Patriots News 2-16, Breaking Down The Roster
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Good morning. This is our first Sunday without football, and we won’t see it again until August. But we’re on to 2025, and things will start picking up quickly.
The NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis is right around the corner. After that, the Pro Days at the different colleges will kick off. Free agency begins on March 12, but the legal tampering window starts on March 10.
The NFL Draft this year will be in Green Bay April 24-26/
The Patriots’ free agency window is crucial this year. With several holes to fill and the most available cap space cash, they must acquire some impact players to bolster the roster before the draft begins.
While New England isn’t the favored destination it used to be, the team should follow the same strategy as the Red Sox with Alex Bregman: offer a short-term deal, say three years, and overpay. For a player such as Tee Higgins, who is expected to fetch about $30 million a year, offer three years and $115-120 million. That would still allow him another major payday down the road.
But for today, we’ll examine the roster and offer some thoughts on where it needs improvement or is set.
Jalen Polk: The Patriots wide receiver had a rough 2024 and finished with a disappointing 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Expectations were quite a bit higher for Polk, but it is on to Year 2.
Polk posted a video on his Snapchat page with him working out along with Cole Strange and Patriots assistant strength and conditioning coach Brian McDonough. Polk’s comment was, “That get-back year.”
What was intriguing was that his right arm was in a sling. He had a shoulder injury and missed the last game of the year against Buffalo. Perhaps this move required surgery.
Christian Gonzalez: The Patriots’ outstanding young cornerback was voted as a second-team All-Pro in 2024, but he feels that he hasn’t come close to reaching his potential. If that’s true, then Gonzalez is going to have quite a career,
“All-Pro was my bigger goal,” said Gonzalez while being interviewed on the “Next Pats Podcast” with Phil Perry. “Pro Bowl is a popularity contest at the end of the day. All-Pro is really what I wanted. Obviously, I wanted first-team, but I mean, it’s nice to hear my name in there. But I feel like I ain’t even scratched the surface. There’s a lot of room I can grow, a lot of—so much better I can get. So I’m excited for it.”
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: Derek and I discussed the Super Bowl. And gave a quick discussion of the roster. Please check us out and give us a listen on YouTube, Apple, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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 is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed 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.
Quarterback:
Drake Maye, Joe Milton – (Jacoby Brisette UFA)
The Patriots are set up well here. A year ago, the Patriots were looking for a franchise QB, and now they have one with Maye. They took a flyer on Joe Milton with a late-round pick, but he progressed much faster than anyone foresaw.
The pair is a good one. I expect the team to sign a veteran FA quarterback to help mentor the young guns, but they are set. Maye and McDaniels should be an exciting pair for the offense (finally).
Running Back:
Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, Terrell Jennings, – (JaMycal Hasty UFA)
Here is an area where the team could make some changes. Stevenson has tremendous upside and the talent to be an upper-tier back in the league. But last year, he had a case of fumble-itis, and that won’t be tolerated.
Could the Patriots try to trade Stevenson, who underperformed last year? While the offensive line didn’t do him or anyone else any favors, he wasn’t his normal self last year, in pass protection or in the passing game.
Josh McDaniels should love working with Gibson, who was underused in the passing game last year. He’s a former 1,000-yard rusher with excellent skills in catching the ball out of the backfield. Shane Vereen and James White ring a bell?
Jennings is a good depth player, but this area could use an injection of new talent.
Wide Receiver:
Kendrick Bourne, Ja’Lynn Polk, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Javon Baker, Ja’Que Jackson
Questions, questions, and more questions. Bourne had his best NFL season under McDaniels. But as an established vet, he lined up or ran the wrong route too many times. I love the player KB can be, and hopefully, now that McDaniels is back, they’ll strike lightning twice.
Boutte improved a lot last year; he’s a guy who could ascend in 2025.
After so much hype last spring, Polk and Baker really disappointed on the field. It is too early to write them off, but the team can’t count on them right now. Douglas was good, but there is more that he can do. He must love having McDaniels in the building. Look at what Josh did with Wes Welker and Julian Edelman in the Patriots offense.
I think Jackson’s signing was a great move. He showed some good flashes last summer but got hurt. However, obvious upgrades are needed here.
Tight End:
Hunter Henry, Jaheim Bell, Jack Westover, – (Austin Hooper UFA)
Henry had a career year in 2024 and was the Patriots’ most reliable receiver. He’s got great chemistry with Drake Maye. I thought Hooper was excellent last year, but here is where they may opt to get younger.
Bell didn’t get many chances last year, but he’ll get a chance to carve out a niche in the offense.
Offensive Line:
Vederian Lowe, Caedan Wallace, Sidy Sow, Mike Onwenu, Cole Strange, Layden Robinson, David Andrews, Jake Andrews, Tyrese Robinson, Leciitus Smith – (Ben Brown RFA, Demontrey Jacobs RFA, Lester Cotton RFA)
The elephant in the room. Big changes need to happen here; There are question marks everywhere. Will David Andrews return in 2025? What do they do with Cole Strange? If Andrews retires, do they move Strange there? Or Jake Andrews, who has been hurt? Training camp will be intriguing to watch for this group because everything is on the table.
Defensive Line:
Keion White, Truman Jones, Jeremiah Pharms, Davon Godchaux, Jacquelin Roy, Eric Johnson – (Christian Barmore illness, Deatrich Wise UFA, Daniel Ekuale – UFA)
A lot depends on Barmore’s health this season. When he’s healthy he’s one of the best young interior defensive linemen in the league. White should really blossom under Terrell Williams and Mike Vrabel. Resigning Pharms was an underrated but good move. Wise may not be back this season. The group needs another penetrating interior lineman, especially with Barmore’s health concerns.
Linebacker/Edge:
Anfernee Jennings, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Sione Takitaki, Jahlani Tavai, Titus Leo, Monty Rice, Curtis Jacobs (Oshane Ximines UFA, Christian Ellis RFA)
The team missed Bentley last year, he’s a physical thumper in the middle, and should thrive under Williams and Vrabel’s defense. Jennings is outstanding at setting the edge but isn’t a great pass rusher. And that’s what this group is really lacking right now. Injuries took a toll here, but they need to pay or draft an edge rusher who can get after the QB.
Tavai could be gone this year; he didn’t have a great year, and his comments to the fans last year won’t soon be forgotten.
Cornerbacks:
Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, Marcellus Dial, Isaiah Bolden, Miles Battle (Jonathan Jones UFA, Alex Austin RFA)
Christian Gonzalez is the gold standard. Marcus Jones should be pretty well set in the slot; the team really needs a boundary corner to play opposite Gonzo. Jonathan Jones will probably walk this season unless he takes a pay cut. The overall depth is okay.
Safety:
Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Dell Pettus, Marte Mapu, Jaylin Hawkins
This is arguably the strongest positional group on the team. We could list Brendan Schooler here as he played well, albeit in a limited way, as part of the “Longhorn Package,” but he’s an All-Pro STs guy. Dugger had a down year but then we learned that his injury was worse than imagined and had surgery.
Peppers had off-field issues, but those are behind him. The coaches made it clear that they want “violent players,” and Peppers will thrive in that system. He brings the lumber on every play. Pettus was a pleasant surprise last year.
Special Teams:
Bryce Barringer, Joe Cardona, Brendan Schooler (Joey Slye UFA)
Barringer has a tremendous leg but just needs to be more consistent. Cardona is an excellent long-snapper. Schooler is outstanding in all facets of the kicking game. With Slye as a free agent, the team doesn’t have a kicker, but John Parker Romo is on the practice squad. Kicker will be an area to watch
Practice Squad:
Alex Erickson, Kevin Harris, Marcus Harris, D. J. James, John Jiles, Caleb Jones Andrew Parker Jr., Mark Perry, John Parker Romo, Jotham Russell (IPP), Braylon Sanders, Mitchell Wilcox
Conclusion:
The roster has plenty of holes and won’t be filled just by free agency or the draft. It will take both, and truth be told, not every one will be filled this year, it will take a while. But with plenty of cap space and the #4 pick in the draft, they can speed the process up quite a bit.
This spring is a pivotable one for the Patriots and the new regime. They must hit on a lot more this year than in 2024. Head coach Mike Vrabel said it begins in the trenches, and that’s precisely where they need to focus first. They are going to kick the tires on several free agents, we’ll see how much they can make it work.
Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick threw flowers at CB Christian Gonzalez on Valentine’s Day and named him to the “All-Belichick Team” after the 2024 season.
“On Valentine’s Day, there is usually a lot of love in the air. Thirty years ago today, there was not a lot of love in Cleveland when Art Modell decided to move the team and leave me behind,” Belichick wrote on his Instagram account announcing his “All-Belichick” picks.
“I am not sure if anyone then would’ve cared about my All-Belichick Team. I’m not sure if anyone even cares now. But here is it.”
Gonzalez was the only Patriot on the list. A few years ago, Belichick drafted Gonzo in the first round of the NFL Draft.
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“I learned it the hard way when Mike was no more than a substitute defensive end at Pittsburgh, which he did for four years. I mean, he never started, but he was one of those guys that got out there in certain pass-rush situations, and we were playing him late in the game. I had heard about Mike because he was such a great player at Ohio State.
“Here we are in the fourth quarter, and this was pre-Belichick, and we had a chance to beat him over there. Here, he’s on the field. He runs by our left tackle, who was a good player, and slapped his hands down and strip-sacked Drew [Bledsoe], and it was over. And I said, ‘Damn.’
“And then the next time, the very next year, he’s on our team. And it just hit me right away. For what I saw him do on one play, I’m glad he’s on our team, and I don’t have to coach against this guy. And then he became, really, for me, my arch nemesis on the field, because he would do everything possible to mess with us, especially in OTAs and mini-camps, where no one had any pads on.”
“He’d hold guys on stunts, and then he’d look over me and smile as I was cussing his face off. And it’s just that’s how it was with him. He just would try to get under your skin and mess with you because, to him, it was a lot of fun. And now when the games were on, he was serious as a heart attack. But I love the guy, man, for what he did for us for so many years. He’s special.”
Dante Scarnecchia, the Patriots’ legendary OL coach, was asked about a story about Mile Vrabel. Incidentally, the play he referenced was a playoff game against Pittsburgh, and Vrabel sealed it against New England.
(Special thanks to Ian Logue for transcribing all of these interviews.)
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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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