With the New England Patriots opener at the Arizona Cardinals less than a month away, the team has very little time to trim off the fat on the offensive side of the ball. The emergence of many young veterans and rookies such as second year tight end A.J. Derby, will force the Patriots to part ways with players who were once roster guarantees. With that in mind, the Patriots projected roster will be a shakeup from what was thought three months ago.
New England Patriots Roster Projection: Offense
Quarterback (2)
Tom Brady*, Jimmy Garopollo, Jacoby Brissett
The Patriots don’t intend to add a fourth quarterback to the roster anytime soon, despite Brady’s four game suspension. While third-string rookie Jacoby Brissett has been a bystander for most of camp he should see a jump in reps especially after Brady missed practice because of a scissor incident. These roster sports should be all locked up for the regular season.
Running Back / Fullback (4)
Dion Lewis*, LeGarrette Blount, James White, James Develin, Brandon Bolden
Veteran Donald Brown, D.J. Foster, and Tyler Gaffney will be the odd men out. Luckily for Foster and Gaffney, they are both practice squad eligible. Had Dion Lewis been healthy, fifth-year back Brandon Bolden might be looking for a new home as he has proved himself as an unspectacular runner and just a special teams guy. LeGarrette Blount and James White should split carries until Lewis comes back, and James Develin has proved himself as a viable blocker.
Wide Receiver (6)
Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, Malcolm Mitchell, Keshawn Martin
The only real surprise within the wide receiver corps is there’s a good chance that Aaron Dobson and Chris Harper will get the axe. However, if Amendola or Mitchell get injured one of them may slip on the roster. Dobson may be the more likely one to be cut, because the fourth year receiver has performed poorly and proven he can’t be consistent enough performance or injury wise to stay on the field. In addition, the Patriots have put their receiver future in the hands of Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman.
Tight Ends (3)
Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, A.J. Derby
Going into this offseason many thought Clay Harbor would become the Patriots third tight end but a surge in camp by Derby could leave Harbor without a job. The Patriots gave Harbor a two-year deal worth $3 million but has not played to the expected level.
Offensive Lineman (9)
Shaq Mason, Sebastian Vollmer*, Nate Solder, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Marcus Cannon, Josh Kline, LaAdrian Waddle, Jonathan Cooper, Ted Karras
It’s not unlike Vollmer to be injured, and he will be back in place once he becomes healthy again. Surprisingly, it look likes Ted Karras could be the odd man out even despite him being a workhorse. It just doesn’t look like the Patriots have room for their sixth round pick. After all, he was a long shot to make the team.
In total, the Patriots should head into the regular season with 23 on the active roster for offense, which excludes injured or players that have suspended.
Be sure to check out the Patriots roster projection on defense and special teams.
