The New England Patriots 53-man roster is settled (for now), and the ramp-up to their season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers officially starts Wednesday.
We gave our bold predictions Tuesday. Now let’s preview the Patriots 2019 season with a thought on every player on the roster.
QB Tom Brady: He’s 42 years old, and we actually could see him improve upon last year’s numbers with some better weapons in his wide receiver arsenal. He also has a young quarterback as his backup again, which could serve as some extra motivation.
QB Jarrett Stidham: He played better this summer than Jimmy Garoppolo did as a rookie. There are a lot of reasons to like the fourth-round pick, and he could wind up being Brady’s heir apparent (though it feels like we’ve said that about a few other QBs).
RB Brandon Bolden: The Patriots won’t head into a game with Bolden as their top running back, but he’s good enough to fill in any role as needed. He’s also a core special teams player.
RB Rex Burkhead: Consider Burkhead a change-of-pace back on early and passing downs.
RB Damien Harris: Harris might start his Patriots career as a healthy scratch and off of the active roster. If anything happens to Sony Michel, however, we could see the third-round pick flourish.
RB Sony Michel: If Michel stays healthy — and that’s a big if — he could be one of the NFL’s most productive running backs this season. A full training camp should allow Michel to participate more in the passing game.
RB James White: He’s the best third-down back Brady’s ever had. Sorry, old-timers.
FB James Develin: The fullback has been around since before Julian Edelman was The Squirrel and during Patrick Chung’s first tenure with the team. Feels like a long time ago, huh? Perhaps we could see Develin’s touches go up for a second straight season.
WR Phillip Dorsett: Dorsett is good insurance in case everything goes wrong at wide receiver again this season.
WR Julian Edelman: The Patriots should do everything in their power to keep Edelman healthy this season.
WR Josh Gordon: If you’re not rooting for Gordon to succeed — Patriots fan or not — you might be heartless.
WR Jakobi Meyers: The most versatile wide receiver on the Patriots roster might be this undrafted free agent. Given the uncertainty at the position, the Patriots will probably need to count on him at some point this season. He can play outside or in the slot.
WR Gunner Olszewski: The feel-good story of the year, we’d like to see Olszewski return punts and kicks this season. He might be the most unlikely player on an NFL roster this season.
WR Matthew Slater: For the first summer, Slater worked exclusively on special teams in training camp. He’s only a wide receiver by technicality now.
WR Demaryius Thomas: He looked surprisingly good against Giants third-stringers in the Patriots’ final preseason game. Let’s see if he can do it against starters in Week 1 now that he’s back on the roster. We like his odds.
TE Ryan Izzo: He’ll likely be the Patriots’ Week 1 starting tight end. Let’s see if he can take advantage of this opportunity, as they’re few and far between for young players.
TE Matt LaCosse: He would have been the Patriots’ Week 1 starter at tight end if he stayed healthy through the summer.
C Russell Bodine: He could be fighting for starting snaps at center in a few weeks.
RT Marcus Cannon: It seems like a long time ago that Cannon was considered a weakness on the Patriots’ offensive line.
OT Korey Cunningham: He’ll be the Patriots swing tackle behind Cannon and Isaiah Wynn.
OL Jermaine Eluemunor: Eluemunor’s ability to play tackle and guard are valuable as a reserve,
C Ted Karras: Karras will start the season as the Patriots’ center with David Andrews out for the year. With solid play, Karras could hold off Bodine as competition.
RG Shaq Mason: He’s one of the best right guards in the NFL, and he’s signed through 2023.
LG Joe Thuney: He’s one of the best left guards in the NFL, and he’ll be a free agent after the season.
LT Isaiah Wynn: The pressure is on Wynn as a first-year blindside protector for Brady. We think he can handle it despite being undersized for the role.
DL Michael Bennett: Expect the Patriots to limit Bennett’s snaps by having him play in sub-packages where he can do his most damage.
DL Adam Butler: Butler could take on a bigger role on early downs in his third NFL season.
DL Byron Cowart: The fifth-round pick was a surprise standout this summer and could start in the Patriots’ base 3-4 defense.
DL Lawrence Guy: Guy is as solid as they come for an early-down, run-stuffing defensive lineman.
NT Danny Shelton: Shelton beat out projected starting nose tackle Mike Pennel for a roster spot with a stellar preseason. He looked like a new man in his second offseason in New England.
DL Deatrich Wise: The third-year pro could take on a reduced role in the Patriots’ changing defense.
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley: Bentley made an impact in three games before suffering a season-ending injury last year. Now he’ll have to pick back up where he left off.
OLB Shilique Calhoun: Calhoun made the roster despite a poorly timed injury in Week 2 of the preseason. He was running with the starting defense before going down.
LB Jamie Collins: Collins looks like he’ll be used as a hybrid inside/outside linebacker depending on down and situation in his second stint with the Patriots. Versatility is key in New England.
LB Dont’a Hightower: Some wondered if Hightower would be a salary cap casualty this offseason. He wasn’t, and he’ll be a key cog in the defense.
LB Elandon Roberts: In his fourth season with the team, Roberts will be an early-down run-stuffer in a 3-4 defense that suits his skills well.
OLB John Simon: The Patriots clearly liked what they saw from Simon last season, so they brought him back on a two-year deal. He could take on a big role in sub-packages as a pass rusher.
LB Kyle Van Noy: Van Noy has become one of the Patriots’ most important defenders since being acquired for peanuts from the Detroit Lions during the 2016 season. Whoops, Lions!
OLB Chase Winovich: The long-haired, high-motor pass rusher could have a starting spot by the end of the season. He was the Patriots’ biggest star of their first two preseason games but disappeared a bit working against starters in Week 3.
CB Stephon Gilmore: There’s no reason to believe Gilmore isn’t primed for another All-Pro season.
CB JC Jackson: Jackson was amazing last season as an undrafted free agent. He’s fighting for a starting role all over again this year.
CB Jonathan Jones: Jones is a core special-teams player and could be the top nickel defensive back after a great summer.
CB Jason McCourty: The younger McCourty twin penciled in as a starter for his second season in New England.
CB Joejuan Williams: Williams was a surprise standout throughout the summer. We’d like to see him take on bigger receivers and lighter tight ends to work him into the defense in a hybrid safety/cornerback role.
S Terrence Brooks: We expected Brooks to only be a special teams player this season. It looks like he’ll also be a key depth piece at safety.
S Patrick Chung: Expect Chung to start as long as he’s not suspended.
S Nate Ebner: The special-teamer/part-time rugby star is back for his eighth season.
S Duron Harmon: Harmon is expected to serve his usual role as a nickel/dime defender and backup free safety.
S Devin McCourty: Expect him to be named a captain again in his ninth season.
S Obi Melifonnwu: Melifonwu might see some defensive snaps, but most of his value likely comes on special teams in Brandon King’s old role after King’s season-ending preseason injury.
K Stephen Gostkowski: Gostkowski struggled a bit this preseason while working with a couple of different holders.
P Jake Bailey: Let’s see if Bailey can be a Johnny Hekker-esque “weapon” for the Patriots.
LS Joe Cardona: The long snapper is entering his fifth season with the team. He’s now the longest experienced long snapper in the AFC East.
NON-FOOTBALL INJURY/PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM
OT Yodny Cajuste (NFI): Cajuste might be a long ways off. We barely even saw him during training camp.
WR Cameron Meredith (PUP): Meredith is an interesting emergency option if the Patriots need wide receiver depth at midseason.
SUSPENDED
TE Ben Watson (four games): Watson will likely slot in as a starter over Izzo in after his suspension is up.
TE Lance Kendricks (one game): It will be interesting to see if the Patriots plan to retain Kendricks or if he’s simply serving as emergency depth during his one-game ban.
