Patriots 53-Man Roster Projection: Who’s On Bubble Entering Camp?

The Patriots entered training camp this week with 90 players on their roster. They’ll have just over a month to trim that number to 53.

Who will make the cut? Who will fall short? With New England hitting the practice field for its first camp practice Wednesday morning, here’s a breakdown of NESN.com’s latest roster projection:

QUARTERBACK (2)
In: Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe
Out: Trace McSorley

McSorley or highly paid undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham, who’s listed as a quarterback but is attempting to convert to receiver, could land a spot as QB3, but both look more like practice squad options at this stage.

RUNNING BACK (4)
In: Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris
Out: J.J. Taylor

Still wouldn’t be surprising to see a late-summer addition here. The Patriots have explored the running back market, bringing Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson in for free agent visits last week. Multiple reports also have named them as a potential suitor for Dalvin Cook. Stevenson is the only sure thing in this group, so adding another proven backfield commodity would make sense. For now, Harris sticks as the early-down backup.

TIGHT END (3)
In: Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, Anthony Firkser
Out: Matt Sokol, Scotty Washington, Johnny Lumpkin

The Patriots rostered just two tight ends last season. But with Henry and Gesicki expected to frequently share the field in 12-personnel sets, it makes sense to carry another depth option. Firkser got the nod here as by far the most experienced of the third-string hopefuls, but the coaches could favor Sokol or the thick-framed Lumpkin if they’re looking for a backup with more blocking prowess.

WIDE RECEIVER (5)
In: JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Demario Douglas
Out: Kayshon Boutte, Tre Nixon, Raleigh Webb, Malik Cunningham, Ed Lee, Jalen Hurd

With the DeAndre Hopkins dream now dead, the Patriots enter camp with a clear top four here. We’ll be closely monitoring how Smith-Schuster and Thornton progress after both missed most of the spring with injuries. Shifty slot target Douglas is the current favorite to land the fifth spot, but he’ll need to fend off a half-dozen other roster hopefuls to do so, including fellow 2023 sixth-round pick Boutte. Hurd, who signed just before camp, is an intriguing long shot. He was a third-round pick in 2019 but has yet to play a regular-season NFL snap and had been out of the league since 2021.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE (5)
In: Trent Brown, Calvin Anderson, Conor McDermott, Riley Reiff, Sidy Sow
Out: Andrew Stueber

Brown’s importance can’t be overstated. After making only mid-level additions at tackle this offseason, the Patriots badly need their big bookend to be active and playing to his potential after a lackluster 2022 campaign. Brown wasn’t on the field much this spring — head coach Bill Belichick said he now “looks ready to go” — so it’s not yet clear how New England plans to deploy its tackles. Reiff, Anderson and McDermott all are starting candidates, while Sow will be a player to watch after playing the vast majority of his college snaps at guard. Anderson was placed on the non-football illness list Tuesday but can be activated at any time.

INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE (5)
In: David Andrews, Cole Strange, Mike Onwenu, Jake Andrews, Atonio Mafi
Out: Bill Murray, James Ferentz, Chasen Hines, Kody Russey

Rookies Jake Andrews and Mafi will have opportunities to impress at right guard while Onwenu, who opened camp on the physically unable to perform list, continues to recover from offseason ankle surgery. Murray also got plenty of looks there this spring, making him a dark-horse roster candidate. The longtime Patriots practice squadder converted from defensive tackle last summer and has played just three career NFL snaps, but he’s a favorite of Belichick.

DEFENSIVE LINE (6)
In: Davon Godchaux, Christian Barmore, Deatrich Wise, Keion White, Carl Davis, Daniel Ekuale
Out: Lawrence Guy, Sam Roberts, Jeremiah Pharms, DaMarcus Mitchell, Justus Tavai

Guy reported to training camp after holding out of minicamp, but he still falls into the “surprise cut” category here. There will be a lot of pressure on Barmore this season after injuries derailed his second year in Foxboro. White’s rare blend of size and athleticism makes him an exciting addition, but it’s unclear how the Patriots plan to deploy their second-round draft pick. The 290-pound rookie saw reps at defensive end and stand-up outside linebacker during spring practice, even dropping into coverage on occasion.

LINEBACKER (8)
In: Matthew Judon, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Marte Mapu, Jahlani Tavai, Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Chris Board, Mack Wilson
Out: Ronnie Perkins, Terez Hall, Calvin Munson, Olakunle Fatukasi, Diego Fagot
Injured reserve: Raekwon McMillan

The Patriots’ roster construction strategy here could hinge on how they plan to deploy Mapu, who played both linebacker and safety in spring practice. The third-round rookie will be one of the most fascinating players to watch in training camp.

CORNERBACKS (5)
In: Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones, Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant
Out: Isaiah Bolden, Ameer Speed, Shaun Wade, Quandre Mosely, Rodney Randle

Do the Patriots need another body here? We have them getting by with five corners for now, with the hope of sneaking rookie late-rounders Bolden and Speed onto the practice squad, but that could change based on how Jack Jones’ legal situation plays out. Belichick said Jones will participate in training camp following his June arrest on weapons charges, but he’s due back in court Aug. 18 and still could be disciplined by the NFL. If Jones remains available, he, Jonathan Jones and impressive top pick Gonzalez are the leading candidates for the two starting outside cornerback spots.

SAFETIES (4)
In: Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills
Out: Joshuah Bledsoe, Brad Hawkins

Mills, exclusively a cornerback in his first two Patriots seasons, switched to safety this spring. Switching him back is one possibility if Jack Jones’ gun charges wind up sidelining him. Such a move could open a spot for Bledsoe, who was one of the final cuts in this projection. Based on what we saw this spring, Mapu also should factor into New England’s plan at safety, and the versatile Jonathan Jones and Bryant could, as well.

SPECIALISTS (6)
In: K Chad Ryland, P Bryce Baringer, LS Joe Cardona, ST Matthew Slater, ST Brenden Schooler, ST Jourdan Heilig
Out: K Nick Folk, P Corliss Waitman, LS Tucker Addington
PUP list: ST Cody Davis

The rookie-versus-vet battles at kicker and punter should be competitive, as Belichick won’t simply hand roster spots to newbies Ryland and Baringer. We like their odds of beating out Folk and Waitman, though. We also have Heilig, who shadowed Slater throughout the spring, making the cut to extend the Patriots’ UDFA streak to 20 seasons. He can be the Patriots’ latest special teams-only player while Davis works his way back from the torn ACL he suffered last October.

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