New England Patriots: 5 players who need to win fans over in 2018

Tarringo Basile-vaughan

FOXBORO, MA - NOVEMBER 13: A fan reacts before a game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Gillette Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

With the 2018 NFL season upon us, the New England Patriots motto “Do Your Job” will be echoed more than any other season. Here are five players who will have to do their job and win fans over throughout the season.

The 53-man roster is set and the New England Patriots are preparing for another season of dominance. But in order to continue their winning ways, each player has to do their jobs, especially entering a season in which the team has question marks in all phases of the game.

Defensively, the team will be looking to replace the production of Malcolm Butler. Who will secure the No. 2 cornerback role behind Stephon Gilmore?

Offensively, which playmakers will step up and become Tom Brady’s new favorite target? Furthermore, who replaces the stability of left tackle Nate Solder?

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Those are just a few questions that will need to be answered rather quickly in order for the team to have a successful season. You better believe New England Patriots fans will focus on a few players if things don’t go well.

With the team trading unpopular safety Jordan Richards and cutting Cyrus Jones and Mike Gillislee, a few of those scapegoats are now off the team.

But, there are five players on the current roster at key positions who will have to more than do their jobs to win fans over in 2018.

The veteran leadership of Jason McCourty

Signed to a one-year deal in the offseason, veteran cornerback Jason McCourty joins twin brother Devin McCourty in the New England Patriots defensive backfield.

After playing the majority of his career with the Tennessee Titans, the 31-year-old cornerback has established himself as a solid, reliable cornerback. That experience and his relation to Devin didn’t guarantee a roster spot however.

In fact, McCourty showed some struggles in the preseason that had him on the roster bubble. It was his play at safety that may have won him a position with the team. In proving his versatility, Jason McCourty will have the opportunity to contribute in different positions on the field and in multiple packages.

However, if some of those struggles he showed in the preseason spill over into the regular season, fans will quickly wish there was just one McCourty on the field.

In summary, it may be how Jason McCourty handles the tough Boston media and the pressure of playing with a winning organization that ultimate decides his success or failure in New England.

Dwayne Allen has to do something

The New England Patriots are set at the tight end position unless injury strikes Rob Gronkowski.

That’s where Dwayne Allen comes in. With just 10 receptions for 86 yards in 16 games played, the veteran tight end was a minor disappointment for the Patriots in 2017. Compared to what Martellus Bennett did a season prior, there was a little more expectation from Allen in the passing game.

This season, the team does have second-year tight end Jacob Hollister to pick up some of the slack, but it would be nice if Allen showed some of the playmaking skills he demonstrated during his tenure with the Indianapolis Colts.

In taking a pay cut and primary due to his blocking skills, Dwayne Allen did survive to make the 53-man roster this season, but he knows he has to be better. He also knows it will take mental toughness to find success and ignore the noise when things aren’t going well.

"“One of the things we stress here is mental toughness,” Allen said, as transcribed by the Providence Journal. “If I can’t be hard on myself, then who can be hard on me? I think it starts with me. “The expectations for myself mean more to me than any other expectations on myself. So I need to step up to the game and execute to my own expectations.”"

Although fans may not appreciate his blocking skills, catching a few balls in key moments will definitely gain him some points.

Elandon Roberts needs to make the next step

Following a strong rookie debut, New England Patriots linebacker Elandon Roberts was not as effective in his second NFL season.

Roberts entered training camp and the preseason as a player fighting for a job. Now that he has won that job, he has to produce and also make the leap he was expected to make during the 2017 season.

A bit undersized and lacking extreme athleticism, Roberts will have to get it done with his awareness on the field. With Dont’a Hightower back, he should be able to make more of an impact taking less snaps than he did in 2017 when he was on the field for 52.6 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.

While Elandon Roberts was still productive in the run defense, racking up 67 tackles, he was a liability in the passing game. If he can improve on his pass defense, the third-year linebacker will win fans over. If he continues to struggle stopping the pass, rookie Ja’Whaun Bentley will surpass him on the depth chart and Roberts could find himself off the team by midseason.

Eric Rowe’s time is now

Eric Rowe could even make fans forget about Malcolm Butler or wish the team kept the XLIX hero.

Whichever ends up being the case, there is one thing that is certain. The New England Patriots are going to give Rowe every opportunity to hold onto that No. 2 cornerback position. If anything, his versatility will have him on the field even if he struggles to step up in the role.

It is his ability to play the slot corner position as well as the outside that has Patriots head coach Bill Belichick lauding the capabilities Rowe adds to the team.

"“Eric’s a player with good versatility,” Belichick said . “He played safety in college, has played on the perimeter, he’s played inside, he’s played in some dime situations for us, rarely as a linebacker, obviously passing situations, but he has multiple skills. He’s a smart guy. He’s able to handle multiple assignments. So, again, we need players like that. Every team needs players like that on the roster. Every guy doesn’t have to be able to do that, but you’ve got to have somebody that has some versatility. He certainly falls into that category.”"

Now in his fourth NFL season and third with the New England Patriots, Rowe needs to stay healthy and also prove he can produce consistently. At 6-foot-, 205 pounds, the Utah product has the size to compete against bigger receivers and could be a nice compliment to Stephon Gilmore.

However, if he gives up too many big plays early in the season, Rowe may find himself playing primarily in the slot.

(Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)

All the pressure rest on Trent Brown’s shoulders

The biggest man on the field will have the heaviest weight on his shoulder.

Tom Brady has had players like Matt Light and Nate Solder protecting his blind side for his entire career, but he has never had a man as large as Trent Brown doing so. At 6-foot-8, 380 pounds, the Patriots new left tackle is a mammoth presence on the field. With that size, he has also shown he has the skills to be a dominant factor along the offensive line.