Roster Turnover 2014-2015

[Urgent]

Comparing opening week roster 2014 to 2015
Recognizing that change will occur between today and Thursday
Turnover of 20 players

QB
No change

RB
Add Travaris Cadet, Dion Lewis
Lose Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, Jonas Gray, James Develin

WR
Add Chris Harper
Lose Kenbrell Thompkins, Brandon LaFell to PUP

TE
Add Scott Chandler, Mike Williams
Lose Tim Wright

OT
No change

Interior OL
Add Tre Jackson, Shaq Mason, David Andrews
Lose Dan Connolly, Jordan Devey

DT
Add Malcom Brown, Alan Branch
Lose Vince Wilfork, Chris Jones to PUP

DE/Edge
Add Jaball Sheard, Trey Flowers, Geneo Grissom
Lose Akeem Ayers

Interior LB/ST
Add Jonathan Freeney, Eric Martin, Rufus Johnson
Lose Chris White, Darius Fleming

CB
Add Tarell Brown, Bradley Fletcher
Lose Darelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Kyle Arrington, Alfonzo Dennard

S
Add Jordan Richards
Lose Don Jones

ST
Add Joe Cardona
Lose Danny Aikens

 

[Urgent]

RB
More depth at third-down back, covering loss of Vereen, but losing Ridley, Gray, and Develin, with suspension of Blount, weakens power running game.

WR
Clearly some concern with losses at deep threat/outside receiver. Hopefully rookie Harper develops, and Dobson grabs the opportunity. Like, grabs it once, not double clutches it.

TE
Potentially the best depth since 2012.

OL
Solder and Vollmer should be peaking. More depth at guard, compared to the start of last year. More stability at center.

DL
Loss of Wilfork hurts, but good young depth with Brown and Easley.

DE
A serious infusion of depth with Sheard, Rufus Johnson, Trey Flowers, Geneo Grissom.

LB
A wash, as Freeney and Martin replace White.

CB
Major downgrade. Oakland and Philadelphia gave up on Brown & Fletcher. Revis and Browner offered a pretty impressive tandem.

S
Another year for Harmon, Wilson, and now rookie Richards. Jones was purely ST and didn't last long.

ST
Cardona didn't look great in pre-season, but was Belichick's hand-picked choice for the future at long snapper.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Nice work, @Urgent .

While they added a number of players during the year, it is astounding how an NFL roster is an evolutionary thing.

If my math is right, 38% of the players on the Week 1 game vs MIA in 2014 are not currently on the at-present 53 man roster.

Craaaazy.

 

[makoute]

Comparing opening week roster 2014 to 2015
Recognizing that change will occur between today and Thursday
Turnover of 20 players

QB
No change

RB
Add Travaris Cadet, Dion Lewis
Lose Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, Jonas Gray, James Develin

WR
Add Chris Harper
Lose Kenbrell Thompkins, Brandon LaFell to PUP

TE
Add Scott Chandler, Mike Williams
Lose Brandon LaFell

OT
No change

Interior OL
Add Tre Jackson, Shaq Mason, David Andrews
Lose Dan Connolly, Jordan Devey

DT
Add Malcom Brown, Alan Branch
Lose Vince Wilfork, Chris Jones to PUP

DE/Edge
Add Jaball Sheard, Trey Flowers, Geneo Grissom
Lose Akeem Ayers

Interior LB/ST
Add Jonathan Freeney, Eric Martin, Rufus Johnson
Lose Chris White, Darius Fleming

CB
Add Tarell Brown, Bradley Fletcher
Lose Darelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Kyle Arrington, Alfonzo Dennard

S
Add Jordan Richards
Lose Don Jones

ST
Add Joe Cardona
Lose Danny Aikens

seems like the Pats improved in almost all positions, but took a huge hit at he corner spot.

 

[jah]

Gray (PS), Ayers, and Don Jones were all added after week 1 last year. Don Jones might have actually been right around week 1, but maybe not.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

seems like the Pats improved in almost all positions, but took a huge hit at he corner spot.

There wasn't really much room for improvement (without stealing all pros), but definitely a difference and we'll have to see if Butler is as good as he looked (and not just that 1 outstanding play in the SB).

 

[Fencer]

Gray (PS), Ayers, and Don Jones were all added after week 1 last year. Don Jones might have actually been right around week 1, but maybe not.

Also, there's a typo with LaFell being at TE as well as WR.

 

[dburgwin]

seems like the Pats improved in almost all positions, but took a huge hit at he corner spot.

In no way has running back improved. Losing Vereen, Ridley and Develin and gaining Cadet and Lewis is a significant loss not a gain.

 

[Urgent]

Adding Sheard, Flowers, Grissom, and Rufus Johnson the year before Chandler Jones hits free agency seems like sort of a sign.

WR, RB, and CB are all thinner positions than normal. Any of those could be spots where we see additional moves coming before Thursday.

Also, there's a typo with LaFell being at TE as well as WR.

Thanks. Should read Tim Wright.

 

[strngplyr]

seems like the Pats improved in almost all positions, but took a huge hit at he corner spot.

I'd say improved or stayed the same at all but 2, corner as you noted, and I'd say RB corps is weaker until proven, though I believe this corps will be better than 2014's.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Comparing opening week roster 2014 to 2015
Recognizing that change will occur between today and Thursday
Turnover of 20 players

DT
Add Malcom Brown, Alan Branch
Lose Vince Wilfork, Chris Jones to PUP

I had to look it up also but wasn't Branch on the roster last year????

 

[pencilneckgeek]

Adding Sheard, Flowers, Grissom, and Rufus Johnson the year before Chandler Jones hits free agency seems like sort of a sign.

Interesting angle. I don't know that they have the flexibility to carry an extra body at DE for a full year when so many other positions are thin, but it could work in the short term. I've been looking at the extra DEs as a sign that they are going to rely on a steady rotation with lighter NASCAR-style packages to bring more pressure and help compensate for the loss of talent are CB.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Interesting angle. I don't know that they have the flexibility to carry an extra body at DE for a full year when so many other positions are thin, but it could work in the short term. I've been looking at the extra DEs as a sign that they are going to rely on a steady rotation with lighter NASCAR-style packages to bring more pressure and help compensate for the loss of talent are CB.

The trade deadline is November 3rd and LaFell is eligible to come off PUP (and need a roster spot) October 25..so if there is a team that desperately needs a DE (preferably in the NFC) and is willing to trade a pick and pay him, maybe they'd be willing to pay a high draft pick. He likely will garner a 3rd round compensatory pick if he leaves as a free agent based on an estimated contract next year, so it doesn't make sense to take anything less than a 1st or 2nd rounder if the team would be so fortunate.
Yes, I am aware the team loses the higher of the two first rounders next year if they acquire another pick ( *just another reason Kraft should have appealed- maybe he could have gotten that clause removed at a minimum) but it would be the ultimate FU to Goodell to go into the draft and STILL have a first round pick.....
Food for thought...

 

[Urgent]

I had to look it up also but wasn't Branch on the roster last year????

Trying to compare the opening day 2014 roster to opening day 2015. Although Kenbrell Thompkins was released midyear he shows as turnover here since he was on the opening day roster, as an example.
One could do the same thing with the final game of the season. Anyone returning from ir would be "new".
Simply an exercise in assessing turnover and change.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Trying to compare the opening day 2014 roster to opening day 2015. Although Kenbrell Thompkins was released midyear he shows as turnover here since he was on the opening day roster, as an example.
One could do the same thing with the final game of the season. Anyone returning from ir would be "new".
Simply an exercise in assessing turnover and change.

Got it, I always compare the end roster from one year to the beginning of the next and it averages about 15-17 turnover IIRC so this year is a little bit more than most years. I wonder if part of that is that the number of people on IR now seems higher than in past years......

 

[Urgent]

With Stork to PUP and the addition of Coleman, the opening day roster was set.

Couple interesting notes:
Ten rookies. Ten rookies on a Super Bowl winning team. In the offseason there is always a lot of debate on the elite teams - they don't have enough roster space for a bunch of rookies. Ten rookies made this team. (Harper, Jackson, Mason, Andrews, Brown, Flowers, Grissom, Coleman, Richards, Cardona - eight were active in the first game as well)

But that's not even a really high number for the Patriots. Seven in 2014 (Garoppolo, White, Fleming, Stork, Easley, Moore, Butler).

14-16 in 2013 (Develin, Dobson, Boyce, Thompkins, Sudfeld, Svitek, Barker, Kline, Vellano, Davis, Buchanan, Collins, Beauharnais, Ryan, Harmon, Allen - not positive whether some of the undrafted guys were with another team previously)

Turnover of about six starters. Ridley/Vereen, Connolly, Wilfork, Revis, Browner, Arrington/Dennard

Only one notable free agent in Jabaal Sheard.

Loss of depth at RB, with Cadet & Lewis replacing Ridley, Gray, Vereen, Develin.
Big investment in edge players, with Sheard, Flowers, Grissom, Johnson replacing Akeem Ayers.
Downgrade in talent at corner, obviously.

 

[PatsBoy12]

I was really hoping they found a way to retain Ayers. I liked him.

 

[patfanken]

One person I believe the Pats will miss along the DL is Chris Jones. Not so much at a 4-3 DT, but Jones was someone who actually had the beef and quickness to play both a 3-4 DE and a 3-4 move NT. With him in the line up it gives Matty P more flexibility in designing his schemes. Hopefully Malcolm Brown can fill some of that role.

 

[captain stone]

seems like the Pats improved in almost all positions, but took a huge hit at he corner spot.

They stayed the same at QB

They regressed at RB

They regressed (for the next 6 weeks at least) at WR

They stay the same at OT

They regressed (for the next 8 weeks at least) at C/G

They regressed (for the next 6 weeks at least) at DT

They stayed the same at Safety

Not exactly improving at almost all positions.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Amazing Belichick has rebuilt with solid players without the CHEATING by sucking for a high draft pick.