3 Long-Shots Who Will Make the Patriots Roster

As the Patriots prepare for Saturday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, fringe veterans and rookies alike are prepared to continue their 53-man roster battle. After all, with the majority of the roster being set, only limited spots remain as August nears its end.

There’s only one roster cutdown deadline this year following March’s league meeting, but that doesn’t mean long-shots can afford to waste a single snap. All it takes is one bone-head mistake to go from Bill Belichick’s good graces to the unemployment line.

Having said that, some players with less-than-ideal odds to crack the final roster have done a good job of stepping up this summer.

Here are three long-shots who have a great chance of making the Patriots’ final roster this fall.

3 Patriots Long-Shots Who Will Make Roster

1. Malik Cunningham

The last year has been a wild ride for Malik Cunningham.

After a down year at Louisville, the 24-year-old signal-caller joined the Patriots this summer as an undrafted free agent. While he made a name for himself under center during college, New England wanted to give him a shot as a wide receiver à la Julian Edelman.

Fast forward to the second week of exhibition action, and Pats fans wouldn’t mind seeing Cunningham as the No. 2 quarterback behind Mac Jones.

Cunningham gave viewers a taste of what he could do in last week’s loss to the Texans. Even though the Patriots didn’t get the win in the end, the rookie QB stole the show as he turned five rushes into 34 yards with a touchdown and even went 3-of-4 in the pocket for another 19 yards — including one pass for a first down.

Bailey Zappe still has the inside track for the backup role due to his experience, but that doesn’t mean that Cunningham can’t crack the roster as a gadget player. If anything his role would be similar to that of Taysom Hill on the New Orleans Saints — someone who could take the occasional snap at QB while also contributing to the passing and running games.

With the Packers no longer being the once-dominant force that they were, the door is open for Cunningham to capitalize on last week’s momentum. If he plays a relatively error-free game, his 53-man odds will only increase.

2. Demario Douglas

Demario Douglas is well aware of his status as a long-shot to make Belichick’s final roster. Not only is the 22-year-old facing an uphill battle as a sixth-round pick out of Liberty, but he’s a smaller wide receiver at 5-foot-8 and 192 pounds.

While some players of Douglas’ stature would struggle at the professional, it didn’t take long for him to look comfortable in training camp. He’s done everything that the coaching staff has asked for, using his reliable route running and blistering speed to prove why he deserves to be on the gridiron come September.

Douglas is exactly the type of weapon that Mac Jones could use in the passing game. The Jacksonville, Florida, native is the only wideout on the roster who’s under six feet tall, making him a speedy threat that can play out of the slot.

What increases Douglas’ odds to make the September roster is that he has been playing with both Jones and Zappe during practice. If the Patriots saw him as a true long-shot or practice squad candidate, chances are he would be spending more time with the reserves.

Douglas can also improve his chances if he makes more of a statement this weekend than he did in the preseason opener. After failing to be targeted once against the Texans, I expect the ex-Flame to make some noises against beatable Green Bay secondary.

3. Ameer Speed

Like Cunningham and Douglas, Ameer Speed’s path to the NFL wasn’t certain at the beginning.

He’s one of the older rookies at 23 and wasn’t selected until the 214th pick of April’s draft — New England’s second-last selection. It also doesn’t help that he only played 16 collegiate games over five seasons before playing a dozen with Michigan State last fall, so there isn’t a ton of tape on him.

However, Speed’s never-say-die attitude played a big role in the success he’s seen thus far and it’s also helped him standout at training camp.

What’s interesting is that the rookie CB isn’t only standing out because of his defensive skills. Instead, he’s been earning attention due to his versatility, proving that he’s more than someone with a badass name.

During the exhibition contest against the Texans, Speed showed that he could do it all, from shadowing tight ends on passing routes to even recording a tackle on a punt return.

While specializing in one area helps a lot of players, versatility is crucial in today’s NFL. Critical injuries can pop up any week, making a Swiss Army knife such as Speed incredibly useful for the grueling 17-game schedule.

Is he ready to be an everyday NFLer? Maybe not, but chances are other teams out there like what they’ve seen from Speed. The Patriots would be taking a huge gamble by putting him on waivers and judging by the rookie’s play thus far, that move would be too risky for me.

Assuming that he gets even more chances to shine Saturday night, Speed will only continue to prove why he’s more than worthy of a roster spot.

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