10 Takeaways From Patriots' Initial 53-Man Roster
Everything is now all set for the New England Patriots. The starting quarterback has been named, the captains have been named, the first game remains a week away. Most importantly, the final 53-man roster has been set and many, many rookies were cut.
Here are the ten biggest takeaways from the latest roster trimdown as we now have an initial picture of who is on the team and who isn't.
1. What's the Plan at Kicker?
Last season, the kicking position was a hot topic. After an injured Stephen Gostkowski struggled to kick it through the uprights, the Patriots found themselves trying out kickers left and right. They ended up with Nick Folk, who was serviceable, however, he couldn't really be trusted from long distance, which caused New England to go for it on fourth down much more than normal.
When drafting Justin Rohrwasser this offseason, many thought those kicking issues would be a thing of the past. But Rohrwasser struggled in training camp to the point where Folk was brought back in, seemingly winning the kicking battle.
When Rohrwasser was over the weekend, everyone declared Folk the winner of the kicking spot, until he was cut too. Now, just like when Gostkowski went on IR last season, the Patriots are without a kicker. At least on the surface.
New England, after cutting both Folk and Rohrwasser, has signed both of them to their practice squad. There is speculation they are waiting to place someone on injured reserve before they activate one of those kickers onto the 53-man roster. However, it may also be a sign that the Patriots want to extend the kicking competition another week. So with their season opener against Miami now less than a week away, New England still doesn't know who their primary kicker is.
2. Derek Rivers Finally Earns His Spot
It's official, after a long fought battle since 2017 to find his way onto the field, Rivers will now seemingly find NFL regular season action and could finally pay off after being the Patriots' top pick in the 2017 draft (83rd overall).
As stated before in the last roster projection, in which he was slated to make the team, New England needs all the help they can get on the front seven, making this the perfect timing for Rivers' breakout year. Let's hope that Rivers can stay healthy and stay the course. If so, he can easily change the narrative of how his career has gone thus far.
3. Mohamed Sanu Misses the Cut
Obviously a big storyline is the fact that the presumed number two target for Cam Newton will not be on the team this year. After reportedly failing to yet again create separation in training camp, Belichick decided it was best to just cut ties with Sanu and pretend this trade never really happened.
Now, the more exciting news coming out of this story is how younger players like N'Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers, and Gunner Olszewski will have plenty of chances to develop and learn from in-game experience this year and an added workload.
4. Patriots keep ten offensive lineman
Ten offensive lineman on any team is a lot. The Patriots cut guys like Sanu, Lamar Miller, and both kickers and instead kept ten offensive lineman on the team. It really makes one wonder whether fans will see heavy six lineman sets with Newton under center.
We know the offensive line was stricken with injuries last year. But 10 offensive lineman on the roster hints at how sure the Patriots want to be that even injuries won't impact that unit's performance in 2020.
5. Ryan Izzo Is the Only Veteran Tight End
The tight end position is going to be a very interesting one this season. Obviously, the two rookie tight ends, Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene (drafted in that order), will appear on the roster. Asiasi especially showed some promise in camp before reportedly getting a little nicked up.
While it will be exciting to watch both play, the expectations should never be particularly high for a rookie tight end. There is just too much of a learning curve, particularly with blocking, that they have to overcome to be effective in their first season. Therefore, veteran tight ends are very valuable. And at the moment, only one remains on their roster. That being Izzo, who struggled when not injured last season.
However, Izzo will likely have an opportunity to rewrite his narrative as he had impressive moments during camp. Izzo had to impress to make the team and he did just that. His impact will be closely monitored this season.
6. Running Backs Looks Similar to 2019
With exception to the Brandon Bolden opt-out, New England will be entering the season with the same running back core as last year. While health remains a question for Sony Michel and a real question for Damien Harris at the moment, the team will likely be able to lean on Rex Burkhead and James White the first couple weeks and ease the potential two starters into the mix.
With a true lack of receiving depth, establishing a strong run game behind this fantastic offensive line will be important. Hopefully Newton can help stimulate that as well.
7. Patriots Keep 3 QBs on the Roster
Especially with health concerns from Newton's past, keeping three quartebacks is never a bad idea. In both my roster projections, I said that Brian Hoyer would likely find himself cut and on the practice squad. However, as Hoyer looked way more experienced in the offense than both Newton and Jarrett Stidham, it is important that he sticks around just in case, which is why he remains on the 53-man roster along with Newton and Stidham.
Whether Hoyer is just insurance or an experienced veteran in the quarterback room, or if the Patriots aren't sold on Stidham after struggling in training camp, we don't know. What we do know is that New England rarely carries three quarterbacks on their roster, so doing such this year has us thinking about the future a bit.
8. Jeff Thomas Doesn't Make the Practice Squad
Many had high hopes for the UDFA signing out of Miami, however, things apparently didn't work out in New England. Thomas is a player who was probably hurt most by having no preseason, as he started off his training camp injured, later to show some flashes in camp of being a potential practice squad candidate receiver. However, Thomas just never showed enough to convince Patriots staffers that he could stick around. Instead, the one so many had high hopes for will hit the open market and be a free agent for anyone to scoop up.
9. Cody Davis Sticks Around, All Safeties Stay Put
One guy who was really hard to cut in my last roster projection was Davis. With Michael Jackson Sr. and Joejuan Williams being on my roster projection, Davis could be replaced both on defense and on special teams, making his job obsolete. However, Jackson was injured after a strong camp and was cut by the team, helping the case for Davis.
Expect Davis to fulfill the role and absence of Nate Ebner and play some deep-safety from time to time, although his playing time might be limited since all five safeties will remain with the team, with the potential of Joejuan Williams earning time at safety as well.
10. Adam Butler and Byron Cowart Only Sure Things at DT
The release of Xavier Williams may have been a glowing sign of Cowart's reported development. Not only did Cowart turn in a great camp, but so did Butler, as he continues to improve. Both players are going to be relied on to improve from last year, as they will likely be the only two defensive tackles for the team to lean on.
Beau Allen really struggled with health throughout the entirety of camp and much speculation exists as to whether he will be the one to go on the short-term IR to make space for a kicker. With this knowledge, fans must hope both Butler and Cowart can do it on their own. That's a tall task for both. Let's hope Allen has a speedy recovery.
