6 rings: Thoughts on the state of the Patriots following a lackluster preseason
The NFL’s roster deadline passed at 4 p.m. on Tuesday and the Patriots officially have 53 players on their 2023 roster. If you missed it, here’s a look at their initial team.
While this is hardly set in stone as transactions, trades, and adjustments will continue to trickle in, here are five surprises from New England’s initial roster:
5 - They kept just two running backs.
The Patriots released running backs C.J. Marable, J.J. Taylor, Kevin Harris, and Ty Montgomery prior to Tuesday’s deadline, and also traded 2022 fourth-round pick Pierre Strong Jr. to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
These transactions leave them with just Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott on the active roster, a bit of a shocker for a room that struggled to find depth all preseason long.
Not so fast, however. While Marable and Harris are subject to waivers, Taylor and Montgomery are not. Depending on who ends up on the (now four week) injured reserve, don’t be shocked to see either one or more of the four signed to either the active roster or the practice squad later on this week.
4 - They also kept 11 (!!) offensive lineman.
The Patriots started their Tuesday by releasing guard Chasen Hines and activating tackle Calvin Anderson off of the non-football injury list. Following said moves, here's who the Patriots kept along the line on their initial roster:
Trent Brown
Cole Strange
David Andrews
Mike Onwenu
Calvin Anderson
Riley Reiff
Jake Andrews
Atonio Mafi
Sidy Sow
Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Vederian Lowe
The trades for Wheatley Jr. and Lowe on Sunday added some wrinkles to where they wanted to go with the room. They're now holding onto six tackles and 5 interior linemen. Conor McDermott was also placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, which makes Anderson's return off NFI make a bit more sense from a roster construction perspective.
While they certainly now have depth at the position, keeping 11 players in one room while skimping out on others (QB [1], RB [2], and TE [2]), was a choice.
3 - Calvin Munson didn’t make the initial roster.
While I’m deeming this a “surprise”, it’s clear the Patriots have a plan for Calvin Munson. New England released the linebacker on Tuesday but according to MassLive’s Mark Daniels, look for him to make his way onto the 53-man roster tomorrow after the team places someone on the injured reserve.
I thought Munson did enough as both a special teamer and a reserve linebacker throughout this summer to warrant an initial roster spot. He finished Friday's preseason game in Nashville on Friday with an interception, 10 total tackles, and one tackle-for-loss. He'll remain an impact player in Foxborough in 2023.
2 - Lawrence Guy is still a Patriot, and without a new deal.
Guy was a trade/cut candidate for me on my final two roster projections after a) he held out of minicamp this Spring due to being unhappy with his contract and b) the Patriots were doing plenty of due diligence in the defensive line market over the last week-plus.
Not only did Guy make the 53-man roster, but he also hasn’t reworked his deal. Is this water under the bridge? Could a trade still happen? Time will tell. But for now, he’s on the team.
1 - Bailey Zappe was waived.
The shocker of the day. The Patriots waived their backup quarterback, Bailey Zappe, on Tuesday.
The 2022 fourth-round pick played in four games as a rookie in 2022, starting two and completing 70.7% of his passes for 781 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. There was a thought that he could compete for New England's number one quarterback job, but a rough preseason in 2023 led to his release.
New England also waived rookie QB/WR Malik Cunningham on Tuesday, leaving Mac Jones as the lone signal caller in the quarterback room.
Both quarterbacks would have to clear waivers before the Patriots could sign him to their practice squad.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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