Patriots
Several players in Foxborough remain on the roster bubble entering cutdown day.
Mike Vrabel and his staff still have some tough calls to make ahead of Tuesday’s final round of roster cuts.
With the preseason in the rearview mirror and roster cuts looming, here’s a look at our final 53-man roster projection for the Patriots.
For those keeping track, here’s a look at our previous roster projections:
Quarterback (2): Drake Maye, Joshua Dobbs
This segment of the roster is already seemingly settled with New England cutting third-string QB Ben Wooldridge on Friday. Even with a so-so showing on Thursday against the Giants, Wooldridge should be a candidate for the practice squad — although New England could look at the waiver wire to find another depth QB.
Running back (3): Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Antonio Gibson
No changes to what should be an area of strength on New England’s roster — especially with rookie TreVeyon Henderson looking like a difference-maker right out of the gate.
JaMycal Hasty could be carried onto the 53-man roster if New England prioritizes added depth at the position, but Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels should have plenty to work with when it comes to a trio that can gain yardage in the trenches, reel in catches, pass block and break through for major gains.
Wide receivers (7): Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Javon Baker, Efton Chism III
Once again, we have six locks already in place between Diggs, Douglas, Williams, Boutte, Hollins, Chism — with the latter being one of the breakout players during preseason play alongside Henderson.
Ultimately, it all comes down to how Vrabel and the Patriots value another wideout in Javon Baker. Baker should be the type of player whose skillset as a boundary wideout should make him worth keeping around — especially given that New England doesn’t exactly have a receiver corps teeming with big-bodied pass-catchers that can snag 50-50 balls beyond Hollins and potentially Williams.
But, Baker hasn’t shown much of an ability to produce offensively during preseason play. He also got whistled for some critical penalties during that same stretch.
Considering that Vrabel spoke highly of Baker’s contributions on special teams as a gunner and kick returner once again on Friday, we have him just making the cut.
“Well, I think you look at the entire body of work, and I think you try to evaluate everything, not just the special teams, but what else can they do? And in Javon’s case, he’s a wide receiver, and I think the more that he does the special teams, I think the better that he’s gotten, and he’ll understand how he can use his play strength, his speed, some of the receiving tools and fundamentals as a gunner, potentially,” Vrabel said of Baker.
Tight ends (2): Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper
Henry and Hooper have been locks all summer, but we have New England cutting their projected third tight end/fullback in Jack Westover and trying to stash him on the practice squad.
Considering how much McDaniels likes to utilize fullbacks in his offensive schemes, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if New England does scour the waiver wire this week to try and add another bruising fullback / tight-end hybrid.
Offensive linemen (9): Will Campbell, Morgan Moses, Mike Onwenu, Jared Wilson, Garrett Bradbury, Ben Brown, Marcus Bryant, Caedan Wallace, Vederian Lowe
A segment of the roster still rife with uncertainty isn’t necessarily getting any clearer once Tuesday’s roster cuts take effect.
The expectation is that Will Campbell (left tackle), Garrett Bradbury (center), Mike Onwenu (right guard), and Morgan Moses (right tackle) will be the starters for Week 1.
It remains to be seen if rookie Jared Wilson or veteran Ben Brown will seize the starting role at left guard, although Brown could also be pressed into duty as the team’s starting center if Bradbury struggles.
Speaking on Monday, Vrabel said no final decisions have been made about New England’s ongoing competition at left guard.
“We’re not making anything official,” Vrabel said. “It’ll be the five guys out there with the first group today, and then – but as far as having a parade or anything about it, we’re just not going to do that right now. Still want to get some work in today, compete against ourselves, like we talked about, and then come back and finish the week with starting on the Raiders.”
The greater concerns for New England might revolve around the paper-thin depth currently in place across the O-line. For now, we have New England’s backup tackles headlined by Vederian Lowe and 2025 seventh-round pick Marcus Bryant, although New England might also peruse the waiver wire for additional reinforcements.
With one of Brown/Wilson serving as a backup on the interior, we have Caedan Wallace beating out Cole Strange as the other interior backup — especially with Strange struggling on Thursday at center in the closing stretches of Thursday’s preseason loss to the Giants.
Wallace might have a bit more upside than Strange, who has gone from a projected starter at left guard to a roster-cut casualty. But, considering that Wallace was also playing deep into the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game, he’s not exactly on stable ground either.
This personnel grouping could look very different later this week as New England looks outside of the organization for more reinforcements.
Defensive tackles (5): Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, Khyiris Tonga, Joshua Farmer, Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
No changes with this spot on the roster, which is expected to be anchored by a pair of disruptive game-wreckers at the line of scrimmage in both Barmore and Williams. Tonga has also been one of the top surprises in camp as a run-stuffing force as the big man in the middle of the D-line.
Farmer hasn’t exactly popped during training camp, but he should be afforded some time to develop as a rookie, while Pharms stands as some added insurance at an area of strength. In what has been a recurring theme during this roster projection, New England could also cut Pharms if they think they can find a better alternative on the waiver wire.
Edge players (7): Harold Landry, Keion White, K’Lavon Chaisson, Truman Jones, Bradyn Swinson, Elijah Ponder, Anfernee Jennings
Even with some changes on this personnel grouping when it comes to Chaisson leapfrogging Keion White on the depth chart, we expect New England to roll with a pretty stacked squad on the edge.
Landry, Chaisson, and White are all expected to earn the lion’s share of snaps when it comes to getting after the quarterback. But, New England has some intriguing depth to turn to further down on the depth, especially when it comes to an undrafted pickup in Ponder.
Ponder is already poised to be a core special-teamer this season, but he’s also flashed during training camp while winning multiple 1-on-1 matchups.
After Patriots outside linebackers coach Mike Smith tabbed Ponder as “one of the best undrafted free agent pickups” he’s ever seen earlier this month, Vrabel also doled out some praise toward the former Cal Poly standout.
“I think for a young outside linebacker that hadn’t played it a bunch, I thought he picked it up fairly well – the punt sets and being able to play in space and then also trying to build a role on defense,” Vrabel said of Ponder. “So, those young players that, when you can find that they can back up a position but also give you some flexibility on special teams, they start to help themselves.”
For now, we have the Patriots also keeping Anfernee Jennings — who has shown this preseason that he can still be an effective player, even if he may not fit the exact scheme that Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams are looking to build in Foxborough.
It wouldn’t come as a surprise if the Patriots eventually find a trade suitor for a player like Jennings in the coming days.
Linebackers (4): Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens, Marte Mapu
The Patriots need all the help they can get at this area of the roster. But, with Jahlani Tavai still hindered by a nagging injury that has kept him off the field for most of the summer, one has to wonder if the veteran linebacker is moved to IR.
If Tavai was healthy, the case could be made that New England would opt for depth and roll with five linebackers entering Week 1. But after an encouraging performance against the Giants during New England’s preseason finale, we have safety-turned-linebacker Marte Mapu making the roster regardless of Tavai’s status.
Even if Mapu may not be an expected starter on defense, he — much like Baker and Ponder — could develop into a key contributor on special teams.
“He’s been a core special teams player and has worked at some spots on the inside, and I think that he’s continued to develop,” Vrabel said of Mapu. “I think he worked extremely hard when he was away to get back in there and to be ready to go, and showed us a lot by getting ready to go for the Giants game. So, clearly shows that he wants to earn a role and is trying to do that.”
Cornerback (5): Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, DJ James
The lack of clarity regarding Gonzalez’s return from a nagging hamstring injury should raise concerns. Still, this is a group that boasts both outright talent and plenty of upside — especially with both Alex Austin and DJ James elevating their stock with heavy snaps during preseason action.
Safety (6): Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawkins, Craig Woodson, Dell Pettus, Brenden Schooler
Yes, Kyle Dugger may not be the best fit for Vrabel and Williams’ scheme on defense, as evidenced by the fact that the veteran has played well into the fourth quarter during the Patriots’ preseason bouts with the Vikings and Giants.
But even if Dugger may not mesh with the system now put in place in Foxborough, it feels very unlikely that the Patriots will cut Dugger outright on Tuesday — nor does it seem like another team will want to take his contract off New England’s hands via trade.
The Patriots might ideally want to move on from Dugger, but they’re also not incurring a major dead cap hit just to free up that roster spot.
Just as he showcased against the Giants in a game where he recorded an interception to go along with six tackles and two pass breakups, Dugger is still a solid player who could still offer value on this defense — even if his role might shift in 2025.
Special teams (3): Parker Romo, Julian Ashby, Bryce Baringer
Andy Borregales might still beat out Romo in the competition for the starting kicker role in New England because the Patriots allocated a draft pick (sixth round, 2025) on him.
But, it’s clear that the veteran in Romo has been the better player this summer. The former XFL player connected on more field goals while showcasing some serious kicking strength after booting a 57-yard field goal during preseason action.
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