6 rings: Breaking down the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster
The Patriots set their 53-man roster on Tuesday and their practice squad on Wednesday. On Thursday, they made two additional moves that threw wrinkles into both. Quarterback Matt Corral was claimed off of waivers and added to the 53-man roster, and free agent wide receiver Jalen Reagor was signed to the practice squad.
Now that the dust has sort of settled (at least for week one) on the Patriots' roster, here's a look at their offensive position rooms:
Quarterback (4):
Active: Matt Corral, Mac Jones
Practice squad: Malik Cunningham, Bailey Zappe
After jumping through several hoops since Tuesday’s stunning release of Bailey Zappe, the Patriots once again have a full quarterback room. The team retained Zappe and Malik Cunningham on the practice squad, and claimed Matt Corral from the Panthers off of waivers on Thursday.
The Corral move was an intriguing one. New England cared enough about working with him to both burn a waiver claim and then add him to their active roster, while letting Zappe dangle by the wayside for the entire league to poach.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the two will compete for the backup job, but if Zappe can't get his act together (which he hasn't all summer) then Corral should have the fast track to be second behind Mac Jones.
Jones is QB1, there’s (still) no doubt about that. However, should he struggle again in season three and the Patriots like what they see from the former Ole Miss Rebel, then 2024 will be that much more interesting.
Running back (3):
Active: Ezekiel Elliott, Rhamondre Stevenson
Practice squad: Kevin Harris
Now that we're five days out from the Pierre Strong Jr. trade on Sunday, the idea of the Patriots carrying just two running backs on their active roster makes more sense.
Kevin Harris, who New England drafted in the sixth-round in 2022, was waived on cutdown day for the second consecutive season, but cleared waivers both times and wound up on the practice squad. He’ll be an elevation candidate every week.
Meanwhile J.J. Taylor, who has been with the Patriots since 2020, was a part of their initial roster cuts and one many thought would be a practice squad candidate. However according to MassLive’s Karen Guregian, he would like to try and get a fresh start somewhere else. Taylor remains a free agent.
Like it or now, it’s the Stevenson and Elliott show in the Foxborough backfield. Elevations and potential active roster signings of Harris and Ty Montgomery (who is listed as a receiver) are likely to help round out the room on game days.
Wide receiver (10):
Active: Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, Demario Douglas, DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster
Practice squad: Ty Montgomery II, Thyrick Pitts, Jalen Reagor
Injured reserve (4 weeks): Tyquan Thornton
Injured reserve (season-long): Tre Nixon
Another year, another start to the season on IR for Tyquan Thornton. The second-year wide receiver injured his shoulder during joint practices in Green Bay and hasn’t been seen since.
Wide receivers Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, and JuJu Smith-Schuster are the veterans who will carry the load from quarterback Mac Jones. Bourne had a great offseason program, Parker remains consistent, and the newcomer in Smith-Schuster could wind up as the missing piece to the puzzle.
Or it could be one of the two sixth-round picks in the room in Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas. Both of whom (Douglas, in particular) made the initial roster with relative ease.
The Patriots also added 2021 first-round pick Jalen Reagor to their practice squad on Thursday night. While he's a consensus draft bust, his speed and short-area quickness are worth a flier.
Tight end (4):
Active: Mike Gesicki, Hunter Henry
Practice squad: Pharoah Brown, Matt Sokol
For the second consecutive season, the Patriots kept just two tight ends on their initial roster. Both of whom, in Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki, are de facto wide receivers as they struggle in the blocking department.
This is probably why the room also includes Matt Sokol, who spent training camp in Foxborough before being released and brought back to the practice squad, and Pharoah Brown, a 6-foot-6 258-pounder who played under offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien in Houston.
6 rings: Bill Belichick has realized the Patriots have an Offensive Line problem
Offensive line (15):
Active: Calvin Anderson, David Andrews, Jake Andrews, Trent Brown, Atonio Mafi, Mike Onwenu, Riley Reiff, Sidy Sow, Cole Strange, Vederian Lowe, Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Practice squad: James Ferentz, Kody Russey, Andrew Steuber
Injured reserve (season-long): Conor McDermott
The Patriots’ have a hefty offensive line room. Quantity over quality, I suppose, but it's going to be challenging to protect Mac Jones in the same piecemeal fashion they did last season.
The team placed Conor McDermott on season-ending IR prior to the formation of their 53-man roster, ending his season. They also traded for Vederian Lowe and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. this week, who were locks to make the team given they just spent assets on them (a sixth-round pick and Pierre Strong. Jr. respectively).
The rest of the room is the given rookies and vets, led by Trent Brown and David Andrews. Mike Onwenu, New England's top offensive lineman, heads into a contract year with a question mark next to what position he will ultimately play this year.
My thought? Play him at right tackle, and then pay him like one.
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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