IllegalContact

yes we do.....

although I disagree with the previous post.....ballard has already shown to be an effective TE, but just like Bequette, he is at a position that has talent and/or depth......bequette is going to have to work his way past others for even a decent opportunity.....

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patriot1136

Most intriguing has to be Demps. Though he will only really be a punt returner/kick returner, he could turn out to be an X factor

ay-yo

Ill go with Ballard. He' the only one who has done something in the pro's. if he can return to form (a big if as his injury was severe) the 3 TE sets present some intriguing possibilities. Imagine the D packing the box only to motion Vereen and Hernandez out wide and forcing a thumper LB into coverage.

demps was a decent / good college player but nothing special and certainly has some durability concerns at his weight. Bequette looks like a guy who made the most of what he has but just doesn't have the required size / strength for the NFL

BradyFTW!

Demps by a mile, IMO. The other guys, in an ideal scenario, are backups at best who are only useful as injury replacements or to spell better players at the back end of a rotation. If Demps can become a dynamic kick returner, then he'll have instant value in a very big way. If he manages to take over punt returns too (far less likely - people sometimes underestimate how different the two roles are, I think), then all the better.

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DocHoliday

Yeah, regarding punts I think it's hard to improve on Edelman in that regard.

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BradyFTW!

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JackBauer

Demps, if only for the reason that our return game has been the nut low for what seems like forever now, and I'm intrigued at the possibility that might finally change.

everlong

For the upside Demps.

If Hernandez takes the next step to being a big WR and goes to the slot taking up Welker's reps should he not be retained I think we'll still see quite a bit of 2-TE sets with Gronk and Ballard. I can see Hernandez looking a bit more like Bolden in that role.

Considering Francis beat out Bequette it may be a make it or break it camp for him as the third round curse continues. I'm not sure I saw anything that makes me think wow with another off season in the system he'll make a jump.

I would add Armstead to the list. I'm really interested to see if he can come in and have Cameron Wake (different position but still) type of impact.

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BradyFTW!

Edelman is definitely a good punt returner, but there are a couple of factors at work there:

1) The Pats may not re-sign him
2) Even if they do, he's injured very frequently, and I hate having Welker back there fielding punts when he is. Welker's 32- time to start thinking about limiting his hits, and PRs are a good place to start, since it's the one play where he's standing still and the other guys have a 30+ yard running start as they bear down on him. Not to mention that Welker might not be back either.
3) In an ideal world, it's great to have a punt returner with real breakaway speed who can make game-changing touchdown returns (see: Trindon Holliday, Jacoby Jones, Desean Jackson, etc.)

My guess is that Demps will be given a shot at returning punts in the preseason, much like Bolden was last year. From there, we'll see what happens. He can't be any worse than Bolden was at it, at least.

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chris_in_sunnyvale

Didn't Bequette see the field in a few of the blowouts (1st Bills game, Rams game, Colts game)? If memory serves me well and it was him, he looked awful. Couldn't disengage from the lineman, was easily held at bay.

For so few snaps, the guy who showed flashes was Trevor Scott. He developed a reputation as a one-trick pony of speed off the edge and nothing else, but in that game 1 vs. Tennessee he lined up over the right guard and destroyed him while putting on heavy pressure.

With an offseason of continued development, I'd pin my DL depth on a guy like Scott over Bequette making the roster.

Regards,
Chris