With Patriots camp set to kick off in just 11 days, this feels like an appropriate time to see where things stand on this 53-man roster. At first glance, I don't believe there's much doubt about where things will go defensively, but the other side of the ball is another story.
One thing we did before this was look at the initial 53 for Alex Van Pelt's Browns offense from last year. Much to my surprise, they entered the season with only two quarterbacks and three running backs. Needless to say, I do not believe that will be the case with the 2024 Patriots.
Elsewhere, believe it or not, the special teams unit might sneakily be this team's biggest storyline going into camp, especially the preseason. 8 of the 13 players who accounted for at least 30 percent of the Patriots special teams snaps a year ago are now gone, and there's no guarantee that second-year kicker Chad Ryland is a roster lock with Joey Slye in town.
New England Patriots Offense
Quarterbacks (3) - Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, Joe Milton
Outside Looking In - Bailey Zappe
No real surprises here in my book, but I would be genuinely stunned if Brissett isn't your Week 1 starter. The plan should be to keep Drake Maye on the sidelines for as long as you can this year (I'd say through the Week 14 bye at the very least), but I feel confident enough to say that Brissett gives the Patriots the ability to be competitive in 2024, primarily based on his 10-plus start season in 2022 with none other than Alex Van Pelt holding the play sheet.
Also, given that this is somewhat timely, I know thousands upon thousands of New York Giants fans were sick to their stomachs watching that Maye interview with Daboll and then Joe Schoenn doing everything possible to jump from 6-to-3 in the draft.
As for why Zappe is on the outside looking in, I believe this staff will give Joe Milton every opportunity to make this roster. He's a project for sure, but guys with his arm talent/velocity don't grow on trees, and as far as project guys go, he has an incredible base to play around with. Back to Zappe, though, I think he ends up getting traded at some point before September, almost certainly to a team that might need an extra body. Keep an eye out for the Tennessee Titans as an option. There's a whole new staff down there, and there's no guarantee that Malik Willis will make it onto their 53-man unit anyway.
Running Backs (4) - Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, Kevin Harris, JaMychal Hasty
Outside Looking In - Deshaun Fenwick, Terrell Jennings
As of mid-July, Stevenson and Gibson feel like 100% locks for this roster, and the latter is someone the Patriots have needed on their roster ever since James White got hurt early in 2021. The fact that he has a 1000-yard rushing season under his belt from 2021 is good to know, but his ability to be an elite receiving option out of the backfield will be massive, with three straight seasons of 40-plus grabs coming into this year. The other lock of this group would be JaMychal Hasty, who could conceivably give this team some value on special teams.
One thing that Evan Lazar mentioned some time ago over on Patriots.com is the idea that they may bring in an established veteran back to be a true RB3 option based on historical trends with AVP, and taking wear and tear into account. The clear choice based on familiarity would be Kareem Hunt, who was in the building with Van Pelt for all five of his years in Cleveland. That said, the apparent hurdle would be if the Krafts would want to greenlight this, given Hunt's 2018 assault incident and the fact he lied to the Chiefs about said incident. My guess would be no, and for now, Kevin Harris is the logical choice to be the fourth man here.
Wide Receivers (6) - Kendrick Bourne, Pop Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor
Outside Looking In - Juju Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, David Wallis, JaQue Jackson, Kawaan Baker
It's hard to say how this group will end up by year's end, but I'm hopeful that it will be better than most may expect, even if not by a significant amount. Coming off the ACL tear, I wouldn't be shocked if Bourne starts the year off in a reduced role and works his way back up, which would put the young guys at the focal point: Javon Baker as your Week 1 X, Ja'Lynn Polk at the Z, and then Pop Douglas in the slot. Having guys like Bourne and K.J. Osborne in the building is excellent from an experience standpoint, but what does this team have to lose in giving the two rookies a shot to sink or swim on their own?
As for the bevy of cuts here, I see no path for Juju Smith-Schuster or Tyquan Thornton to make this team as constructed. Neither guy gives you any value beyond receiving, and they undoubtedly have more reliable guys with more juice, in the case of the former. Say what you want about Jalen Reagor, but he gave this team maximum effort as a blocker and a special teamer a year ago.
Tight Ends (3) - Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jaheim Bell
Outside Looking In - Jacob Warren, La'Michael Pettway, Mitchell Willcox
Don't expect anything different here, barring an injury. That said, I'm excited to see the Florida State product Jaheim Bell carve out a role on this team. He was a Swiss Army Knife for Florida State this last season, serving as a legit threat off of screens and down the seem as a past catcher (with heavy RAC upside), and he even has some real deal upside as a short-yardage runner. So, in short, think of Jonnu Smith, but if Josh McDaniels decided to utilize him properly. Additionally, Bell's the third notable member of the Patriots to come out of Valdosta, Georgia, joining current Colts slot defender Kenny Moore II (2017 camp) and, more notably, Malcolm Mitchell.
Offensive Tackles (4) - Sidy Sow, Caedan Wallace, Chukwuma Okorafor, Calvin Anderson
Outside Looking In - Tyrone Wheatley, Zuri Henry, Vederian Lowe
The four names making the cut here aren't in question; it's just a matter of who's getting the starting gigs, and that conversation still includes Mike Onwenu. I'd mentioned this in our hot take series, but I think it's a worthy gamble to kick Caedan Wallace from right tackle, where he played all of his time at Penn State opposite Olu Fashanu, and then go either Sow or Onwenu at right tackle. Until we get eyes on Chukwuma Okorafor taking live reps at left tackle, it's more than fair to be skeptical about his prospects there.
Interior Offensive Lineman (5) - David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Nick Leverett, Jake Andrews, Layden Robinson
Outside Looking In - Atonio Mafi, Charles Turner, Liam Fornadel, Michael Jordan
IR/PUP - Cole Strange
A sneaky good IOL group here for my money, regardless of how you view Sidy Sow positionally. The key name here is Nick Leverett, the once understudy of Ryan Jensen down in Tampa for a few years, who could conceivably end up starting at either guard spot for this team in Week 1. No starts a year ago, but he started 10 games in 2022 for the Bucs with some solid outings to his name. Not a bad guy to have in house when there's a non-zero chance we don't see Cole Strange take a meaningful snap for the Patriots this year.
New England Patriots Special Teams
Specialist (3) - Joey Slye, Bryce Barringer, Joe Cardona
Outside Looking In - Chad Ryland
Chad Ryland appeared to have a tough stretch in off-season activities, and barring a rapid turnaround, Joey Slye will lose this kicking job. Here are some quick numbers from last year: Slye, on attempts from 30-49 yards out, was 14-16, while Ryland, under those same parameters, was a dismal 10-17. That's not going to cut it two years in a row.
Core Special Teamers (1) - Brendan Schooler
Outside Looking In - N/A
There are undoubtedly some guys on this roster who'll soon be defined as special team players, but man, it feels weird not automatically penciling in Matt Slater anymore.
New England Patriots Defense
Interior Defensive Line (6) – Christian Barmore, Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise, Daniel Ekuale, Armon Watts, Jeremiah Pharms
Outside Looking In - Sam Roberts, Trysten Hill, William Bradley-King
Now we move over to the big guns, and even without Lawrence Guy, this is still a top-notch group of interior linemen, once again headlined by Christian Barmore, Davon Godchaux, and the tweener Deatrich Wise. That said, keep your eyes and ears open for ex-Pittsburgh Steeler Armon Watts. He can move around the interior front and has the opportunity to turn into a major rotational/sub-pass-rush threat like he was in Pittsburgh a year ago. In any case, there is lots to like here, as is the case for this entire side of the ball.
EDGE (4) – Matt Judon, Joshua Uche, Keion White, Anfernee Jennings
Outside Looking In - John Morgan, Jotham Russell, Oshane Ximines
While I can't sit here and tell you what will happen with Matt Judon and his contract situation, I can say there's reason to be cautiously optimistic about this four-man group. A lot of that is some projecting with Keion White, who showed flashes through 2023, but none as big as that Week 1 outing where he had Lane Johnson in the Camel Clutch for all of the 23 snaps he played. It's fair to say I'm expecting more than one sack this year out of the Georgia Tech/Old Dominion product, and it sounds like he had a dynamite offseason, which is hopefully a good sign. I'm also thrilled for this team to have both Uche, now going by his full first name, Joshua, and Anfernee Jennings back, the latter of whom was legitimately one of their 10 best guys last year, primarily as an edge-setting run defender.
Linebackers (4) – JaWhaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai, Sione Takitaki, Steele Chambers
Outside Looking In - Raekwon McMillan, Christian Eliss, Jontrey Hunter
PFF recently ranked this leading group of three as one of the best linebacking units in the NFL, and for good reason. There is not much to say about Bentley and Tavai, but Sione Takitaki was a sneaky, great pickup to replace Mack Wilson. He was superb in coverage per Next Gen Stats last year, as in best among the position superb, and he's another guy who can become a special teams contributor. Missed tackles were a bit of an issue last year, but he's not here to be a downhill thumper.
As for the final spot, as good a story it would be for Raekwon McMillan to make this roster after his second significant preseason injury in three years, the bottom line is he's missed 35 games due to injury since 2021. Should he stay healthy through camp, my gut says he will make this roster, but if not, I like the idea of bringing in Steele Chambers, a bit of a smaller linebacker who has some special teams upside, into the fold.
Cornerbacks (6) – Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, Marcellus Dial, Isaiah Bolden
Outside Looking In - Shaun Wade, Marco Wilson, Kaleb Ford-Dement, Mike Viktor, Azizi Hearn
Now we've arrived at the most fun position group on this team: tons of talent and athleticism everywhere you look, and as a result, nothing that should be too shocking in terms of who's in or not. Outside of the obvious with the Joneses and Gonzo, I'm excited to see if Alex Austin can build on a pleasantly good stint with the team last year and what kind of role Isaiah Bolden can earn himself. Even going back to his Jackson State days, they played him in several spots defensively, and with some of the question marks in centerfield, I think he's a lock with his versatility and size.
Safeties (4) – Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Marte Mapu, Jaylinn Hawkins
Outside Looking In - Josh Bledsoe, Dell Pettus
I'd be hard-pressed to find a team with a pair of safeties than Dugger and Peppers right now, but the only issue is that both guys are best served up in the box/LOS; the same can be said about Marte Mapu. That's where veteran Jaylinn Hawkins ultimately comes in, whom the Falcons cut early into 2023 after starting 16 games for them the year prior. He's not the worst option they could've gotten when talking about center-fielders, but it's obviously not a headline grabber.
On a side note, Justin Simmons, who was named Second-Team All-Pro for the fourth time in his career all of six months ago, is just hanging around out there waiting on a phone call.
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