On Tuesday, the Patriots finalized their initial 53-man roster.
Besides Cam Newton being released, there weren’t a ton of other surprises. It’s worth noting the roster will change a number of times before the season opener against Miami, and could change as early as Wednesday.
Here are five quick thoughts on the roster as of Tuesday.
One quarterback?
As of now, Mac Jones is the only quarterback on the roster. But, that should change as soon as Wednesday. Brian Hoyer seems likely to return once a player is moved to injured reserve so he can return after three weeks. Players placed on injured reserve before Tuesday have to miss the entire season. N’Keal Harry seems like a perfect candidate to shift to IR and then Hoyer can come back to replace him on the roster. It will be interesting to see if the Patriots look to add another quarterback besides Hoyer to go along with Jones. Jarrett Stidham is on PUP and has to miss at least the first six weeks, so it may be beneficial to add another veteran in case of an emergency. And at the very least just to be a third quarterback to help practice run more smoothly.
Stephon Gilmore
Gilmore starting the year on PUP is a big blow to the defense. It is interesting because NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport said Tuesday his quad injury will be ready after Week 3 or 4 and if that is the case, wouldn’t it have made more sense to put him on the initial roster and then injured reserve so he could return any time after Week 3? Being on PUP means the earliest he can come back is Week 7. It also feels like money is involved and the cornerback is willing to play for $7 million over 11 games instead of $7 million over 17 games.
Tight end
This position needs to stay healthy with just three on the roster in Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith and Devin Asiasi. And it has to be a little concerning that all three have missed some time this summer. The offense is heavily reliant on this position and the hope is to get monster years from Smith and Henry. Asiasi flashed towards the end of the preseason, but it’s hard to see him playing a major role in his second year.
Players could still be added
There were close to 1,000 players released around the league and some of which will get claimed by other teams on Wednesday. Expect the Patriots to take a hard look at them, especially at positions like wide receiver, quarterback, cornerback and offensive line. Those positions feel a little light right now and could use a boost.
Surprise players
When it comes to surprises, or perhaps the last few to make it, a few names come to mind: Quinn Nordin, Harvey Langi, Cody Davis, Yodny Cajuste, Brandon King and Brandon Bolden. After being acquired via trades in the last week, cornerback Shaun Wade and offensive lineman Yadir Durant basically had to be included, or else why make the trade? Nordin may be the biggest surprise, as once Nick Folk showed he was healthy last week, the thought was he would win the job based on how consistent he’s been. The Patriots must’ve liked how the undrafted rookie bounced back against the Giants last week. It also continued the streak of 18 years now that an undrafted rookie has made the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster.