OL Cameron Fleming

[mgteich]

Fleming

Solder is gone.
Fleming has been on the roster for a long time in the past.
Fleming is one the Practice Players of the week.

QUESTION
Why hasn't Fleming been added to roster? We are down to 20 players on offense. Perhaps, there is a deal whereby Fleming has agreed to allow the patriots to match if he gets an offer.



mod edit: added the player's first name to the title, since there are two Flemings - OL Cameron Fleming and LB Darius Fleming - on the practice squad

 

[Froob]

Why would Fleming agree to lose flexibility?

 

[jboston19]

Doesn't mean Melvin is on the roster come Sunday. They may just want a closer look. There were already so few olinemen on the GameDay roster, they need to bring someone on. Would expect a db, possibly a safety, to be cut by Saturday with some lineman brought up or on.

 

[supafly]

They'll likely have no choice but to bring Fleming up and make him active. Surely, they aren't going into the game with only Cannon and Vollmer as the 2 guys who can play tackle, unless they think mighty highly of Mike Williams' ability to move back to the spot, and I'd find that doubtful.

 

[mgteich]

Why would Flemming agree to lose flexibility?

If the boss told him that his contract will be signed by Friday and that he will be active, I would think that Fleming would agree to wait before signing with other teams. Belichick wanted the flexibility to look at Melvin.

 

[doesntmatter1]

Chris Barker is the best ol on the ps imho.

 

[Fencer]

I imagine one of the PS OL guys will be active for the game this week. Perhaps the coaches haven't yet decided which one it will be?

I think we're up to 12 DBs at the moment. One of those will presumably be cut for an OL. (Also possible -- a DT.)

 

[DarrylS]

Several years ago heard Jonathan Kraft ask why there is even a practice squad, they are paid.. why not increase the roster to 61.. and develop players while actually on the roster. Also should dress more than 48, maybe 53.. which would add depth and roles for specialty players..

Certainly provide a better $$$ for more players, plus would ease the wear and tear on regular players who play special teams.. think the basic structure needs to be looked at.. then BB could choose between Fleming and Barker without a whole bunch of roster moves..

 

[BTTA]

I like the structure of the practice squad. It gives players who need developmental time an opportunity to show their stuff and get picked up by teams with a positional need and potentially get playing time sooner.

The real need is to increase the roster sizes to account for the longer season and increased attention to injuries (such as concussions). Keep the practice squad, but increase the roster by three players.

 

[Tony2046]

I like the structure of the practice squad. It gives players who need developmental time an opportunity to show their stuff and get picked up by teams with a positional need and potentially get playing time sooner.

The real need is to increase the roster sizes to account for the longer season and increased attention to injuries (such as concussions). Keep the practice squad, but increase the roster by three players.

Fantastic idea.

 

[Oswlek]

Solder is gone.
Fleming has been on the roster for a long time in the past.
Fleming is one the Practice Players of the week.

QUESTION
Why hasn't Fleming been added to roster? We are down to 20 players on offense. Perhaps, there is a deal whereby Fleming has agreed to allow the patriots to match if he gets an offer.

A practice player of the week is only guaranteed a black jersey. It could be that NE feels comfortable with Williams as an emergency tackle. It could be that Melvin is here on a tryout basis and the Patriots plan to cut whichever DB proves least valuable with a Fleming being promoted on Saturday. It could be the same, only with a different tackle being promoted.

Either way, I don't think anything nefarious is at play here.

 

[patriot1136]

Can Barker play tackle? I thought he was more of a guard. I like Fleming, although he is not perfect by any means. He was definitely well suited to be the 6th OL last year. There is also Blaine Causell on the practice squad, he is a tackle. I'm hoping by now Fleming has been working hard and has improved. This is the perfect opportunity for him. For a guy that was playing in the playoffs last year and dropped to the PS this year, you would think he would be angry and motivated.

 

[patsfaninpa]

Cam played well in both games against Indy last year. Mainly as the 3rd tackle. Have to believe he's active Sunday night.

 

[mgteich]

Can Barker play tackle? I thought he was more of a guard. I like Fleming, although he is not perfect by any means. He was definitely well suited to be the 6th OL last year. There is also Blaine Causell on the practice squad, he is a tackle. I'm hoping by now Fleming has been working hard and has improved. This is the perfect opportunity for him. For a guy that was playing in the playoffs last year and dropped to the PS this year, you would think he would be angry and motivated.

Barker played a lot of LT during the preseason.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Chris Barker is the best ol on the ps imho.

But not a tackle...

 

[tasmlab]

Several years ago heard Jonathan Kraft ask why there is even a practice squad, they are paid.. why not increase the roster to 61.. and develop players while actually on the roster. Also should dress more than 48, maybe 53.. which would add depth and roles for specialty players..

Certainly provide a better $$$ for more players, plus would ease the wear and tear on regular players who play special teams.. think the basic structure needs to be looked at.. then BB could choose between Fleming and Barker without a whole bunch of roster moves..

IIRC, BB didn't like the idea of expanding the roster as he thought it would result in more specialization e.g., like keeping both a long placekicker and a field goal kicker.

I could see why BB would personally like it since he likes versatile players and smaller rosters would give him an edge in the league.

(This isn't a refutation to your post. Your idea makes sense too.)