With all Patriots healthy, these could be the 7 inactives for Super Bowl LII
The New England Patriots are as healthy as can be, which means some good players will have to be inactive for Super Bowl LII.
All 53 players on the Patriots roster are healthy. Everyone was removed from the injury report on Friday. That means 7 health players will have to be inactive for Super Bowl LII. It’s not that difficult to predict who those players will be, and Mike Reiss from ESPN looks like he has it spot on.
Reiss’ Predicted Inactives
- DT Alan Branch
- WR Kenny Britt
- OL Cole Croston
- RB Mike Gillislee
- LB David Harris
- TE Jacob Hollister
- PR Bernard Reedy
Alan Branch has not played in a game since he injured his knee against the Miami Dolphins on December 11th. Branch is at full health, but Ricky Jean Francois seems to have taken his place, including in both playoff games so far.
Wide receiver Kenny Britt hasn’t seen much action with the Patriots after signing a two-year deal, but his time should come next season. For now, New England is set with Danny Amendola, Brandin Cooks, and Chris Hogan as their wideouts.
Mike Gillislee was thought of as a pretty big free agent signing, but he hasn’t been able to carve out any playing time for himself. It’s not that he’s played poorly, others like Dion Lewis, James White, and Rex Burkhead have just played better. Gillislee has also failed to shine on special teams, where he could have secured a weekly spot.
Linebacker David Harris is healthy, but he hasn’t played in the last 4 games. It doesn’t look like he will get on the field for this one either.
With Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen both at full health, there’s really no spot for rookie Jacob Hollister. He’s a solid special teams player, but there are other, more versatile, guys available to do the job right now.
Bernard Reedy is another player that has a better chance to gain a permanent spot on the roster next season. Dion Lewis and Danny Amendola should see most of the kick and punt return action.
Next: A conclusive Super Bowl LII preview
Super Bowl LII between the Patriots and Eagles will kick off from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. at 6:30 PM EST. New England remains the slight favorite, but this one should be a battle. The Eagles defense and Patriots offense will be fun to watch. As always, Chowder and Champions will have you covered leading up to, during, and after the game. You can also follow us on Twitter for some in-game thoughts and analysis @CandCFansided.