New England Patriots final 53-man roster prediction
Final predictions for the New England Patriots 53-man roster
The New England Patriots are at the point where there is nothing left of training camp and now they stare down at the deadline for roster cuts. The 2020 NFL season will definitely be different from years past and every little roster move can make a huge difference this year. The team has to be down to no more than 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 5 and they have already started and is now down to 77 players entering their final pre cutdown day practice on Friday.
The team will have some difficult decisions to make while other positions are pretty cut and dry. On offense, Cam Newton is now officially the starter but his supporting cast is highly questionable.
New England’s wide receiver position seems unsettled no matter which players the team decides to go with on the final roster. Belichick’s club already made a somewhat surprising move when they cut Mohamed Sanu and the depth chart behind Julian Edelman has a ton of question marks. No player has truly separated themselves from the rest of the group.
The running back position is deep but there is no clear cut top running back and all of the backs have an injury or issues with burnout. Damien Harris was looking to be taking a big step forward, but now he has an injury to his pinky and had to have surgery.
The offensive line is set with their starters but the reserves have either underachieved or have not had many chances to play in regular-season games as yet. If there are any injuries, the offensive line could become just as big of an issue as it was for the team last season.
Defensively, things seem more set but there are still areas for concern. The interior portion of the defensive line is a definite area of concern. If nothing else, there may be a lack of bodies. The linebackers were an area of strength last season, but now it is an area of youth and inexperience. The team can no longer count on their linebackers for game-changing plays.
The secondary should be the strength of the defense. Although Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon are gone, the team still has Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty. All of the team’s cornerbacks return and some combination of Adrian Phillips, Terrence Brooks, and rookie Kyle Dugger should be able to give the team something similar to what they were able to get from Chung. Dugger and Joejuan Williams should also help fill the Harmon role.
Here is a projected 53 man roster just before Saturday’s deadline.