Projecting the Patriots’ 53-man roster: Multiple WR trades coming?
The New England Patriots’ roster isn’t complete. But it might just be 90% of the way there. Maybe even closer. The Patriots made a whopping 10 selections and added a handful of undrafted free agents after a somewhat quiet foray into free agency where they clearly lost more talent than they gained. The biggest additions included cornerback Malcolm Butler and safety Jabrill Peppers, among others. The departures of cornerback J.C. Jackson, Ted Karras and Shaq Mason (trade) were significant.
So let’s piece together this roster with what the Patriots have for 2022. If I had to guess, they might make additions at linebacker and defensive line. (I have noted hypothetical free-agency additions with asterisks.) And I suspect we’ll have one or two trades coming at receiver.
Let’s discuss those over the course of the 53-man roster projection.
Quarterback (3): Mac Jones, Brian Hoyer, Bailey Zappe (R)
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Jones is, of course, QB1. Zappe and Hoyer will compete for QB2, a gig that I anticipate Hoyer will retain for the course of 2022. Zappe will serve as QB3 and, by 2023, he should be Jones’ backup when the Patriots go back to carrying just two quarterbacks.
The Patriots may look to trade quarterback Jarrett Stidham but I’m not sure there will be (m)any buyers. The former fourth-round pick has not taken a big enough step forward in his development and fell to QB3 in 2021.
Running back (5): Damien Harris, James White, Rhamondre Stevenson, Pierre Strong (R), Kevin Harris (R)
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It’s worth wondering whether White might start the season on PUP or IR. It’s also not a stretch to wonder if the Patriots might trade Harris, who is entering the final year of his contract. For now, let’s keep them atop the depth chart to lead a young group of running backs with Stevenson entering Year 2 and the rookies spending most of the season learning the playbook. The group is well-rounded and well-built now and for the future.
Receiver (6): Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton (R), Matthew Slater
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Now here’s a weird position to project.
I have been saying for weeks that the arrival of Parker could spell the end of Agholor’s tenure with New England. But throw in Thornton, an outside burner? And there’s a higher chance Agholor could be on the outs. Unless the Patriots totally change their usage (and efficiency) with Agholor, New England may find they want to trade him — thereby dumping off his $9 million in salary. It may not happen until the end of August. But Agholor and, of course, N’Keal Harry don’t seem to make sense for this team after the additions of Parker and Thornton, a second-round pick.
The Patriots should probably hold onto Agholor in case there’s an injury in training camp. But — call me crazy — a player like Kristian Wilkerson, who costs a fraction of the price but serves a similar function, might be a better financial decision than rostering Agholor for another year. Parker and Thornton make the Patriots four-deep at receiver. And while that might not seem enough, New England has two starting-caliber tight ends.
Tight end (3): Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Dalton Keene
Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
The Patriots could decide to go with an extra receiver and just two tight ends in 2022. But considering there’s no fullback on the roster, I’d like to keep Keene around for one more season. Tight end Devin Asiasi is clearly a bust. Keene might be, too. But Asiasi was supposed to be pro-ready. Keene was supposed to be developmental. So maybe — don’t laugh! — this is his year to do something… anything.
Smith isn’t going anywhere. His contract is structured so that the Patriots are going to give him ample opportunities in 2022.
If this position is a mess past Henry, then maybe we see a trade to bring in a higher-caliber TE3.
Offensive line (9): Isaiah Wynn, Cole Strange (R), David Andrews, Michael Onwenu, Trent Brown, Justin Herron, James Ferentz, Chasen Hines (R), Andrew Stueber (R)
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I feel really good about the first seven players on this list. I am very unsure of what happens past the five starters, Herron and Ferentz. The late-round picks, Chasen and Heuber, will compete against Yasir Durant, Yodny Cajuste and William Sherman, among others. I am also not ruling out that the Patriots add another veteran to help with depth.
Safety (5): Devin McCourty, Adrian Philips, Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Cody Davis
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This is a very impressive and versatile unit — one of the most impressive groups on the depth chart. There is one spot up for grabs, however. Davis doesn’t really play on defense but is a core special teams player when healthy. The Patriots might want safety Joshuah Bledsoe or a rookie to steal that spot away from Davis.
Cornerback (6): Malcolm Butler, Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones (R), Jack Jones (R), Justin Bethel
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Butler is back and he might just start as CB1 in 2022. It’s likely that he, Mills and Jonathan Jones are the starters. But don’t count on it as a sure thing. The arrival of Marcus Jones and Jack Jones could mean a changing of the guard. Jonathan Jones is coming off an ankle injury and Marcus Jones is likely to challenge him for the nick cornerback role.
Free-agency addition Terrance Mitchell should be relevant. And you can never count out an undrafted free-agent cornerback in New England. This year, they signed Tarleton State cornerback Devin Hafford after the draft.
No, I didn’t know Tarleton State existed until three days ago.
Outside linebacker (4): Matt Judon, **Trey Flowers, Josh Uche, Ronnie Perkins
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This group looks awfully light, both with just three bodies (on the roster) and with those three bodies looking, literally, short on poundage. Uche and Perkins are slender edge players. It’s likely they add someone else to the position. That’s why I have them signing Flowers, who the Detroit Lions released earlier this offseason.
Inside linebacker (4): Ja'Whaun Bentley, Mack Wilson, **Dont'a Hightower, Cameron McGrone
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Because the Patriots didn’t draft a linebacker, they have spun the narrative that McGrone is their “draft pick” at the position. He spent the season learning the playbook after dealing with an injury at the end of his college career. Hopefully, he came away from 2021 fluent in the playbook. The Patriots will need help from the 2021 fifth-round pick this year,
I’ve added Hightower, currently a free agent, to the depth chart. My guess is that he’s mulling retirement because the Patriots are low-balling him. But they need him back, even at a heavily reduced workload.
Wilson is an interesting addition. With the roster as it’s currently constructed, the Patriots will lean enormously on him to help shore up the middle of their defense. New England swapped out EDGE Chase Winovich for Wilson, an inside linebacker, in a 1-for-1 trade with the Cleveland Browns.
Defensive line (5): Christian Barmore, Davon Godchaux, Lawrence Guy, Deatrich Wise, LaBryan Ray (R)
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Barmore was a delight to watch develop in 2021. His ascent was important, considering the struggles of both Godchaux and Guy. Unless their play totally falls off a cliff, they will remain on the roster this season. What I’m not sure about: Ray. He’s an undrafted free agent out of Alabama who could not stay healthy. He’s an easy candidate to put on injured reserve and let learn the playbook while resting up his college maladies. But he’s also a good player. So maybe he sneaks onto the back end of the roster — the Patriots like to give one roster spot to a UDFA. Ray is a strong candidate.
The candidates to bump Ray include sixth-round pick Sam Roberts and veterans Carl Davis, Byron Cowart and Daniel Ekuale, among others.
Special teams (3): Kicker Nick Folk, punter Jake Bailey, long snapper Joe Cardona
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Bailey has competition in Eastern Michigan punter Jake Julien. Until I see Julien punt in an NFL game, I can’t imagine bumping Bailey, no matter how high his salary has gotten. Folk and Cardona look to be safe without any competition at camp.
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