New England Patriots: Predicting the Week 1 roster in July

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FOXBORO, MA – AUGUST 13: Devin McCourty /

Cornerbacks

#21 Malcolm Butler*
#22 Justin Coleman
#24 Stephon Gilmore*
#25 Eric Rowe
#31 Jonathan Jones

A strong New England Patriots defense got even stronger with the addition of Stephon Gilmore. Though many in the media created animosity between Gilmore and former #1 corner Malcolm Butler, that seems fake. Gilmore and Butler can form one of the best tandems in the league if they both play to their abilities.

The third corner spot is up for grabs with Logan Ryan out of the mix. Eric Rowe and Jonathan Jones will battle it out in camp, but right now I’d give the edge to Rowe.

Safeties

#23 Patrick Chung*
#30 Duron Harmon
#32 Devin McCourty*
#43 Nate Ebner

There’s consistency in the back end of the secondary for the Patriots. Most times you look out onto the field you’ll find Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty. Duron Harmon also saw a ton of time playing last season, especially when McCourty was brought up closer to the line as New England played with three safeties.

Nate Ebner primarily fills a special teams role, but he will see a handful of plays on the field as a safety as well.

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