6 rings: What to expect in the Patriots preseason finale
The Patriots left for Nashville on Thursday afternoon for what will be their final contest of the preseason.
Bill Belichick’s squad will face off against the Tennessee Titans on Friday evening at 8:15 p.m. here are 10 players to watch in the team’s final showing before final roster cuts on Tuesday at 4 p.m.:
10 - WR DeAndre Hopkins, Titans
DeAndre Hopkins, who signed with the Titans over the Patriots last month, is on track to be the No. 1 wide receiver this season in Nashville.
Hopkins has looked solid in the, albeit limited, clips of him we’ve seen surface on social media over the last month, and doesn’t seem to have lost a step since being released by the Cardinals earlier this offseason.
Whether he plays any snaps in Tennessee on Friday remains to be determined, but if he does, all eyes should be on the pass catcher who could have been a Patriot.
9 - DT Sam Roberts, Patriots
Sam Roberts played 57% of defensive snaps and 15% of special teams snaps in the Patriots second preseason game against the Packers last Saturday night and played well, despite committing two silly penalties.
The 6-foot-5 defensive tackle made New England’s initial 53 man roster last season and with question marks all over the position room, could find his his way on there once again.
Not only is Lawrence Guy unhappy with his contract, but the team also claimed Marquan McCall on waivers this week before releasing him due to a failed physical. This team wants help along the defensive line. Roberts can show he can be that help with a solid performance against the Titans on Friday.
8 - OL Peter Skoronski, Titans
The Titans drafted offensive lineman Peter Skoronski with the 11th pick in the 2023 draft, just six picks prior to the Patriots selecting cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Many predicted that New England would take an offensive lineman at the 14th overall pick. Instead, they traded back to pick 17 for the cornerback out of Oregon. Fair or not, Gonzalez will always be compared to the tackles in his class. Should the Patriots have traded up for a tackle like Skoronski? Selected Broderick Jones at pick 14? Friday will at least give us a look at what the rookie out of Northwestern can do in the NFL.
7 - S Joshuah Bledsoe, Patriots
Like Roberts, another roster bubble guy for the Patriots is safety Joshuah Bledsoe.
Bledsoe is the fifth out of five players in an outstanding New England safety room. A sixth round pick out of Missouri in 2021, he spent almost the entirely of his first season on injured reserve but burst on the scene last preseason and made the active roster. In the regular season, however, he was active for just three games and notched just one tackle.
He’s once again playing great preseason football in 2023, but will it be enough to crack a lineup of Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Adrian Phillips, and Jalen Mills? He has one more chance to prove he’s worth a spot.
6 - LB Mack Wilson & 5 - LB Calvin Munson, Patriots
Mack Wilson is the protypical “fast” linebacker that New England’s defense has tried to bring in and use over the last several seasons. The only thing stopping a full transition is boulders like Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai who continue to do their job, and do their job well.
When the Patriots drafted Marte Mapu, a hybrid linebacker and safety out of Sacramento State, the writing on the wall slowly started to come into focus for Wilson. If they can play someone with the versatility of Mapu inside the box, then what’s the sense in keeping Wilson on the roster?
I currently have him off my 53-man projection. The amount of snaps he plays, and how he performs during them, will be a major tell about what side of the fence he winds up being on.
Calvin Munson, another linebacker, is someone the Patriots are going to try their darndest to get on their roster. The undrafted free agent out of San Diego State in 2017 is on his third stint with New England, having been a practice squadder during their Super Bowl championship against the Rams in 2019. He’s now being given his first true opportunity to make the squad as a special teamer.
4 - K Chad Ryland, Patriots
The Patriots kicker battle has become a fascinating talking point on Foxborough over the last two weeks.
When New England drafted Chad Ryland in the fourth round of this year’s draft, it felt like all but a given that Nick Folk’s time with the team was done. He showed off his power early in camp and looked to have already won the job.
But then Folk stormed back and looked to be putting the ball through the uprights more consistently than Ryland. Over the last week and a half, however, both kickers have struggled and neither is taking the bull by the horns.
It’s going to take a lot for Belichick to cut a rookie fourth round pick, but if Ryland struggles on Friday, perhaps they roster two kickers to start the 2023 campaign.
3 - QB Will Levis & 2 - QB Malik Willis, Titans
The Titans have quite the quarterback battle on their hands between rookie QB Will Levis and second-year QB Malik Willis.
Willis was selected by Tennessee in the third round of last seasons draft but started just three games as a rookie and failed to throw a touchdown pass. When the going got tough, Mike Vrabel and co. went with practice squad signal caller Josh Johnson instead.
Willis, however, has put together a quality camp so far this season and Levis, who Tennessee drafted in the second round in this past draft, another throw at the dart board, has struggled.
Though the Titans will almost surely go with Ryan Tannehill as their starting quarterback to start the season, it will be interesting to see who earns the backup job and who will be inactive on a week-to-week basis.
1 - WR Kayshon Boutte, Patriots
Kayshon Boutte, the rookie sixth round pick out of LSU, has come on strong over the last several weeks after a slow start to Patriots training camp and is now making a real push to make the team.
New England’s wide receiver room is in an interesting position. While fellow rookie Demario Douglas is a virtual lock to make the roster, he didn’t practice this week in Foxborough and second-year wide receiver Tyquan Thornton was no where to be found after injuring his shoulder in Green Bay.
If Boutte can put up another solid performance in Friday night’s game, it will be hard for the Patriots to justify keeping him off of the 53-man roster.
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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