New England Patriots: 3 veterans who may not crack the 53 man roster
New England Patriots Veteran No. 2: Sony Michel/James White
The New England Patriots running back room is at max capacity, and it’s fair to assume that atleast one of them will not be with the team when the roster has to get trimmed to 53. The problem is, there isn’t an easy candidate to cut here.
Damian Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson are probably locks, with Brandon Bolden, James White, and Sony Michel sitting behind them. The third level consists J.J. Taylor and Tyler Gaffney, who are both potential practice squad candidates if they don’t make the cut.
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The second layer will most likely see someone get cut. Of the three, Bolden probably has the best shot to make the roster considering he’s more of a special teams player then a running back. That leaves White and Michel as possible cut candidates.
Both bring a different skillset to the table. After a fantastic 2018 season, Michel has been wildly inconsistent since, and lost a large portion of his touches to Harris last season. Meanwhile, White functions as more of a pass-catching back, but he was largely phased out of the offense with Cam Newton under center last season.
There are many different routes this could go, and one player having a good or bad training camp could determine who makes the roster and who doesn’t. It could also depend on who ends up winning the quarterback job too. Newton appears to have the inside track, but if Mac Jones somehow ends up with the role, it wouldn’t hurt to have White on the field as a safety option.
Heading into camp, it seems more likely White sticks around over Michel in this situation. Maybe both of them make the roster; maybe neither of them do. Whichever way it goes, the Pats have a clear excess of running backs, and they may be forced to make a tough cut or two from the position group when the season starts up.