{"id":47609,"date":"2023-09-03T05:00:54","date_gmt":"2023-09-03T09:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=47609"},"modified":"2023-09-02T10:11:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-02T14:11:27","slug":"patriots-news-9-3-the-roster-is-setfor-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/09\/03\/patriots-news-9-3-the-roster-is-setfor-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots News 9-3, The Roster is Set\u2026For Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Good morning, and here are our Sunday Patriots news 9-3 and notes for this week and what a busy week it has been. Today will be the last Sunday without the NFL until the Super Bowl. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has also been great seeing Chris Price back on the Patriots beat for the Globe. Chris is a super writer and author and an even better person. Welcome back!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots have set their initial 53-man roster and 16-player practice squad, and there are sure to be changes to both in the coming days\/weeks, but for now, they have the core of players that will take the field against the Eagles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But before we get to the Patriots, the NFL lost a giant this week as Gil Brandt passed away at the age of 91. Brandt is widely considered the father of modern scouting, and his talent evaluations, along with Tex Schramm and Tom Landry, helped build the Cowboys powerhouse teams of the 1970s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brandt was the first to put detailed personal data on a computer to properly evaluate prospects for the Cowboys, long before the word analytics was even thought of. He continued that after his career with Dallas, from their inception in 1960 until he was fired by Jerry Jones in 1989, with NFL.com. His columns and Twitter account were always sought out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He also had a photographic memory. He could recall everything about prospects that Dallas had scouted, down to the minutest details. Greg Aiello, who worked with Brandt in Dallas, recalled to NFL.com, &#8220;One of the stories they liked to tell from the Cowboys days was that some fairly obscure player name came up, and Gil said, &#8216;His father sells eggs in Albuquerque.&#8217; &#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of Brandt back in 2017, &#8220;Looking at Gil Brandt and the job that he did with the personnel, he certainly should be in the Hall of Fame based on his contributions to this game and contributions to the personnel and scouting side of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;He&#8217;d probably be the first guy I would put in there.&#8221; Brandt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019. RIP.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Quick Hitters For the Patriots and NFL News:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Matt Corral: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The former Panthers QB has been plucked off of the practice squad by the Patriots. And with Tyquan Thornton on short-term IR, there was an open spot on the 53-man roster.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, at least on paper, the Patriots now have their #2 QB. On Tuesday, after releasing Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham, the Patriots only had Mac Jones on the roster. Many local and national media ran with that story for 24 hours until the team resigned both QBs to the practice squad. Corral\u2019s addition now makes the QB room a robust four players\u2026and everyone<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeReiss\/status\/1696928211379032463\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can calm down<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is intriguing about Corral is that he thrived in an RPO-heavy system with Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. In two years in that system, he completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 6,686 yards and 49 touchdowns in 23 games. The Patriots, under Bill O\u2019Brien, will run a similar scheme, something that the Patriots hope that Corral should pick up rather quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the first few weeks, at least, Zappe should be the backup until Corral has a chance to learn the new offense. Then we\u2019ll see if they have something in Corral and if he will truly be the #2 QB behind Jones.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Kendrick Bourne: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The wide receiver was the subject of many phone calls during the final cutdown days, as several teams inquired about wanting to trade for him. But the Patriots told them that Bourne wasn\u2019t available. Something that resonated with Bourne, especially after the tumultuous year the WR had with Matt Patricia last season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cI appreciate Bill [Belichick]. Bill stuck with me. I struggled last year personally. He\u2019s always pushed me to be better,\u201d Bourne said. \u201cI feel like Bill encourages me every day what I can get better on. I appreciate that personally because he could have just been like, \u2018whatever.\u2019 But he\u2019s always pushing me, and this year, I want to go my hardest I\u2019ve ever gone. And it feels good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m glad to be here,\u201d Bourne added. \u201cThis is where I\u2019m supposed to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>T.J. Luther: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots signed Luther to the practice squad while releasing Thyrick Pitts. Luther spent the offseason with the Jets practice squad. A UDFA, Luther caught 55 passes for Gardner-Webb last year for 1,035 yards and seven TDs. He averaged 25.6 yards per kickoff return in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jalen Reagor: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots signed the WR to the practice squad on Thursday. Reagor is a former 1st-round draft pick (21st overall) of the 2020 draft of the Philadelphia Eagles. But he has never lived up to those lofty expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\u2019s caught 73 passes in his first three seasons and has been plagued by drops and inconsistent route-running. Yet he is only 24 and brings the speed element to the Patriots. He also returns kicks and punts, something that could earn him some playing time if he is able to learn the offense and gain the trust of the coaching staff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Nick Folk: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots traded the very consistent kicker to the Tennessee Titans earlier last week for a 2025 7th-round draft pick. Folk was picked up by the Patriots in 2019 when Stephen Gostkowski was injured. Since then, he has been remarkably consistent, making 89.3 percent of his field goal attempts, fifth best in the NFL, including 58 straight from inside of 40 yards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But after the Patriots drafted Chad Ryland this spring in the 4th round of the draft, the handwriting was on the wall for Folk. The team was going with a younger kicker with a much longer range. Plus, the fact that Folk\u2019s consistency tapered off late last season, something that might have to do with his age (38), but he had a strong training camp.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Patriots 4th &amp; 2 Podcast:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If you haven\u2019t listened to our<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/cottage-talk\/patriots-fourth-and-two-blog-talk-radio-feed\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PatsFans.com podcast,<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patriots 4th &amp; 2\u201d, in a bit, please check it out. Patriots 4th &amp; 2 has expanded.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Derek Havens and I spoke about the initial 53-man roster and practice squad this week. Be sure to check out Russ Goldman\u2019s solo shows. He has been recording some of his own takes in short 15-20-minute podcasts this summer. He has also added me on his Sunday podcast to talk about this column.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Russ Francis\/Chuck Fairbanks:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The former Patriot tight end and head coach both should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn\u2019t in is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders\u2019 Dave Casper changed the game with how teams used the tight end position&#8230;this will be on our Sunday posts until it happens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Roster Breakdown \u2014<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots have finished with their initial 53-man roster and 16-player practice squad, although there have already been changes, as we\u2019ve seen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, despite what Boston sports radio tells you, this isn\u2019t a dumpster fire of a roster. Remember this: the Patriots won eight games a year with a dumpster fire of an offense and could have won two to three more. This team has a health problem on offense, specifically the offensive line, which we\u2019ll hopefully see at least four starters next week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With Bill O\u2019Brien and improved weapons on offense, this unit is going to be much better than people expect. Defensively, they will be better than a year or two ago and have the tools to be a Top-10 defensive team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Quarterback (4):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Mac Jones, Matt Corral, (PS) Bailey Zappe, Malik Cunningham<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can you believe that on Tuesday, many in the local and national media, as well as fans, were decrying Belichick for only having one? (They only have ONE Quartah-back, Mike!). Just two days later, they have four, bringing back Zappe and Cunningham to the PS and poaching Corral off of Carolina\u2019s PS.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With Jones firmly in the #1 QB slot, Zappe is insurance (for now) until Corral can learn the offense, which, in O\u2019Brien\u2019s scheme, he\u2019s a much better fit than Zappe, it is similar but not the same as he ran in Ole Miss. Cunningham is a developmental\/Scout Team QB.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Running back (4):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Rhamondre Stevenson, Ezekiel Elliott, (PS) Kevin Harris, Ty Montgomery<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stevenson and Elliott are a very good 1a-1b tandem. Depending on the opponent or game plan, they can activate Harris or Montgomery on game days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Wide receiver (7):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, (PS) T.J Luther, Jalen Reagor<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u201cstink, stank, stunk\u201d crew has a collective chip on their shoulder and has some good depth and potential at the position. I believe Bourne may end up being the team\u2019s best receiver this year, better than he was in 2021.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The team purposely kept Douglas under wraps in the preseason, and I can\u2019t wait to see what he can do in this offense. Boutte came on late in the preseason, and Reagor is a reclamation project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The team also had WRs Shi Smith, South Carolina (a player from the draft that I had an interest in), and Cody Chrest in for workouts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Tight end (4):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, (PS) Matt Sokol, Pharoah Brown<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having only two TEs on the active roster won\u2019t fly in the opener. They\u2019ll probably activate Sokol for the Eagles until Brown gets up to speed. I think that Henry and Gesicki are (on paper) one of the best TE duos in the league.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Offensive Line (14):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Trent Brown, Riley Reiff, Sidy Sow, Tyrone Wheatley Jr., Vederian Lowe, Calvin Anderson<\/span><b>, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cole Strange, David Andrews, Michael Onwenu, Atonio Mafi, Jake Andrews, (PS) James Ferentz, Andrew Steuber, Kody Russey<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fourteen O-Linemen? It\u2019s all about health, and they have several guys trying to work their way back into playing shape. But if they can start the season with Trent Brown, Cole Strange, David Andrews, and Michael Onwenu healthy and ready to go, they can work through any issues with RT. Riley Reiff is banged up, and Calvin Anderson just returned from a serious illness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The team traded for Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and Vederian Lowe. Health is the key to this unit. We\u2019ll see how this plays out this week in preparation for Week 1.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Interior defensive line (7):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Davon Godchaux, Christian Barmore, Deatrich Wise Jr., Lawrence Guy Sr., Keion White, Daniel Ekuale, Sam Roberts<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are no surprises for this unit, which looks to be very solid. One interesting tidbit came last week from Evan Lazar of Patriots.com. Lazar, who is outstanding in breaking down Xs and Os, wrote that the Patriots may be planning on playing less of their traditional two-gapping style up front.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He wrote, \u201cThe defensive line might be one-gapping or playing a gap-and-a-half technique to \u2018spill\u2019 runs to the perimeter rather than building a wall as a two-gapping front. If that&#8217;s the case, more explosive upfield defenders such as Roberts and rookie Keion White make more sense in the scheme over two-gapping kings like (Carl) Davis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Linebacker (11):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Matthew Judon, Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai, Marte Mapu, Mack Wilson Sr., Chris Board, (PS) Calvin Munson, Ronnie Perkins, Joe Giles-Harris<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots returned a strong group of linebackers from a year ago and made it better with the addition of Marte Mapu and the continued progression of Anfernee Jennings. Calvin Munson may be an addition to the 53-man roster soon, and Ronnie Perkins, finally healthy, showed signs of putting it together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Cornerback (6):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones, Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant, Shaun Wade<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The big question at cornerback remains about Jack Jones&#8217;s availability due to his upcoming court appearance in September. The corner position with Jack Jones and Gonzalez on the boundaries with Jonathan Jones in the slot is their best bet. Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant, and Shaun Wade round out the position.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wade has made strides in putting it all together. He\u2019s got good size, 6\u20191, 195, and has played outside, in the slot, and a few snaps at safety.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Safety (5):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills,\u00a0 (PS) Joshuah Bledsoe<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots were able to retain the top five safeties on the roster after bringing Joshuah Bledsoe back to the practice squad after the cutdown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are deep and talented, but who plays the deep safety position that has been filled by Devin McCourty for so many years? They may opt to rotate players there, but Jalen Mills seems like a natural fit there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Specialists (7):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> K Chad Ryland, P\/H Bryce Baringer, LS Joe Cardona, Gunners Matthew Slater, Brendan Schooler Ameer Speed, (PS) P Corliss Waitman<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots are going for a youth movement on STs with rookies Chad Ryland at kicker and Bryce Barringer at punter. Add in rookie Ameer Speed and Chris Board, and the STs will look quite different this year. Matthew Slater returns, as does Brendan Schooler and Joe Cardona.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>PUP (2):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Cody Davis, Trey Flowers<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>IR Short Term(1):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Tyquan Thornton<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">______________<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWell yeah, it&#8217;s a tough day for everyone. We have relationships with players, some over an extended period of time, some less. But we talked about it the other day, and it&#8217;s difficult for everyone. It&#8217;s difficult on relationships. But we all knew this day was coming, and this is part of the process.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt&#8217;s a very competitive league. There&#8217;s a lot of very talented players, and they compete, and not everybody can have a spot. So, that&#8217;s difficult. Again, like I always do, I would caution you against thinking things are over when they&#8217;re not necessarily over on a lot of levels. They might not be over here. They might not be over somewhere else.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPlayers have certainly left here and gone and had careers, and players have been released by other teams and come here. The Rob Ninkovich&#8217;s of the world or whatever, tough day for him, and it&#8217;s the end of his line \u2013 and it definitely wasn&#8217;t. So, the stories aren&#8217;t over here. It&#8217;s just one step in the process for us and the players, for some, it will be, and for others, it won&#8217;t be. Some players that we release will come back and play for us to be on the practice squad, and some won&#8217;t.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAgain, we all knew those numbers and the math when we started. We don&#8217;t know exactly what they&#8217;ll be, but we have a general idea, so that&#8217;s the way it is every year. But yeah, it&#8217;s always difficult to even have to tell a player that he&#8217;s not going to be on the roster, he&#8217;s going to be on the practice squad, or he&#8217;s not going to be here at all, or whatever it is. But like I said, unfortunately, that&#8217;s part of the process. It&#8217;s what we all signed up for. That&#8217;s what it is. This is one of the days that it happens.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bill Belichick, when asked about the process of communication between the coaching staff and players when the team does the cutdowns from 90 players to 53.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">_______________<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTalent sets the floor; Character sets the ceiling.\u201d Bill Belichick<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at<\/span><\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/patspub.patsfans.com\/stevebpatsfans@gmail.com\"> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen to our<\/span><\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.blogtalkradio.com\/patriotsfourthandtwo\"> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patriots 4th and 2<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> podcasts on Stitcher and Streamyard as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens, and myself from<\/span><\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/\"> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PatsFans.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s a very competitive league. There&#8217;s a lot of very talented players, and they compete, and not everybody can have a spot. 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