Projected Roster after Preseason Game 1

[BobDigital]

Offense 24

QB (2) T.Brady, B.Hoyer - no surprises here.

RB (6) S.Michel, J.Hill, R.Burkhead, J.White, J.Develin, B.Bolden - Hill beats out Gill and Webb in a numbers game.

WR (4) C.Hogan, K.Britt, C.Patterson, P.Dorsett - Decker has a long way to go to make the circle of trust. This is light but it only needs to be 4 games and no one they could add to the unit will help that make. Just throw it to TEs and RBs more.

TE (3) R.Gronkowski, D.Allen, J.Hollister - Not much to think about here.

OL (9) D.Andrews, S.Mason, J.Thuney, T.Brown, M.Cannon, I Wynn, Waddle, T. Karras, C. Croston - You can guess between Karra or Croston making it if you want. Personally I'd rather have both.

Defense 24

DE (4) T.Flowers, D.Wise, A.Clayborn, D.Rivers - There is no need to carry a 5th guy on the roster. He will never see the field in front of any of these 4 right now.

DT (5) L.Guy, D.Shelton, A.Butler, M.Brown, V.Valentine - Valentine barely makes the cut for now as the 9th DL. But it is close.

LB(5) D.Hightower, K. Van Noy, E.Roberts, J.Bentley, M.Flowers - Sam hasn't done anything yet and with Langi hurt and no one else to challenge this spot feels pretty locked up.

CB (6) S.Gilmore, E. Rowe, D.Dawson, J.McCourty, J.Jackson, J.Jones - McCourty makes it for now but Ryan Lewis or someone else could take that spot easily. The fact he didn't play at all last night was interesting to me. I just wonder how much youth they are comfortable with at this spot. If McCourty is cut you have Gilmore/Rowe and a bunch of kids really.

S (4) D.McCourty, D.Harmon, P.Chung, N.Ebner - Richards finally gets cut. After last nights game I don't see how his spot can be justified any longer. Even if he is a BB binkie.

ST (5) S.Gostkowski, R.Allen, J.Cardona, Slater, King,

STs: Webb - RB, E. Pleasant - S. Lucien - WR, K. Davis - DE,

SUSP: Edelman - WR

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

Offense 24

QB (2) T.Brady, B.Hoyer - no surprises here.

RB (6) S.Michel, J.Hill, R.Burkhead, J.White, J.Develin, B.Bolden - Hill beats out Gill and Webb in a numbers game.

WR (4) C.Hogan, K.Britt, C.Patterson, P.Dorsett - Decker has a long way to go to make the circle of trust. This is light but it only needs to be 4 games and no one they could add to the unit will help that make. Just throw it to TEs and RBs more.

TE (3) R.Gronkowski, D.Allen, J.Hollister - Not much to think about here.

OL (9) D.Andrews, S.Mason, J.Thuney, T.Brown, M.Cannon, I Wynn, Waddle, T. Karras, C. Croston - You can guess between Karra or Croston making it if you want. Personally I'd rather have both.

Defense 24

DE (4) T.Flowers, D.Wise, A.Clayborn, D.Rivers - There is no need to carry a 5th guy on the roster. He will never see the field in front of any of these 4 right now.

DT (5) L.Guy, D.Shelton, A.Butler, M.Brown, V.Valentine - Valentine barely makes the cut for now as the 9th DL. But it is close.

LB(5) D.Hightower, K. Van Noy, E.Roberts, J.Bentley, M.Flowers - Sam hasn't done anything yet and with Langi hurt and no one else to challenge this spot feels pretty locked up.

CB (6) S.Gilmore, E. Rowe, D.Dawson, J.McCourty, J.Jackson, J.Jones - McCourty makes it for now but Ryan Lewis or someone else could take that spot easily. The fact he didn't play at all last night was interesting to me. I just wonder how much youth they are comfortable with at this spot. If McCourty is cut you have Gilmore/Rowe and a bunch of kids really.

S (4) D.McCourty, D.Harmon, P.Chung, N.Ebner - Richards finally gets cut. After last nights game I don't see how his spot can be justified any longer. Even if he is a BB binkie.

ST (5) S.Gostkowski, R.Allen, J.Cardona, Slater, King,

STs: Webb - RB, E. Pleasant - S. Lucien - WR, K. Davis - DE,

SUSP: Edelman - WR

Something tells me we are taking 5 wrs with edelman suspended for the time being. I am hoping JC Jackson makes the team. I don’t know what to make of Christian Sam. If he makes it or not.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Current roster OR projected roster?

 

[jah]

Not super different from mine.

QB (2): 12 Brady, 2 Hoyer
RB (6): 28 White, 34 Burkhead, 33 Hill, 29 Michel, 38 Bolden, 46 Develin
WR (6): 15 Hogan, 13 Dorsett, 84 Patterson, 81 Decker, 88 Britt, 17 McCarron
TE (3): 87 Gronkowski, 83 Allen, 47 Hollister
OL (8): 77 Brown, 62 Thuney, 60 Andrews, 69 Mason, 61 Cannon, 76 Wynn, 75 Karras, 68 Waddle
DL (4): 71 Shelton, 93 Guy, 90 Brown, 70 Butler
EDGE (4): 98 Flowers, 94 Clayborn, 91 Wise, 95 Rivers
LB (5): 54 Hightower, 53 Van Noy, 52 Roberts, 59 Flowers, 51 Bentley
CB (5): 24 Gilmore, 25 Rowe, 42 Dawson, 30 McCourty, 31 Jones
S (4): 32 McCourty, 23 Chung, 21 Harmon, 26 Pleasant
ST (6): 3 Gostkowski, 6 Allen, 49 Cardona, 18 Slater, 43 Ebner, 36 King

• I know we don't need that many WRs. I just can't see them not keeping a true punt returner. Could replace McCarron with Cyrus Jones if you want. Probably don't need more than one of Decker and Britt but they seem like part of the best 53 players to me. Could also see both of them being cut...
• Keeping all those WRs means I had to go light on the lines on both sides of the ball. Got rid of Croston on the OL and Valentine + Lee on the DL. Not a huge loss, IMO. If injuries come up they could probably get players of that caliber via cheap trades or FA easily.
• I really wanted to keep one of Crossen, Lewis, or Jackson at CB (roughly in that descending order). Although JMac could give up a spot to one of them, and better players than J. Jones have been cut in the past (although I really like him), you could conceivably make room for one more corner by cutting one of Decker/Britt.
• I can't see this team going without 4 true safeties. After Thursday (really, 2 years ago...), I think we can definitively say Jordan Richards is not that. Of course Travis, thought to be one of our only hopes of a Richards replacement, is just as bad. Thus, Eddie Pleasant is on the team despite not really doing anything impressive. He was also getting on special teams, I believe.

 

[luuked]

S (4) D.McCourty, D.Harmon, P.Chung, N.Ebner - Richards finally gets cut. After last nights game I don't see how his spot can be justified any longer. Even if he is a BB binkie.

The only way right now I can see Richards cut is if Pleasant is on your projected roster because according to the snap counts from beat guys he also played on all 4 ST units. People need to stop looking at Richards as safety because like Ebner and Slater he is essentially a ST player that -- unfortunately -- has to help out on D sometimes.

The way to get rid of Richards is to find a way to replace those 300+ snaps at ST he had last year and not an upgrade at safety. And this is not a straight forward job that can be done by just anyone. I know a lot of people **** on ST and dont give the unit the respect it deserves but the reality is that as with most positions in football players there are highly specialized in whatever they are doing.

 

[Ras-IR Dowling]

I’ll say at least 1 of lewis and crossen makes the roster.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

My guess is that the Patriots are actively looking to upgrade QB2, WR, TE, LB, and probably CB. I strongly suspect we will see several new faces after cutdowns, either via waiver wire or trade. Who, exactly, I'm not sure yet, but I'll be very surprised if the 53 is as straightforward as we assume right now.

 

[Froob]

I’m sticking with Dorsett not on the roster when Edelman returns. Decker I’ve re-thought, he is only 31. Not sure why he was a free agent for so long if he had any juice left, but I think he makes it.

 

[Froob]

My guess is that the Patriots are actively looking to upgrade QB2, WR, TE, LB, and probably CB. I strongly suspect we will see several new faces after cutdowns, either via waiver wire or trade. Who, exactly, I'm not sure yet, but I'll be very surprised if the 53 is as straightforward as we assume right now.

Tough to find a guy who can pick up our system without an off season. There any available guys who have played in this system?

Brissett trade may really hurt us if Dorsett doesn’t play well. He did get thrown in the mix right before the season last year, so we’ll see what happens with a full off season.

 

[supafly]

People need to stop looking at Richards as safety because like Ebner and Slater he is essentially a ST player that -- unfortunately -- has to help out on D sometimes.

How in the world do you even begin to make a positional comparison of Richards, Ebner, and Slater?

Richards played 26% of the defensive reps, last year. Ebner played 0% of the defensive reps, and Slater played 1.14% of the offensive reps. There is absolutely no comparison, whatsoever. You can add in Bolden, King and whomever else, but Richards stands alone—and by far.

People look at Richards as a safety, because that’s exactly what the hell he is. He’s just better known for playing STs.

New England Patriots 2017 Snap Counts | Pro-Football-Reference.com

 

[WaterfallJumper]

How in the world do you even begin to make a positional comparison of Richards, Ebner, and Slater?

Richards played 26% of the defensive reps, last year. Ebner played 0% of the defensive reps, and Slater played 1.14% of the offensive reps. There is absolutely no comparison, whatsoever. You can add in Bolden, King and whomever else, but Richards stands alone—and by far.

People look at Richards as a safety, because that’s exactly what the hell he is. He’s just better known for playing STs.

New England Patriots 2017 Snap Counts | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Not saying you're wrong, but the same chart shows that he played the most ST snaps of any player on the roster, ahead of even the "ST only" players.

 

[supafly]

Not saying you're wrong, but the same chart shows that he played the most ST snaps of any player on the roster, ahead of even the "ST only" players.

Well, I’m not arguing against his ST value. I’m just saying that Richards actually plays defense, and that he did it more than 1/4 of the snaps last year.

That’s much different than the suggestion of Slater on offense or Ebner on defense. There’s no comparison, there. Richards plays his position.

 

[supafly]

Brissett trade may really hurt us if Dorsett doesn’t play well. He did get thrown in the mix right before the season last year, so we’ll see what happens with a full off season.

I have my doubts as to whether or not NE was ever going to keep Brissett. If they had eyes on developing him, then yes, it was likely a bad trade.

 

[TheRainMaker]

RB - I believe the guy who stays healthy will be toting the rock week 1. I’m a little worried about Michel. White doesn’t count as he’s primarily a receiving back. It’s down to Burkhead and Hill. There’s a reason Hill was the primary back in Cincy and not Burkhead. While Burkhead played great last year, he gets banged up way too easily. Hill will easily beat out Gillislee. Gillislee is more effective in an offense which he ran in Buffalo. But if he can play special teams, he easily makes it over Bolden. My depth chart as of right now is: Hill, Burkhead, White, Michel, Bolden.

WR - Again, it all comes down to who is healthy. Decker can easily beat out Britt or Dorsett if it comes down to that. Patterson is making it because of his value on special teams alone. I think he’s going to be a very nice weapon this year that will give the Pats cheap yards on kickoff/punt returns and chunk yards on offense. Think what Ted Ginn did during his time with the 9ers. He was a very good player there. I’m going with Hogan, Decker, Patterson, Dorsett, Britt. Edelman not included due to suspension.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Not saying you're wrong, but the same chart shows that he played the most ST snaps of any player on the roster, ahead of even the "ST only" players.

I think that's because of Ebner's injury (Richards' ST snaps go up when Ebner's out); in 2016 Richards played about half as many ST snaps as he did last year.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

WR - Again, it all comes down to who is healthy. Decker can easily beat out Britt or Dorsett if it comes down to that. Patterson is making it because of his value on special teams alone. I think he’s going to be a very nice weapon this year that will give the Pats cheap yards on kickoff/punt returns and chunk yards on offense. Think what Ted Ginn did during his time with the 9ers. He was a very good player there. I’m going with Hogan, Decker, Patterson, Dorsett, Britt. Edelman not included due to suspension.

Patterson played zero snaps on STs. There's no way they're going to pay him $3M just to be a KR (he's returned one punt in his NFL career).

 

[doesntmatter1]

For many years I have never seen a reason why any team should have more than 3 running backs and now we may 6 if we count Develin. Superbowl hero or not, I am sometimes still tempted to cut White. Great receiver, but I still hate his rushing ability and special teams have made Bolden almost untouchable. Sony's health could cause a surprise shakeup to the 53.

I may be crazy but we have surprise cuts almost every year and I'm guessing it comes from the running backs because 6 is overboard.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Patterson played zero snaps on STs. There's no way they're going to pay him $3M just to be a KR (he's returned one punt in his NFL career).

Agree. I meant he'll be an all purpose weapon on offense and special teams.

 

[TheRainMaker]

For many years I have never seen a reason why any team should have more than 3 running backs and now we may 6 if we count Develin. Superbowl hero or not, I am sometimes still tempted to cut White. Great receiver, but I still hate his rushing ability and special teams have made Bolden almost untouchable. Sony's health could cause a surprise shakeup to the 53.

I may be crazy but we have surprise cuts almost every year and I'm guessing it comes from the running backs because 6 is overboard.

Agree. White's strongest run came in the Super Bowl. He's been pretty worthless as a runner before and after that run as he falls down at first contact. It's also very obvious that the Pats are passing when he's in the game. However, he's the only durable back.

 

[Mack Herron]

For many years I have never seen a reason why any team should have more than 3 running backs and now we may 6 if we count Develin. Superbowl hero or not, I am sometimes still tempted to cut White. Great receiver, but I still hate his rushing ability and special teams have made Bolden almost untouchable. Sony's health could cause a surprise shakeup to the 53.

I may be crazy but we have surprise cuts almost every year and I'm guessing it comes from the running backs because 6 is overboard.

For surprise cuts I would look at WR and LB because there is little talent there.