Patriot Talk: Who Will Make The 53 Man Roster, And Who Won't? (Offense)

Every year for the last 10+ years, me and my father drive down to Foxboro, Massachusetts, walk down through the large parking lot, through the crowd of people and onto a grass hill, overlooking the New England Patriots practice facility. We sit and watch in awe at all these incredible athletes apart of a team we call a dynasty. Players come and go, rookies and veterans alike. Each year, we evaluate and see if we can predict the 53 man roster coming out of Training Camp. This year, I will document it.

This offseason, 89 players competed for 53 spots on the Patriots roster. We have “locks”, players that will most assuredly make the squad, and we have guys that are on the “bubble”, competing for a spot. Then we have the guys who are long-shots, and most likely will not make the team. Let’s start with the Quarterbacks, the most important position in football.

1. Tom Brady: Brady is more than just a lock, he is the face of this franchise. He is the main reason we have been Super Bowl contenders for the last 18 years. He was great in Camp, and will definitely be our starter without a shadow of a doubt.

2. Brian Hoyer: Hoyer was on again, off again during Camp. He made some fantastic tosses that were dropped, and he has made some not-so fantastic passes. He is inconsistent, but good enough to be a back-up, and will make the roster.

3. Danny Etling: Etling showed that he has a good arm, but he has struggled almost all of camp in competitive snaps. He is on the bubble, but could be included as the Patriots tend to hold onto 3 QBs, with last year being Brady, Garappolo, and Brissett. This kid shows promise but he is a project for sure.

Now, onto the Running Backs. These guys are hard to evaluate, as most of their training takes place on the opposite side of the field, and when they’re doing competitive drills, they aren’t tackling the RBs, making it even more hard to judge. But here is what I’ve come up with:

1. James White: White is very elusive and shows great vision. We got a glimpse of that in the second week of the preseason, when he took a short screen route to the house. He is another lock on the team, and is our main RB heading forward.

2. Rex Burkhead: Burkhead is a guy that Belichick covets. He can catch, he can run, and he is creative. He looked good early on in Training Camp, but suffered an injury. However, he really stood out, and when he comes back, he is sure to have yet another good season in New England. He should be on the roster for this season.

3. Sony Michel: Michel was the Patriots first round pick in this past draft, so in my eyes, he definitely should make the team. He is a talented RB and one of the first RBs the Patriots have committed to in the first round in the Belichick Era. However, injuries have kept him behind, and I didn’t see enough of him in Camp and he hasn’t played a preseason game just yet. It is unclear where he stands in the lineup but he will be on the roster.

4. Brandon Bolden: Brandon Bolden is the only other safe bet to make the 53 man roster. Because of his time in New England and his special team play, Bolden is ahead of the next few I will talk about. His spot isn’t exactly secured but he isn’t necessarily on the bubble either, but it depends on how hard the guys underneath him work, along with injuries to the aforementioned players.

5. Jeremy Hill: Hill was a workhorse in the very first preseason game, and he has shown determination recently as well. He lost weight to stay in better shape while maintaining his strength for short yardage situations. However, he does have a bit of a hill to climb, and a lot more left to prove. I expect more reps throughout the remainder of the preseason.

6. Mike Gillislee: Gillislee is the most intriguing guy at the RB position, but not in a very good way. He is a veteran RB who was here in New England last season, but didn’t have a very big role. He hasn’t had the best camp, and has been outshined by Jeremy Hill and, at times, Brandon Bolden. He isn’t a special teams guy either, lowering his stock even further. But he knows the system better than Hill, as he has been with the team longer, and Belichick is known to stick with the guys who have been around longer. It’ll be an interesting battle, but I don’t believe he will make the squad, at least not right now.

7. Ralph Webb: He isn’t at the bottom of this list because he has been the worst of the group. He’s at the bottom because the odds are stacked against him. He was an undrafted rookie free agent Running Back. Running Backs don’t fair well in a Belichick-run offense. Rookies have less experience than the veterans, and Belichick favors that, AND he was UNDRAFTED. Guys like him very rarely make a squad right away, if ever. But, I will admit, he has made a good case to, at the very least, make it to the Practice Squad and learn the Belichick system.

Wide Receivers in New England are interesting. Outside of Edelman (who is suspended for the first 4 games) and Hogan, the Patriots don’t really have much. Even Hogan at times looked shaky during Camp. My guess is, because Edelman is suspended, they keep more Wide Outs than usual. Here are the guys catching Brady’s tosses:

1. Julian Edelman: “Squirrely” as he is called in New England, has looked outstanding. For a guy coming off of an ACL tear, he looks great. Usually, guys coming off knee injuries, especially major ones, aren’t able to make tight turns or quick cuts. Edelman has been able to do those things and excel at them. He has embarrassed our Cornerbacks, more specifically JC Jackson, who I will get to later. He is going to have a monster year after he is done serving his four game ban.

2. Chris Hogan: The top 2 guys here are locks, although Hogan has dropped some good throws from both Hoyer and Brady at Camp. He has also been completely shut down at times by Stephon Gilmore. I like Hogan, and I believe he doesn’t get enough credit, but last years Camp was far and away better than this years, and that is concerning for me.

3. Cordarrelle Patterson: These next few guys are so close to call, but Patterson has stood out in Camp to me. He has the ability to make acrobatic catches, the size that Brady loves, and the speed to make him a great deep threat, and the footwork to catch defenseman off guard. But Patterson is only that. He isn’t good at running routes other than straight down the field, and he can’t rely on acrobatic catches through an entire season. It is very scary that he is pretty much locked in, and one of the better guys on this roster. Yikes.

4. Kenny Britt: Britt has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but I believe that he is just using it as an excuse. Every drill that he participated in, he went full speed and looked good. But once he dropped a pass, or slipped up, he complained about something and then left. Another time, he was putting in little to no effort on a drill, got yelled at, and then moments later left the field. He didn’t finish a single Training Camp, and didn’t participate in 1 on 1 drills. It’s a shame because he has the size, speed and route running ability to be huge, but has a work ethic issue. He needs to get it together.

5. Eric Decker: You guys are probably wondering why Decker is so low on this list. Well, for one, he is still trying to grow accustomed to the new system. I’ve mentioned it already, Belichick likes guys who have been with the team for a little while over new guys. And two, he can’t catch a thing. He dropped so many passes during Camp that shouldn’t be dropped by Peewee players, never mind NFL athletes. He looked terrible during the preseason, dropping plenty of passes then as well. But because of our current WR situation, he will probably make the team. It’s sad seeing him drop balls, but still, it’s bad.

6. Matthew Slater: Slater is a highly coveted Special Teams player and nothing more. He will make the team because of that reason, and that reason only. He is not a WR we will see out on the field catching passes. However, if Decker continues dropping easy catches, that may change…

7. Devin Lucien: Lucien had an impressive start to Training Camp. He looked very good in 1 on 1’s and made some great catches to boot. However, the back-half of Camp, he dropped off a bit. I believe he will still make the team, but it is contested. If he picks it back up in preseason, then he should be a lock. He also knows the system better than Decker, so I guess Decker could be cut for him, and you shouldn’t be too upset about that.

8. Phillip Dorsett: Dorsett is certainly on the bubble, but has caught up to Lucien of late. It’s close, but Dorsett makes a case to stay with the team. He looks more consistent than Lucien, and can catch the ball @EricDecker.

9. Braxton Berrios: I. Love. This. Kid. Drafted in the 6th round this past season, he has done nothing but impress me. He reminds me of Julian Edelman, with his size, standing at 5’9, 190 pounds. He also has great route running ability, and he sacrifices his body to make acrobatic catches over the middle. But just like Edelman at the beginning of his career, his odds are stacked highly against him. He looks very good at Special Teams and could make the squad on that early on, just like, guess who, Julian Edelman. Remember his name.

10. Riley McCarron: McCarron was on the Practice Squad last year, and was higher on the depth chart than Berrios to begin. But Berrios has been more impressive, and has taken that spot. However, Belichick likes this kid, putting him with the first team offense during Camp. That’s a sign that he very well could be on the team, but on the Practice Squad. However, Decker may be kind enough to give him a roster spot. Nice guy Eric Decker is.

11. Paul Turner: 2 year vet, picked up in Free Agency this year. The odds were stacked and he didn’t face up to it. He never stood out once, and he needed to. He’s the one guy on this list I’m almost certain won’t make the team

Next up are the Tight Ends. Based on what we’ve done in the past, we will probably keep 3 plus 1 on the Practice Squad. This is the strongest position on the team in my opinion, even if Gronk goes down. Here’s why:

1. Rob Gronkowski: One of, if not, the best Tight End in the league, Gronk will definitely make the team. It’s just a matter of will he stay healthy all season.

2. Jacob Hollister: Hollister has taken huge strides in his development. He is a big target for Brady, with speed that is unnatural for Tight Ends. He is good at running his routes and making great plays. However, there’s still improvement to be made on his blocking. He should make the team.

3. Dwayne Allen: Allen isn’t much of a pass catcher. In fact, he is sort of like Decker. But he makes up for it with his blocking ability. Because of how good he is at blocking, he too should make the team.

4. Ryan Izzo: Izzo is a big man, standing 6’5, 255 pounds. He was our 7th round pick out of Florida State, and has looked decent in Camp. He looks almost exactly like Dwayne Allen, but not as technically sound. Not as much of a pass catcher, but a heck of a blocker. I believe he will make the Practice Squad and may be called up at some point in the season.

5. Will Tye: Not as good of a blocker as Izzo, but does have experience. However, yet again he isn’t a pass catcher. He may compete with Izzo, but I believe he’s the odd man out.

*** Stay tuned for the next article about the Offensive and Defensive linemen! ***