Post-Draft roster (6 UDFA spots available); Offseason Calendar

[mgteich]

My question is which of my 53 are most vulnerable. I would like to see us sign a running back and two inside linebackers. I have kept three draftees, including our new favorite darkhorse, Lua.

Current Post-Draft Roster:

4/30/06 version: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?t=35273

There is an 80-man roster limit in place until the first cut-down August 28 to 75 players, where, with the new CBA, all NFLE exemptions expire. The 53-man cut-down is the Saturday after that.

QB - Tom Brady
QB - Matt Cassel

QBs = 2

RB - Laurence Maroney
RB - Kevin Faulk
RB - Sammy Morris

RBs = 3

FB - Heath Evans

FBs = 1

WR - Randy Moss
WR - Donte' Stallworth
WR - Wes Welker
WR - Reche Caldwell
WR - Kelley Washington

WRs = 5

TE - Ben Watson
TE - David Thomas
TE - Kyle Brady
TE - Garrett Mills

TEs = 4

OT - Matt Light
OT - Nick Kaczur
OT - Ryan O'Callaghan
OT - Wesley Britt

OTs = 4

OG - Logan Mankins
OG - Stephen Neal
OG - Billy Yates

OGs = 3

C - Dan Koppen
C - Russ Hochstein

Cs = 2

DE - Richard Seymour
DE - Ty Warren
DE - Jarvis Green
DE - Kareem Brown (unsigned)

DEs = 4

NT - Vince Wilfork
NT - Mike Wright
NT - Le Kevin Smith

NTs = 3

OLB - Adalius Thomas
OLB - Rosevelt Colvin
OLB - Pierre Woods

OLBs = 3

ILB - Mike Vrabel
ILB - Tedy Bruschi
ILB - Larry Izzo
ILB - Eric Alexander
ILB - Corey Mays
ILB - Oscar Lua (unsigned)

ILBs = 6

CB - Asante Samuel (franchise, unsigned)
CB - Ellis Hobbs
CB - Chad Scott
CB - Tory James
CB - Randall Gay (tendered, unsigned)

CBs = 5

S - Rodney Harrison
S - Eugene Wilson
S - Brandon Meriweather (unsigned)
S - James Sanders
S - Artrell Hawkins

Ss = 5

K - Stephen Gostkowski
P - Josh Miller
LS - Lonie Paxton

STs = 3

PUP = 2 Jackson and Jackson


UDFA signings:

TE - Jake Nordin, Northern Illinois
ILB - Justin Warren, Texas A&M
QB - Matt Gutierrez, Idaho State
DB - Larry Anam, Boston College
DE - Zach West, UTEP
WR - Daniel Robinson, UTEP

Offseason Calendar:

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2007/04/key_dates_3.html

- May 12-13 -- Rookie Patriots minicamp (closed to the public)

- May 22-23 -- NFL spring meeting in Nashville

- June 4 -- Patriots Chairtable Foundation Golf Tournament

- June 5-7 -- Patriots full-team minicamp (closed to the public)

- June 22 -- Patriots offseason program ends

- June 23 -- NFL Europa World Bowl XV

- Late July -- Patriots training camp opens at Gillette Stadium (open to the public)

- Aug. 28 -- Roster cutdown to maximum of 75 players. All NFL Europa exemptions expire

- Sept. 1 -- Roster cutdown to maximum of 53 players

- Sept. 2 -- Clubs may establish a practice squad of up to eight players

 

[Don Kipines]

My question is which of my 53 are most vulnerable. I would like to see us sign a running back and two inside linebackers. I have kept three draftees, including our new favorite darkhorse, Lua.

What's striking about this roster is how packed it is. There are a few stars of course, but the amazing thing is the number of proven above-average players. I count about 30 guys on the roster who would be locks to be rotation players for any team in the league. Then you have a group of lower-tier players who would almost all be passable starters on most teams, guys like Chad Scott, Hawkins, Tory James, Randall Gay, Reche Caldwell, Mike Wright and Russ Hochstein. Finally we have our true backups/reserves, guys like Heath Evans and Patrick Pass and Sammy Morris, guys who aren't going to start for anyone, but are established as valuable and dependable NFL backups. That leaves just a handful of spots on this team that are true question marks -- Le Kevin Smith at third nose tackle, the Marquise Hill/Kareem Brown DE spot, the Corey Mays/Oscar Lua/Eric Alexander ILB spot, Pierre Woods/Justin Rogers at fifth OLB.

Obviously the roster isn't perfect, but it does seem loaded with both proven and developing young talent pretty much everywhere but inside linebacker. The other possible criticism is that the overall talent level of the offensive line isn't great. But other than that...

It's a good time to be a Pats fan, it seems.