As of Wednesday, we are now just 50 days away from the start of the NFL season when the New England Patriots will take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
The New England Patriots won Super Bowl LI with a loaded roster, and for this season they’ve only gotten stronger. While they lost LeGarrette Blount, they brought in Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead. Logan Ryan walked away but he’s been replaced by Stephon Gilmore. Brandin Cooks has been added to Tom Brady’s long list of weapons.
New England is in prime position to win another Super Bowl, and a win this season would mean we are in the midst of a second Brady-Belichick dynasty. The Patriots won it all in 3 of 4 years between 2001-2004. They could repeat that feat as they won in 2014 and 2016. A title would mean 6 rings for Brady, the greatest QB of all time.
Though it’s still early in July, the New England Patriots roster seems mostly set in place. There could be a few surprises as training camp and preseason games are still to come, but I will address those changes then. For now, here are my thoughts and projections for the Patriots 53-man Opening Night roster.
Starters have a (*) and are in bold.
Quarterbacks
- #7 Jacoby Brissett
- #10 Jimmy Garoppolo
- #12 Tom Brady*
No questions here, Tom Brady is again your Opening Night starter. This season, he’ll get to play in every single regular season game. Brady hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down so with his new weapons expect another huge year from him.
Jimmy Garoppolo will spend another season as the backup, while Jacoby Brissett likely won’t see much action.
Running backs
- #28 James White*
- #33 Dion Lewis
- #34 Rex Burkhead
- #35 Mike Gillislee
The Patriots have reloaded at running back following the departure of LeGarrette Blount. While some fans don’t think they should have let Blount go so easily, New England must think they have two new stars in Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee. The former Buffalo Bills back, Gillislee, has a chance to become the starter, but for now, I believe it’s James White’s role to lose.
Dion Lewis will likely see a dip in his playing time, as the pass catching role is not solely his anymore. White, Burkhead and Gillislee all have some ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, so there is a ton of versatility here. No longer will defenses be able to call run or pass based on which back is on the field.
Fullback
- #46 James Develin
Once again, James Develin will be the lone fullback to make the Patriots roster. Glenn Gronkowski will likely stick around on the practice squad, just in case of any injuries to Develin. The fullback position could be crucial for New England this season as they will aim to break through for a few more long runs.
Tight Ends
- #83 Dwayne Allen
- #87 Rob Gronkowski*
- #88 James O’Shaughnessy
Both Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen are locks to make the roster. The question comes with who will fill the third tight end slot. The competition in camp will likely be between James O’Shaughnessy, Matt Lengel, and rookie Jacob Hollister. In my opinion, the more experienced O’Shaughnessy will win it outright, but don’t be surprised if you see Lengel or Hollister on the practice squad.
Wide Receivers
- #11 Julian Edelman*
- #14 Brandin Cooks*
- #15 Chris Hogan
- #19 Malcolm Mitchell*
- #80 Danny Amendola
Wide Receiver is another spot where the Patriots have gotten even stronger. While Julian Edelman will remain TB12’s go-to man, fans hope Brandin Cooks will be a stud. The Patriots acquired Cooks in a trade with the New Orleans Saints this offseason, and they didn’t even have to give up CB Malcolm Butler to do so. I believe Malcolm Mitchell will take a step forward in his second NFL season, making the cut as the final starter. New England will have excellent depth with Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola on the bench. Both will still see significant playing time on the field.
Offensive Linemen
- #60 David Andrews*
- #61 Marcus Cannon*
- #62 Joe Thuney*
- #69 Shaq Mason*
- #71 Cameron Fleming
- #75 Ted Karras
- #77 Nate Solder*
New England will return their starting five up front this season, which a lot of teams cannot say. Though they struggled at times throughout the season, another year together should help them improve. From left to right we should see LT Nate Solder, LG Joe Thuney, C David Andrews, RG Shaq Mason, and RT Marcus Cannon on the field. Cameron Fleming and Ted Karras get the nod as backups for now over rookies Conor McDermott and Tony Garcia.
The Patriots also have LaAdrian Waddle, Andrew Jelks, James Ferentz, Jamil Douglas, and Jason King on the roster for training camp, though I don’t see any of those guys making a big enough jump to make the roster.
Dante Scarnecchia will surely have this group ready to protect Brady and lead the way for backs in 2017.
Defensive Linemen
- #90 Malcolm Brown
- #92 Geneo Grissom
- #93 Lawrence Guy
- #94 Kony Ealy*
- #95 Derek Rivers
- #97 Alan Branch*
- #98 Trey Flowers*
- #99 Vincent Valentine
Trey Flowers had a breakout season in 2016, and he should see himself in the starting role for 2017. Alan Branch will remain as the veteran anchor in the middle, but questions remain about the second DE spot. Kony Ealy, who was acquired via a trade with the Carolina Panthers, could be the answer. He struggled in Carolina but some believe the change of scenery and coaching of Bill Belichick will help Ealy become a solid pass rusher.
New England should also have a good amount of depth on the bench with Malcolm Brown, Geneo Grissom, Lawrence Guy, rookie Derek Rivers and Vincent Valentine. Rivers comes from Youngstown State, so adjusting to the NFL speed could be an issue, but he has a chance to force his way past Ealy to become a starter.
Linebackers
- #50 Rob Ninkovich*
- #51 David Harris*
- #52 Elandon Roberts
- #53 Kyle Van Noy*
- #54 Dont’a Hightower*
- #55 Jonathan Freeny
- #58 Shea McClellin
Earlier in the offseason, I included rookie Harvy Langi in this group. Though he could still make the team ahead of players like Jonathan Freeny or Shea McClellin, I think he will still need some time to develop. When the New York Jets cut David Harris and the Patriots signed him, that also was a blow to Langi’s chances.
Harris should jump right into a starting role alongside Dont’a Hightower. On the outside, Rob Ninkovich and Kyle Van Noy should remain. I do believe though that Roberts, Freeny, and McClellin will see a good amount of time on the field.
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.
Special Teams
- #3 Stephen Gostkowski*
- #6 Ryan Allen*
- #18 Matthew Slater*
- #38 Brandon Bolden*
- #41 Cyrus Jones*
- #49 Joe Cardona*
Stephen Gostkowski struggled last season, but hopefully that won’t continue. He can still be one of the best place kickers in the league, and he will be the Patriots starter. Ryan Allen is a solid punter, he won’t face any true competition for his spot, and it’s the same story with long snapper Joe Cardona.
Cyrus Jones will need to prove that he’s worth a roster spot in training camp, but I think he can make the team as a return man. As always, Matthew slater will make the team as a special teams ace. Once agian this season i believe that Brandon Bolden will remain on the team. He should be a great asset on special teams, even if he doesn’t see any playing time as a running back.
Next: Patriots have top-tier NFL schemes
What do you think of my 53-man roster projection? What do you think of my picks as the starters? Whether you agree or disagree, let me know on Twitter @CandCFanSided or @JakChowder!