster count.
Defensive End
- Michael Bennett
- Deatrich Wise
- John Simon
- Chase Winovich
- Derek Rivers
Cut: Keionta Davis, Trent Harris, Shilique Calhoun, Ufomba Kamalu
Rivers, who entered camp on the roster bubble, has performed well early in camp. So well that he has been working in with the starting defensive unit in team periods. Bennett wreaked havoc against the team's second offensive unit in his first practice with New England on Sunday. Look for more of that going forward.
Defensive Tackle
- Lawrence Guy
- Mike Pennel
- Adam Butler
- Danny Shelton
Cut: David Parry, Byron Cowart, Nick Thurman
The first three are virtual locks to make the final roster. Things could get interesting is between Shelton and Parry for one of the final spots at defensive tackle. Right now, Shelton has the slight edge but if Parry continues to see more and more reps, watch out.
Cowart has missed all of training camp due to injury making his road to make the roster a whole lot more difficult.
Linebacker
- Dont'a Hightower
- Kyle Van Noy
- Ja'Whaun Bentley
- Jamie Collins
- Brandon King (ST)
Cut: Elandon Roberts, Terez Hall, Calvin Munson, Christian Sam
Roberts is the last man out as the return of Bentley and Collins leave him as the odd man out in a deep linebacker group. Unless the Patriots are willing to cut ties with special teams ace King, Roberts spot is in jeopardy.
Cornerback
- Stephon Gilmore
- Jason McCourty
- JC Jackson
- Joejuan Williams
- Jonathan Jones
- Keion Crossen
Cut: Duke Dawson, D'Angelo Ross
IR: Ken Webster
Former 2018 second-round pick Dawson is in danger of losing his roster spot as he finds himself competing against the deepest group on the roster. Dawson has struggled in coverage throughout training camp and currently find himself behind six other corners on the roster. If Dawson doesn't show improvement soon then it looks like New England will be forced to cut ties with the former Florida Gator.
Safety
- Devin McCourty
- Patrick Chung
- Duron Harmon
- Obi Melifonwu
- Terrence Brooks (ST)
PUP: Nate Ebner
Cut: Malik Grant, AJ Howard
One of the bigger winners of training camp is Melifonwu. In just five practices, Melifonwu has three interceptions and seems to be all over the field. He also appeared on the teams starting kickoff unit on Sunday which bodes well for a guy that will most likely contribute on Special Teams in the early stages of the season.
Specialist
- K Stephen Gostkowski
- P Jake Bailey
- LS Joe Cardona
- Special Teams Ace Matthew Slater
Cut: Ryan Allen
Allen was one of the stars in Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams as he constantly flipped field position in the Patriots favor. After a great performance, Allen's place on the roster seemed all but guaranteed for the foreseeable future. That was until the team traded up in the 2019 NFL Draft to select Bailey out of Stanford. In training camp, Bailey has shown he has a longer hangtime and can kick the ball a bit further than Allen.
