Advertisement

Who are the 20 best Patriots on the current roster?

justin leger
·2 min read
6

Who are the 20 best Patriots on the current roster? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots' roster needs an overhaul this offseason. Their 3-11 record shows they simply no longer have the collection of talent needed to contend with the top teams in the AFC.

That said, some players on the current roster deserve recognition for their efforts. As dire as the situation is in New England, there is talent to build around for 2024 and beyond.

Which players should be part of the Patriots' future? On a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast, Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry took a deep dive into the roster and ranked the top 15 players they want to see return next season. They came up with 18 players altogether.

🔊 Patriots Talk: Who are the 20 best Patriots on the current roster? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

Here are their lists...

Curran's Top 15

  1. Christian Barmore, DT

  2. Matthew Judon, LB

  3. Christian Gonzalez, CB

  4. Jabrill Peppers, S

  5. Trent Brown, OL

  6. Mike Onwenu, OL

  7. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB

  8. Ezekiel Elliott, RB

  9. Jahlani Tavai, LB

  10. Hunter Henry, TE

  11. Kyle Dugger, S

  12. Kendrick Bourne, WR

  13. Keion White, DE

  14. David Andrews, C

  15. Ja'Whaun Bentley, LB

Perry's Top 15

  1. Christian Barmore, DT

  2. Christian Gonzalez, CB

  3. Matthew Judon, LB

  4. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB

  5. Trent Brown*, OL

  6. Mike Onwenu, OL

  7. Jabrill Peppers, S

  8. Hunter Henry, TE

  9. David Andrews, C

  10. Kyle Dugger, S

  11. Ja'Whaun Bentley, LB

  12. Jonathan Jones, CB

  13. Demario Douglas, WR

  14. Jahlani Tavai, LB

  15. Keion White, DE

*Brown's ranking comes with an asterisk because, as Perry states, "You need a healthy/motivated Trent Brown if he's going to stay in your top five."

Perry shared his main takeaway from his and Curran's top 15 lists, which are filled with proven and promising talent.

"It tells you they do have about -- in terms of the total sum of names -- they have about what you need to fill a starting and a starting defense with starting-caliber players," Perry said. "Even somebody like Keion White, who's really not a starter yet but I think in a year will be and in two years certainly will be, and has the talent to be that kind of guy. They could field a team.

"But when you do start to experience some injuries or you do have one position like quarterback that is so significantly impacting all the others, that hampers the overall operation. Just because you have starting-caliber players, it doesn't mean it's good enough. How many stars are on this list?"

Also in the episode:

  • Patriots-Broncos preview

  • Interview with ESPN's Chris Berman