The New England Patriots have a good problem looming in 15 days.
The Patriots have a talented roster that will be difficult to trim to 75 players Aug. 30 and even harder to cutdown to 53 players Sept. 3.
The Patriots are entering their 14th practice of training camp, and their roster battles aren’t becoming much clearer. They still have two weeks of practice and three more preseason games before they whittle down their roster. Here’s where those roster battles currently stand.
RUNNING BACK
Dion Lewis, LeGarrette Blount, Brandon Bolden, James White, Tyler Gaffney, Donald Brown, Joey Iosefa, D.J. Foster
At most, only four of the above players will make the 53-man roster. And if the Patriots trade for a running back, it could be just three.
Lewis, Blount, Bolden and White have the strongest chances of making the roster. Gaffney would likely have to prove he’s a much better running back than Bolden to make the 53-man roster. He also would have to prove he’s adept on special teams.
Brown and Foster must get healthy soon to have a chance of cracking the roster. Iosefa’s best chance of making the roster would come if fullback James Develin and tight end/fullback Clay Harbor suffer injuries.
Gaffney, Brown or Foster could crack the roster if Lewis begins the season on PUP list.
WIDE RECEIVER
Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, Matthew Slater, Keshawn Martin, Aaron Dobson, Nate Washington, Chris Harper, DeAndre Carter, Devin Lucien
The first five names are locks for the 53-man roster, leaving Martin, Dobson, Washington, Harper, Carter and Lucien to battle for likely just one final spot. This battle is still ongoing. Martin is banged up and not fully participating in practice. Dobson, Washington, Harper, Carter and Lucien have been solid, but none have stood out enough yet to prove they deserve a spot over Martin.
Martin is the favorite to win the final spot, but he needs to get healthy soon.
INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE
Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Bryan Stork, Josh Kline, Shaq Mason, Jonathan Cooper, Ted Karras, Tre’ Jackson, Chris Barker, Jon Halapio
Coming into camp, three starting spots were up for grabs: left guard, center and right guard. Thuney seems to have left guard locked down, while Andrews and Stork are still swapping starting snaps at center. Cooper began camp as the starting right guard while Kline and Mason were banged up. Cooper then injured his foot, however, and hasn’t returned to practice since. Mason received the start in the Patriots’ preseason opener, but Kline also continues to see starting reps in practice.
Kline and Mason could still be battling for roster spots too. It seems unlikely the Patriots would carry more than five interior offensive linemen, so five of Andrews, Stork, Kline, Mason, Cooper, Karras, Jackson, Barker and Halapio could be cut.
PASS RUSH
Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, Shea McClellin, Trey Flowers, Geneo Grissom, Rufus Johnson
The Patriots can only invest so many roster spots in defensive linemen, so one or two of the above players could be cut in September. Flowers’ strong start to training camp and preseason has us wondering if Johnson and/or Grissom could be on the outside looking in. It’s unlikely Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would be willing to cut Grissom, a 2015 third-round pick, however.
Sheard and Ninkovich will start when healthy, though Ninkovich could start at linebacker rather than defensive end, potentially opening up another starting spot for Long, McClellin or Flowers. Long is the favorite to start among that group.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Terrance Knighton, Markus Kuhn, Vincent Valentine, Frank Kearse, Anthony Johnson, Woodrow Hamilton
Brown and Branch started Thursday, while Knighton and Kuhn also received first-team reps. Brown, Branch, Knighton, Kuhn and Valentine all are deserving of roster spots, but it seems unlikely the Patriots would invest 11 roster spots in defensive linemen. Something has to give. Grissom, Johnson, Branch, Knighton and Kuhn could be battling for three spots.
Brown is a lock to start in the Patriots’ base defense. Branch is the current favorite to start next to him, but Knighton or Kuhn also could earn that spot.
CORNERBACK
Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, Justin Coleman, Cyrus Jones, Jonathan Jones, Cre’von LeBlanc, Darryl Roberts, E.J. Biggers, V’Angelo Bentley
Butler, Ryan and Jones are locks, while Coleman is a near-lock for the 53-man roster. That leaves Jonathan Jones, LeBlanc, Roberts, Biggers and Bentley competing for what’s likely just one roster spot. Jones, who received first-team reps Sunday, is the favorite among that group, though LeBlanc was extremely impressive in the Patriots’ preseason opener. It might come down to who’s the better special teams player, and so far that has been Jones.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
