Patriots News 7-14, 53-Man Roster Projection 1.0
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Good morning. Here are your Patriots news and notes for July 14. With training camp now just days away, I’ve made my first pre-camp roster projection, and as you’ll see, the team has some difficult choices to make.
The Patriots announced the training camp dates that are open to the public, and you can find those on the Patriots website. However, remember that dates and times are subject to change, so check with the site for any updates before making the trek down Route 1.
Bill Belichick: The former Patriot head coach has found his job for the upcoming season. Belichick will appear on “The CW” for their “Inside The NFL” show. The show’s host, Ryan Clark, also has Chad “Ocho-Cinco” Johnson, and Chris Long.
Belichick also signed on to appear on “The Manning Cast” on ESPN for Monday Night Football games.
“I’m thrilled to join my new team at NFL Films and to work on such a historic television franchise,” Belichick said. “I’ve always appreciated Inside The NFL’s depth of analysis, and I hope to bring the same detailed insight to The CW by talking real football with real pros – Ryan, Chris, and Chad – this coming season.”
In the video announcing Belichick’s addition, Clark is wearing a two-tone Steelers blazer. He is musing about there being one more seat on the show for the upcoming season. Belichick then appears on a screen behind Clark and says, “Hey, two-tone, just tell them when the show is on.”
On an unrelated note, So… When is Bill going into the Patriots’ HOF?
Drake Maye: It was intriguing to see Maye on the “Hard Knocks” show on HBO. He seemed (at least in the clip) to blow away Giants head coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen in his ability to pick up the Giants’ offensive lingo so quickly.
The Giants were obviously impressed with Maye and were interested in moving up to take him at #3 with a trade with New England.
Anyway, it shows his football smarts and his ability to crunch the information and know where the play is supposed to go. The comments from the Giants and Jets fans were interesting… and funny.
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: Conflicting schedules forced our hand with no podcast this past week. However, we’ll return this week with the latest news from Foxboro in our PatsFans.com podcast.
A few weeks ago, Derek Havens and I discussed some minicamp thoughts and where the team may be headed in training camp regarding the 53-man roster. Please check it out.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t in is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed the game with how teams used the tight end position. This will be discussed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
The Patriots have many difficult decisions to make regarding their initial 53-man roster. Many (if not most) of those decisions involve Alex Van Pelt’s offense. And the #1 decision will be whether Drake Maye gets the nod as the starting quarterback in Week 1.
Maye is the most talented QB on the roster. Many of the spring workouts and mini-camp reports showed that Maye was the best quarterback on the field. However, other considerations exist before opting for Maye—namely, the offensive line and the wide receiver positions. Are they good enough for a rookie quarterback to succeed?
But with that in mind, let’s get to the roster.
As the discussion above noted, Maye could be ready to be the #1 quarterback right off the bat, but the rest of the roster may still need to be. For this reason, Brissett will be the starter against the Bengals unless he gets injured.
Then, the decision comes down to Zappe or Milton. Milton didn’t show much in the spring, mainly because he didn’t get many reps. With his experience, there may be a case for keeping Zappe, although he is learning AVP’s system just like everyone else.
Stevenson and Gibson are locked for the roster as the #1 and #2 backs. Hasty is the perfect #4, a hard-nosed special teamer who can spell the other backs as a receiver, even as a spot starter.
But Harris will have to show that he’s ready to play in the event of an injury to Stevenson. He has flashed in small spots, but his roster spot is far from reserved. He’ll need to have a very good summer. Or the Patriots may look elsewhere outside the roster for their primary backup.
Trade – JuJu Smith-Schuster Cut – Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Reagor, Kawaan Baker, David Wallis, JaQuae Jackson
With over a $12 cap hit, I can’t see Smith-Schuster making the roster. And right now, he’s not better than any of the six listed above him. Things could change this summer, but right now…they’ll try to find a trade partner for a very low draft pick, and they’ll probably have to eat most of his salary.
Boutte was the last wide receiver and edged out Reagor, who doesn’t offer much as a WR but has special teams ability as a returner. The team tried out Thornton as a gunner, trying to exploit his speed. Boutte had a solid finish to spring workouts and has the advantage starting training camp.
Tight End (3) — Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jaheim Bell
Cut – La’Michael Pettway, Mitchell Wilcox, Jacob Warren
I would have liked to keep Wilcox, but there are not enough roster spots. Henry should play a significant role in AVP’s offense, where tight ends figure prominently.
Hooper isn’t the player he was with the Falcons a few years ago, but he is still a viable receiver. Bell is a very intriguing player. He is explosive with the ball in his hands. He could also play an H-back or fullback role.
PUP/IR – Cole Strange, Cut – Vederian Lowe, Atonio Mafi, Tyrone Wheatley, Michael Jordan, Charles Turner, Zuri Henry
Here is where things get interesting. The offensive line is wide open for competition. Andrews is locked as the Day 1 starter at center. Mike Onwenu will be a starter… but at right guard or right tackle? Caedan Wallace could be the right tackle, with Chuks at left tackle and Nick Leverett at left guard. That would be my starting unit.
Calvin Anderson would be the swing tackle, Layden Robinson and Jake Andrews would be interior backups.
Cut – Jeremiah Pharms, Sam Roberts, William Bradley-King, Trysten Hill, Jotham Russell
Pharms is the tough cut here. He was good down the stretch last season, and the defensive line’s strength is depth. But it is a numbers game, and it is a tough decision without cutting somewhere else.
Barmore is primed for a tremendous season, and Godchaux and Wise are locked for the roster this summer. I’m intrigued as to what Watts can bring to the table. I feel he will be one of those Patriots acquisitions and a nice addition to the defense.
Cut – John Morgan
Judon is back from injury, and if they can agree on a contract extension, he would anchor the pass rush for a couple more seasons. Uche bet on himself this offseason. And with Judon back, his production should jump.
Anfernee Jennings proved he was an excellent edge-setter in Judon’s absence last year. He has a bit of pass-rush ability. If you could clone a player out of Jennings and Uche, you’d have a perennially All-Pro.
With Keion White looking like he’s going to have a breakout season in Year 2, he has the versatility to play on the edge or on the line, which opens the door for Ximines to land on the roster. I like his prototypical size, pass-rush ability, and his special team’s prowess.
Cut – Raekwon McMillan, Joe Giles-Harris, Christian Eliss, Jontrey Hunter, Steele Chambers
Bentley and Tavai are an outstanding tandem inside. Tavai is a versatile player who can move inside or outside. The most significant cut here is McMillan. With him, it has never been about ability but availability. He’s a good inside backer with ST’s ability. They could keep him if they carry Mapu as a safety, as Mapu can play either.
I liked the addition of Takitaki, another versatile guy who can ILB or STs.
Cuts – Shaun Wade, Marco Wilson, Azizi Hearn, Mike Victor, Kaleb Ford-Dement
The Patriots are set pretty darned well at cornerback. Gonzalez is back from a shoulder injury and can be a true shutdown corner. Although undersized, Jonathan Jones mans the other side and has been very good.
Marcus Jones, a dynamic returner, will man the slot. Alex Austin and Isaiah Bolden have been showing the potential to be integral parts of the defense. I admit my South Carolina bias, but I really like Marcellas Dial. With his size, speed, and athleticism, he could switch to free safety down the road.
Cut – Dell Pettus
Dugger and Peppers are a terrific duo at safety. And while there has been talk of bringing back Duron Harmon for that third safety (deep safety) in specific packages, Hawkins is, to me, a younger version of Harmon. Mapu could play dime linebacker or slide back to safety.
If the Patriots keep Mapu as a safety, it would push Bledsoe off the roster. The #53 roster spot could come down to Bledsoe or Pharms.
Cut – Chad Ryland
Ryland had a nightmarish rookie season. And while Slye isn’t going to make anyone forget Adam Vinatieri or Stephen Gostkowski, he’s steadier than Ryland over the length of the spring practices. The rest of the specialists are locked.
Suffice to say, Jonnu Smith won’t be welcomed with open arms when the Dolphins and their new tight end visit Buffalo this season. Smith went out of his way to slam the city and the food named after the place.
“That’s why their fans be hating so much because they wanna be down here,” Smith said. “Buffalo is… I don’t know how them dudes do it. I don’t know how they did it. Going from anywhere in the country, man. Then going into Buffalo. That got to be the worst place you can be.”
“And the Buffalo wings ain’t even good. I’m throwing all types of shots at Buffalo.” He claimed that fans in Buffalo act badly because they all want to be in South Florida. Smith played in three games in Buffalo as a member of the Patriots during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
I expect Bills fans will make their feelings known to Smith about this matter this year.
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“He digested it fast, which is good,” Zolak said. “That’s quick because that’s a lot of terminology at this level.”
Former Patriots quarterback and now colorman for the Patriots games Scott Zolak said on his show that it was difficult for QB Drake Maye to digest what was happening in his whiteboard test with Brian Daboll on “Hard Knocks.” And that what he did was impressive.
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“Talent sets the floor; Character sets the ceiling.” Bill Belichick
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on Apple and YouTube as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens, and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.
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Austin Hooper/TE – I’m curious why multi people in the media say “he’s not the player he was in 2018/2019? He’s only 29 now. I assume it’s pass catch volume going from ~70 to ~35, and not foot speed or injury etc. In some years and on some offenses, TE’s that can block (like hooper), end up getting asked to block on passing downs. Receptions aren’t a true measuring stick for a real TE. Gronk blocked for spurts in his career. Ben Watson was so valuable blocking, he rarely caught passes. But did in new Orleans late in his 30’s… Read more »
Uche – I see comments that he bet on himeself and took a low salary. True. But reality is none of the 32 teams signed him. Why? Because he’s an edge that can’t play edge full time. He’s can’t hold up on running downs. He’ll get overpowered and blown off the line. He’s a situational pass rusher only. 3rd and long etc. To slight of build. Uche said he’s aware of his role, and what he is and isn’t. He’s not a 3 downs edge.