The New England Patriots will have trimmed their roster from its current 77 players to 53 by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The path to that number and the results of the corresponding moves will tell us a lot about the team and how the Jerod Mayo-led coaching staff views its strengths and weaknesses at this point.
It will also give us answers to some of the big questions that remain unanswered ahead of NFL Cutdown Day. Here are five big questions we’ll be keeping an eye on throughout the day and beyond.
Before that, though, a quick reminder about our Patriots Roster Cuts Tracker and the updated Patriots Roster. To avoid missing any changes, we recommend bookmarking both pages and visiting them regularly.
How do the Patriots rate their depth?
The Patriots’ initial 53-man roster, which will be finalized Tuesday afternoon, will give us some insight into how the team views its current roster overall. While some positions appear to have enough quality players, others aren’t quite as solid at this point — which could be reflected in the final cuts.
Here’s a quick look at where things stand right now, based on our current Patriots Roster Bubble Watch.
Quarterback: Aside from Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye, it’s unclear how many passers will actually be retained. Joe Milton is almost certain, but Bailey Zappe might be more willing to step in as the third passer at this point. Could New England take four quarterbacks, or alternatively move Zappe to the practice squad?
Running back: The Patriots have good depth at their running back position, but the question is whether Kevin Harris or JaMycal Hasty are viewed as the better RB3. Perhaps both will be retained to make up for depth elsewhere (e.g. tight end).
Wide receiver: New England has a young but promising group of wide receivers. How many of them make the team is currently uncertain, although Jalen Reagor’s potential as a returner likely secures him the sixth spot. Will there be a seventh spot for someone like Kayshon Boutte? Again, a lack of depth elsewhere could influence that decision.
Tight end: After Monday, the Patriots have four tight ends left on their roster. Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are safe, will the team keep one more? Or sign someone off the waiver list? Or maybe forego a third and fourth option altogether to gain more depth elsewhere?
Offensive Tackling: The offensive tackles struggled in the last preseason game against Washington, making that a prime position for some outside reinforcements. But the fact is, relying on a new addition coming off the waiver wire to play at a reasonable level as either a starter or backup is a risky proposition. Still, Tuesday and Wednesday will give us a clue as to what New England’s plans might be.
Inner attack line: Depending on what happens at tackle, the Patriots’ offensive line could look very different from the last preseason game. Aside from the starters – Sidy Sow, David Andrews, Layden Robinson (?) – depth is also a problem.
Inner defense line: Christian Barmore is the big unknown after his blood clot diagnosis. Even though there is a chance he will return later in the year, the last roster spots are still up for grabs. It remains to be seen how the team evaluates players like Jeremiah Pharms Jr. or Trysten Hill and whether they will stay at number 53.
Defensive advantage: With Matthew Judon gone, the Patriots are a little thin at outside linebacker. Do they trust Anfernee Jennings, Joshua Uche and Oshane Ximines to hold down the fort? Or would they rather add other players outside of the versatile defenders who could also play the outside position (Keion White, Deatrich Wise Jr., Jahlani Tavai)?
Linebackers: Linebacker is one of the best positions on the roster, with Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai forming a strong one-two punch at the position. Raekwon McMillan also seems like a sure bet to make the roster at this point, with Sione Takitaki also still on the PUP list. The bigger uncertainty is who will fill the next spot in the standings at linebacker/special teamer.
Corner: The top three – Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones – are set and Marco Wilson seems to have a good chance of joining them on the team. Outside of these four, there are many question marks. But the lineup looks pretty good overall, regardless of whether Shaun Wade, Alex Austin, Isaiah Bolden or Marcellas Dial Jr. end up taking the last spot.
Security: Marte Mapu is a name to keep an eye on due to his unspecified injury, but even if he starts the year on the injured list, the position is in good hands overall. How far the Patriots will go is more of a question right now, but at least four safeties – Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawkins, Brenden Schooler – will be on the team.
Special teams: The punter and long snapper have been decided, but the kicker position has yet to be decided. Will the winner of the contest between Chad Ryland and Joey Slye be the starter?
As you can see, the Patriots have a lot of questions when it comes to depth. Not all of them are necessarily bad—the depth at cornerbacks and safeties is solid regardless of who ends up on the 53-man roster—but there are definite concerns that need to be addressed as well, at least from an outside perspective that may or may not reflect how the team views its depth.
Tuesday’s cuts and the subsequent release and training squad periods will show whether these concerns are actually shared within the building.
How are the injured players treated?
There are two pools of injured players the Patriots must address before Tuesday’s cut deadline: those currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and those who have missed practice and games due to injuries sustained over the summer.
The first group consists of three players. Guard Cole Strange (patella) will begin the year on the reserve/PUP list and hopes to return at a later date. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (knee) and linebacker Sione Takitaki (knee), on the other hand, appear to be closer to a comeback.
But is he close enough to be taken out of PUP status and added to the 53-man roster? That remains to be seen.
The other players could be candidates for short-term injured reserve. Under the league’s updated rules, clubs can place two players on the injured list on cutdown day and still reactivate them after at least four games.
Players to keep an eye on in this regard include defensive tackle Christian Barmore (blood clot), safety/linebacker Marte Mapu and offensive tackle Calvin Anderson.
Will there be surprise moves?
On paper, the Patriots’ roster seems pretty clear. Sure, it remains to be seen whether players like Kayshon Boutte or Shaun Wade, who are still on the fence, make it, but if one or both of them are cut, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise either.
When it comes to surprises, you have to look at the transfer department. Under the previous regime under Bill Belichick, the Patriots were never afraid to make a move to bolster their depth at this point in the process; players like offensive tackles Vederian Lowe and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. were signed this way last year, for example.
On the other hand, maybe New England will find a player worth parting with? That seems unlikely, but strange things often happen on roster reduction day.
Will a rookie not selected in the draft make the team?
The Patriots’ 20-year streak of having at least one undrafted free agent make the Week 1 roster ended last September. Will a new streak begin? If so, it could come down to two players – one of whom is far more likely to make the roster than the other.
That player is safety Dell Pettus, who was used a lot in the preseason and is battling for a spot behind the top trio of Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers and Jaylinn Hawkins. He showed some potential over the summer, but his fate could be directly tied to how many defensive backs the team wants to keep overall.
The other player worth mentioning is rookie wide receiver David Wallis, who has performed well as a kickoff and punt returner, but he seems more likely to end up on the practice squad than the active roster.
How many players will be released?
To get under the 53-man limit, the Patriots will have to move 22 of their players – either by releasing them, trading them, or placing them on an injured list such as IR or PUP. But will they stop at that number?
Given comments from head coach Jerod Mayo and EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf in recent weeks, their team could aggressively tap the waiver list to improve its depth, and if so, cutting below 53 could be an option.
And even if the team has all 53 players on Tuesday, that doesn’t mean everyone is safe. The roster construction process is a fluid one, and the next few hours and days will provide concrete evidence of that.
