With training camp set to kick off this upcoming week, football is finally nearing a return. It’s safe to say the New England Patriots will certainly being looking forward to hitting the field and putting an ugly 2020 season behind them.
Armed with tons of cap space and numerous draft picks, the Patriots dominated the offseason. They added a lot of new faces who should look to come in and help this team bounce back after last seasons disappointments. If everything breaks right for the Pats, they could find themselves back in the playoffs after a one season layoff.
Of course, new additions means new competition, and it may lead to some people finding themselves on the outside looking in. We already saw some of this beginning to come to fruition during minicamp, but training camp is really where coach Bill Belichick and his staff will start weeding out the extra bodies on the 90 man roster.
As a result of all the new players on the team, there are some veteran holdovers on New England who may find themselves without a roster spot when the season gets started. Here are three players who could find themselves without a roster spot by the end of training camp.
New England Patriots Veteran No. 3: N’Keal Harry
This one is kind of a gimme, but if N’Keal Harry is still on the roster by the start of the season, there will be a lot of surprised Patriots fans to say the least. The third year wideout has requested a trade off of the Patriots after complaining about not getting enough opportunities to succeed, which probably won’t go over too well with Belichick.
Harry’s struggles over his first two seasons have been well documented. He’s struggled to stay healthy, and when he has been on the field, he has shown a complete lack of ability to get open from his defender. Harry eventually got passed over by Jakobi Meyers and Damiere Byrd on the depth chart, leading to his eventual trade request.
Even if Harry didn’t request a trade, there was a good shot he wouldn’t have made the roster anyways. He had already got passed over by Meyers, and while Byrd is gone, New England added Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne in free agency this offseason, and both will presumably find themselves ahead of Harry on the depth chart.
It’s tough to see New England presumably waste a first rounder on Harry, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. Contrary to his beliefs, he was given ample opportunity to succeed, he just never did anything to warrant more playing time. If the Patriots can find a trade partner for the disgruntled wide receiver, they should take what they can get for him; otherwise they will probably be forced to cut him without getting anything in return,
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.
New England Patriots Veteran No. 1: Chase Winovich
Chase Winovich has had a very interesting start to his career in New England. Sometimes he looks capable of developing into a dangerous pass rusher, while others he looks completely lost. He’s found himself in the doghouse with Belichick on more than one occasion, and after a strong offseason for the Pats, he may find himself on the outside looking in as a result.
Winovich has produced some solid numbers to start his career, picking up 5.5 sacks in both of his first two seasons and generally causing pressure on opposing quarterbacks. But he has sometimes been overlooked for other options, which wasn’t a good sign considering the lack of depth the Patriots front seven had last season.
That lack of depth doesn’t exist anymore. Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, and Matthew Judon have all been added into the fold, and while they don’t necessarily have the same role as Winovich, they are going to be starting games. Judon in particular is probably going to come in and Winovich’s starting role away from him.
Not to mention Winovich may get boxed out by some of the other younger prospects at his position. Deatrich Wise re-signed this offseason to a big deal, and Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche both had more productive minicamps than Winovich, meaning he’s probably already behind the ball there as well.
As a result, Winovich is probably going to need a big training camp in order to keep his spot on the team. He’s had flashes where he looked capable of developing into a solid pass rusher, but that may not be enough after what New England did this offseason. If he doesn’t do anything to jump off the tape, Winovich’s tenure in New England may be coming to a quick end.