The Patriots have been at it in training camp for over a week now. Injuries have been mounting as a result of a long playoff run from last year, as Bill Belichick pointed out in a press conference over the weekend.<\/p>\n
Some of the positional battles are beginning to take place and as always there are some surprises both good and bad. If the coaches were worried about a letdown in intensity after a Super Bowl win, the first week+ of practices should have alleviated that somewhat. The compete level has been high and the good natured trash talking between the offense and defense has been one of the highlights to watch.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve put out our primers for the team\u2019s positional breakdown in the weeks prior to training camp. Now is a good time to take a look back and see how close (or in some cases how far off), they were. \u00a0Those primers can be referenced here:<\/p>\n
Running Backs<\/a><\/p>\n Wide Receivers<\/a><\/p>\n Tight Ends<\/a><\/p>\n Offensive Line<\/a><\/p>\n Quarterbacks<\/a><\/p>\n Defensive Ends<\/a><\/p>\n Defensive Tackles<\/a><\/p>\n Linebackers<\/a><\/p>\n Safeties<\/a><\/p>\n Cornerbacks<\/a><\/p>\n We are taking our third look at a 53 Man Roster projection after the first week of practices. Some names have already disappeared as others have taken their place.<\/p>\n It should be noted that many of these positions are wide open and camp competition is likely to swing back and forth between different players. That\u2019s what training camp is for.<\/p>\n Bill Belichick will have a lot of decisions to make with the roster and rest assured, the 53 Man roster at the end of training camp will not be the same roster we see at the end of the season. Changes will be made and the inevitable injuries will and in some cases have already occurred. So if the season started today…<\/p>\n Here is our 53-Man Roster Projection 3.0 <\/p>\n First up the Offense\u2026<\/p>\n Offense (24)<\/strong><\/p>\n Quarterback (2)\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013<\/strong>*Tom Brady<\/strong>* (suspended Weeks 1-4), Jimmy Garoppolo, Matt Flynn<\/strong><\/p>\n On Wednesday, Tom Brady\u2019s court case will be heard in New York and maybe the Patriots will have some good news here as the drawn out Deflate-gate fiasco reaches the courts as we always thought it would. On the field he\u2019s been extremely sharp as he puts all the distractions behind him. Jimmy G. has been up and down thus far, looking sharp one minute and not-so-much the next.<\/p>\n Brady and Garoppolo are locked into #1 and #2, Flynn is expected to be Garoppolo\u2019s backup in case Brady\u2019s suspension holds has yet to take the field. He\u2019s been on NFI and has been seen daily pedaling the bike at the far end of the practice field.<\/p>\n Running Backs<\/strong>\u00a0(5) \u2013<\/strong> *LaGarrette Blount* (suspended Week1)<\/strong>, Brandon Bolden<\/strong>, James Develin, Jonas Gray<\/strong>,\u00a0James White, Travaris Cadet<\/strong><\/p>\n Blount is suspended for Week 1, and is banged up with an MCL sprain, so we won\u2019t see him until probably Week 2 of the regular season. That opens the door for Gray and Bolden to see increased reps as the \u201cbig back\u201d in the offense. Neither has a ton of experience but look for them to share the load.<\/p>\n The third down back competition is still wide open but right now, it seems like Travaris Cadet (who also left practice Saturday), is gaining the upper hand on James White. His injury will bear watching. There were high hopes for Gaffney but he\u2019s been out nearly a week and hasn\u2019t flashed much when he was on the field.<\/p>\n Out: <\/strong>Tyler Gaffney, Dion Lewis, Eric Kettani<\/p>\n Tight End<\/strong>\u00a0(3)<\/strong> \u2013 Rob Gronkowski<\/strong>, Scott Chandler, Michael Hoomanawanui<\/strong><\/p>\n The addition of Scott Chandler could mean more of the \u201c12\u201d personnel grouping with 2 WRs, 2 TEs and a running back. Therefore they may opt to keep an extra TE than the three they used down the stretch in 2014.<\/p>\n Gronk has been outstanding in camp, he\u2019s healthy and he shows daily that he\u2019s nearly impossible to cover 1-on-1 during drills. Chandler is banged up right now but he and Hooman are locked into the #2 and #3 slots.<\/p>\n In a pinch as in last season, Develin can fill in as a blocker and catch the occasional pass.<\/p>\n Out: Jake Bequette, Jimmay Mundine, Mason Brodine<\/p>\n Wide Receiver (6) <\/strong>\u2013 Aaron Dobson<\/strong>, Julian Edelman<\/strong>, Brandon LaFell<\/strong>, Danny Amendola<\/strong>, Brandon Gibson, Josh Boyce<\/strong><\/p>\n The top three, Edelman, LaFell and Amendola, are roster locks. LaFell hasn\u2019t practiced yet, is on PUP but was in attendance at practice last week, usually a good sign that he\u2019s getting close. Dobson and Tyms were vying for the #4 WR slot which it seemed Dobson was gaining control of. Now both have been out for the past few days of practice. Tyms was visibly frustrated a few times in the first week, he may be pressing a bit. But he didn’t stand out so far like I expected he would.<\/p>\n This could open the doors for Gibson and Boyce to emerge. Gibson has had a solid camp and has earned that extra slot. Boyce now is in a good position to challenge for that final slot as well. Health and availability will play a key role here as training camp plays out. For now\u2026Boyce gets the nod.<\/p>\n Out: Brian Tyms, Jonathan Krause, Chris Harper, Zach D\u2019Orazio,<\/p>\n Offensive Line (8)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Nate Solder<\/strong>, Sebastian Vollmer<\/strong>,\u00a0Cameron Fleming<\/strong>, Marcus Cannon<\/strong>, Ryan Wendell, Bryan Stork, Tre Jackson, Shaq Mason<\/strong><\/p>\n Solder and Vollmer are locks as the starting tackles, Fleming and Cannon can be either a swing tackle or fill in at guard\u2026versatility goes a long way. Stork has been very strong in camp at center, the surprise has been the amount of reps the rookie guards Jackson and Mason have been getting. Wendell is still on PUP and could return at any time and play a starting role to give Mason a chance to develop fully.<\/p>\n And there is still Evan Mathis out there as a one-to-two year option at guard. He\u2019s looking for a minimum of $5 million +; will the Patriots be willing to pay that for one of the better guards in the NFL?<\/p>\n Out: Josh Kline, Caylin Hauptman, Jordan Devey, Chris Barker, David Andrews, Mark Asper<\/p>\n Next up the Defense\u2026 <\/p>\n Defense (25)<\/strong><\/p>\n Defensive Line (9)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Chandler Jones<\/strong>, Rob Ninkovich<\/strong>, Dominique Easley, Sealver Siliga, Malcom Brown, Jabaal Sheard, Antonio Johnson, Trey Flowers, Geneo Grissom<\/strong><\/p>\n Brown the team\u2019s first draft pick in 2015 and Easley last season\u2019s top selection are the future. They can penetrate, disrupt plays in the backfield and get after the quarterback. Johnson and Siliga are the big men who can fill gaps and stuff the run. Johnson gets the nod over Branch as he\u2019s been here, on the field and effective in camp thus far. Branch is still on NFI and has yet to see action.<\/p>\n Ninkovich and Jones finally have a rotation with Sheard who has had a very strong camp and in the draft they\u2019ve added Grissom and Flowers. Both rookies have flashed their potential. Flowers has been getting plenty of reps and Grissom with his athleticism is beginning to emerge a bit.<\/p>\n Right now this forces out veterans Chris Jones, Joe Vellano and veteran Alan Branch. Zach Moore can still find his way onto the practice squad. There is still a long way to go, and we\u2019ve heard rumors that Casey Walker may be on his way back to NE.<\/p>\n Out: Zach Moore, Chris Jones, Joe Vellano, Alan Branch, A.J. Pataiali\u2019l<\/p>\n Linebacker (6) –<\/strong>\u00a0Jerod Mayo<\/strong>, Jamie Collins,<\/strong> Dont\u2019a Hightower, James Morris, Eric Martin, Matt Wells<\/strong><\/p>\n The top three (Mayo, Collins and Hightower), are a talented, deep group. Hightower is still wearing a red non-contact jersey but is on the field daily. Mayo shows no signs of suffering after effects of his injury last season and is a full participant. Collins is having a strong camp.<\/p>\n After them the competition is wide open. Morris is a smart inside linebacker who can plug holes in the running game and cover. Martin is having a quietly strong camp and is flashing in pass rush drills. Wells is an athletic type who can cover, play special teams and is looking like he belongs. Competition can change the bottom three from week to week here.<\/p>\n Out: Dekoda Watson, Xzavier Dickson, Darius Fleming, Dane Fletcher, Rufus Johnson, Chris White, L.J. Fort, Jonathan Freeny, Cameron Gordon<\/p>\n Cornerback<\/strong>\u00a0(5)<\/strong> \u2013 Tarel Brown, Logan Ryan<\/strong>, Malcolm Butler, Bradley Fletcher, Darryl Roberts<\/strong><\/p>\n Huge turnover from 2014, Butler is having an outstanding camp and surprisingly Brown looks more like the guy who was a solid player for the Niners than the guy who struggled last season in Oakland. Fletcher and Ryan are definitely behind those two. In fact Ryan is looking more like a slot guy who is locked in a battle with Fletcher. Roberts is a rookie who is coming on in camp.<\/p>\n Swanson and McClain are far from out of the running, the margin is razor thin. Jimmy Jean is an intriguing guy with his size and is a definite practice squad candidate.<\/p>\n Out: Robert McClain, Daxton Swanson, Jimmy Jean<\/p>\n Safety (5)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Devin McCourty<\/strong>, Duron Harmon<\/strong>, Patrick Chung<\/strong>, Jordan Richards<\/strong>, Tavon Wilson<\/strong><\/p>\n McCourty, Chung and Harmon are all locks here. DMac just got rewarded with a big contract extension. Harmon will push Chung for starting reps and Richards is having himself a pretty solid camp. He\u2019s flashing good potential and already looks like he\u2019s learning the defense very quickly<\/p>\n So the final positional slot will be between Ebner, Wilson and King. Wilson has been having a very solid camp on defense and gets the nod\u2026for now over Ebner. King is a good candidate for the practice squad and is getting a lot of 1-on-1 instruction in the special teams game.<\/p>\n Out: Nate Ebner, Brandon King<\/p>\n Next Special Teams\u2026 <\/p>\n Specialists (4) <\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Stephen Gostkowski<\/strong>, Ryan Allen<\/strong>, Joe Cardona,<\/strong> Matthew Slater<\/strong><\/p>\n No drama here as none of the four specialists face any camp competition. Gostkowski and Allen are a solid tandem at Kicker and Punter. Cardona certainly puts some mustard on his snaps. But they haven\u2019t been all on target, a few have been low and more than a few have been a bit wide for Allen which can be dangerous. Slater is a Pro-Bowl gunner and although still on PUP, isn\u2019t going anywhere.<\/p>\n Total Roster (53)<\/strong><\/p>\n Be sure to stay tuned to PatsFans.com <\/strong>for all your camp updates and check out our \u201cPats Picker\u201d the Roster Selection tool where you can act as the Patriots GM and put together your own 53-man roster.<\/p>\n Follow me on Twitter\u00a0@SteveB7SFG\u00a0<\/a>or email me at\u00a0stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n