Seven Thoughts On Patriots’ 53-Man Roster, Plan At Quarterback

The New England Patriots trimmed their roster to the NFL-mandated 53 players on Tuesday. While additional moves are sure to follow in the week-and-a-half before their season opener, here are seven thoughts on their initial group:

1. The biggest cutdown-day surprise was New England’s decision to cut not one, but both of their remaining backup quarterbacks. The Patriots waived Malik Cunningham (notable, but not unexpected) and Bailey Zappe (holy crap!), leaving them with just one name on their QB depth chart: Mac Jones.

Obviously, it won’t stay that way for long. The Patriots will bring in a new No. 2 through a free agent signing, trade or waiver claim. Adding someone with experience — a career backup type — would make sense.

Colt McCoy, perhaps? He’s on the market after the Arizona Cardinals cut him to roll with Josh Dobbs and Clayton Tune. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported McCoy is “getting his elbow taken care of” before deciding where to sign, however, so he might not be an immediate solution. He also doesn’t have any prior connection to Bill Belichick or Bill O’Brien.

A.J. McCarron? He was Houston’s top backup for O’Brien’s final two seasons with the Texans. McCarron also played under Nick Saban at Alabama. But he’s been out of the NFL since 2021 and most recently was playing for the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks.

Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard reported a reunion with Brian Hoyer — currently Jimmy Garoppolo’s No. 2 in Las Vegas — “will not be an option.”

The Patriots also could keep Zappe around on the practice squad and elevate him to the gameday roster for the first few games, allowing them to get by with just one rostered QB for the time being. But while they reportedly want to sign both him and Cunningham to the P-squad, there’s no guarantee either will be available. They’re now subject to waivers, meaning every other NFL team will have an opportunity to claim them.

After what Zappe was able to do as an injury fill-in last fall and the promise Cunningham showed as a developmental dual-threat QB this preseason, it wouldn’t be shocking if either was snatched up, even with how poorly Zappe played this summer.

It’s also worth noting Jones is playing behind a suspect offensive line and already was banged up during his lone preseason appearance, according to a report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss. That injury seemingly was minor, but there’s no guarantee he’ll make it through a full 17-game season unscathed. The Patriots need to have a viable backup in that room.

2. The Patriots also went light at two other skill positions, rostering just two tight ends (Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki) and two running backs (Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott). That’s a positive sign for Henry and Gesicki, who both suffered injuries late in the preseason. At running back, Stevenson and Elliott were expected to handle the lion’s share of snaps and touches this season, though we could see Ty Montgomery return after the Patriots move players to injured reserve.

Players placed on IR before final cuts cannot play this season unless they are released with an injury settlement. Players who are IR’d after cutdown day can return after four games. Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton and offensive tackle Riley Reiff are two prime candidates for that designation. The Patriots went heavy at both of their positions, keeping six wideouts and 11 O-linemen.

3. Those 11 linemen included tackles Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and Vederian Lowe, who unsurprisingly made the team after the Patriots acquired them via trade over the weekend. Tackle Calvin Anderson also was part of the 53 after being activated off the non-football illness list on Tuesday. Anderson said his sickness was so severe that he feared his career might be over, so it’s great news that he’s now back on the field.

But will he be ready to play Week 1? That’s unclear. Ditto for whether either of the new guys — neither of whom has much NFL experience — will be immediate contributors. We still have no idea who will start at right tackle when Philadelphia and its fearsome front seven come to town next Sunday.

Starting left tackle Trent Brown and rookie Sidy Sow are the other tackles on the roster, with Conor McDermott placed on season-ending IR.

4. This was a rough day/week for last year’s Patriots draft class.

Two days after trading running back Pierre Strong (fourth round), the Patriots cut four other 2022 draft picks: Zappe (fourth), running back Kevin Harris (sixth) and offensive linemen Chasen Hines (sixth) and Andrew Stueber (seventh). Second-rounder Thornton made the 53 but, again, appears likely to open the season on IR.

That leaves just Cole Strange, Marcus Jones, Jack Jones and Sam Roberts, who grabbed a roster spot after shining in last Friday’s preseason finale.

5. This year’s class, meanwhile, is well-represented. Eleven of the Patriots’ 12 2023 draft picks made the cut, with the lone exception (seventh-round cornerback Isaiah Bolden) landing on season-ending IR as he recovers from the scary concussion he suffered in Green Bay.

Sixth-round picks Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and Ameer Speed all made the cut. Douglas and Boutte project as the No. 4 and 5 receivers, respectively, with their play this summer convincing Belichick to roster six wideouts for the first time since 2019. Speed, a tall, fast cornerback, is the latest kicking game ace. The Patriots’ roster announcement listed him as a special teamer along with Matthew Slater, Brenden Schooler and Chris Board.

Choose your character!

The first look at the initial 53. pic.twitter.com/TwZjiosDdf

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 29, 2023

New England’s undrafted free agent streak appears likely to end, however, unless a player like Cunningham rejoins the roster ahead of Week 1. The Patriots had at least one UDFA on their opening roster in each of the last 19 seasons.

6. Some under-the-radar players who made the roster and deserve recognition: Roberts, Speed and Shaun Wade, who earned a spot as the sixth cornerback. Wade played better in practice this summer than he did in preseason games and has the ability to play outside, in the slot and at safety. He’ll provide some insurance with Jonathan Jones and Christian Gonzalez both managing injuries and Jack Jones’ long-term availability unclear ahead of his Sept. 15 court date.

7. It’s a youth movement for the Patriots on special teams, with fourth-round rookie Chad Ryland beating out Nick Folk for the kicker job and sixth-round punter Bryce Baringer prevailing over Corliss Waitman. Waitman could return to provide insurance on the practice squad, but the steady Folk is out of the picture after being traded to Tennessee for a 2025 seventh.

This wasn’t a shocking outcome. The Patriots traded up to make Ryland their highest-drafted specialist of the Belichick era, so he always was going to make the team. The confident Maryland product boasts a significantly stronger leg than the 38-year-old Folk, who lacks the range of some of his elite contemporaries and isn’t a viable option on kickoffs.

But Ryland’s accuracy was erratic at times this summer, and the only kick he attempted in a game setting was an extra point. Belichick wasn’t blowing smoke when he called the kicker competition “very competitive,” and entering cutdown day, rostering both Ryland and Folk looked like a realistic possibility.

The pressure now will be on Ryland to replace a guy who converted 90.4% of his field goals over his three full seasons in New England — sixth-best among kickers with at least 50 attempts during that span — and set an NFL record with 64 consecutive makes from inside 50 yards. A player Belichick once called “probably the smartest” kicker he’s ever coached. The Patriots can’t afford a slow start from Folk’s rookie replacement.

As for Baringer, he can kick the ball to the moon, and he bounced back well after a rough patch during joint practices. Both players will need new jersey numbers, as Baringer’s No. 9 and Ryland’s No. 38 belong to Matthew Judon and Rhamondre Stevenson, respectively.