Bill Belichick has some roster decisions to make with one preseason game left before the regular season. Mary Schwalm/Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — With two preseason games in the books, the New England Patriots’ roster is beginning to crystalize.
Bill Belichick is going to have some tough decisions to make by the final cut-down date of Aug. 30, but this is how things are trending. Here is a 53-man roster projection after two preseason games:
QUARTERBACK
Mac Jones, Brian Hoyer, Bailey Zappe (3)
Last year Belichick cut Hoyer to save a roster spot for somebody else and then re-signed him, but if the coach wants to pull that move again, it’ll cost them. Releasing Hoyer would put $3 million in dead money on the salary cap, so the guess here is that they roll with three quarterbacks out of the gate this season.
RUNNING BACK
Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong (4)
Tough break for J.J. Taylor, but he hasn’t provided enough special teams value to force himself onto the roster. He’s one of the last men off. Look for Montgomery to slide into the James White role, with Stevenson picking up some slack in the passing game, too.
WIDE RECEIVER
DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, Tyquan Thornton, Lil’Jordan Humphrey (6)
Humphrey was going to be a tough cut to begin with, and following Thornton’s collarbone injury, he’s found a spot. Thornton is almost certainly heading to injured reserve after the initial 53-man roster is set, so they’ll need the fifth body.
TIGHT END
Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Devin Asiasi (3)
Asiasi hasn’t played particularly well this summer – he’s been consistently inconsistent – but with more two tight-end formations in the new offensive scheme, the Patriots need the insurance here. They can’t just rely on practice squad elevations every week.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Trent Brown, Cole Strange, David Andrews, Michael Onwenu, Yodny Cajuste, Justin Herron, Arlington Hambright (7)
Trade! With Cajuste and Onwenu looking capable in his place this summer, Isaiah Wynn is likely to find a new home. The Patriots would get a draft pick and salary cap relief. Elsewhere, James Ferentz gets last season’s Hoyer treatment: He’s released to sneak somebody onto injured reserve – hello, Tyquan Thornton – and is re-signed in short order.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Deatrich Wise, Christian Barmore, Davon Godchaux, Lawrence Guy, Sam Roberts, LaBryan Ray (6)
Roberts and Ray have come on strong as preseason play has picked up. Both have flashed high ceilings, and at this point, they’ve done enough to displace veterans Carl Davis and Henry Anderson. (Daniel Ekuale is suspended for the first two games of the regular season.)
LINEBACKER
Ja’Whaun Bentley, Raekwon McMillan, Matthew Judon, Josh Uche, Mack Wilson, Anfernee Jennings, Jahlani Tavai (7)
While the hype train was off the tracks for Cameron McGrone and Ronnie Perkins this summer, neither has realized that potential yet. The biggest surprise has been Jennings, who has gone from the bubble to a lock with his play on both the edge and inside.
CORNERBACK
Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant, Jack Jones, Shaun Wade (6)
Terrence Mitchell is the odd man out here because of Wade’s versatility. He and Jack Jones serve as the primary backups on the boundary, while Bryant and Marcus Jones battle for reps in the slot.
SAFETY
Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Joshuah Bledsoe (5)
The deepest group on the roster sneaks five safeties on. They’re going to be crucial for sustained success at the second level, too.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Jake Bailey, Joe Cardona, Matthew Slater, Cody Davis, Justin Bethel, Brenden Schooler (6)
No place-kicker? How could this be!? Like last season, the guess here is that Nick Folk gets cut to save a roster spot for somebody else then re-signed to the practice squad and elevated for early games. It’ll be a little costly with a dead cap hit of $1.7 million, but could prove worthwhile to save someone like Lil’Jordan Humphrey from waivers.
With Brendan Schooler and LaBryan Ray both making the cut, Belichick’s undrafted free agent streak hits 19 consecutive years.
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