Once upon a time people waited for Bill Belichick to actually make his cuts in late August and early September to find out who the 53 men to make the Patriots regular season roster were going to be.
That came after a long summer of practice action, preseason fun and competition.
But what fun is waiting for things to play out?
We are a here-and-now society. With that in mind, right here and now is a projection of the Patriots 53-man roster heading into the new season. Enjoy. We can all revisit it in the coming weeks when injuries and transactions render it useless.
For now, though, read and discuss!
Offense (24)
Quarterback (2):Tom Brady#, Jimmy Garoppolo, Matt Flynn.
Running back (4): LeGarrette Blount*, James White, Brandon Bolden, James Develin, Travaris Cadet.
Tight end (3): Rob Gronkowski, Scott Chandler, Michael Hoomanawanui.
Wide receiver (6): Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell, Danny Amendola, Matthew Slater, Aaron Dobson, Brian Tyms.
Offensive line (9):Nate Solder, Bryan Stork, Sebastian Vollmer, Marcus Cannon, Tre' Jackson, Ryan Wendell, Cameron Fleming, Shaq Mason, Josh Kline.
Defense (26)
Defensive line (10):Rob Ninkovich, Malcom Brown, Dominique Easley, Alan Branch, Chandler Jones, Jabaal Sheard, Sealver Siliga, Chris Jones, Geneo Grissom, Trey Flowers.
Linebacker (5):Jerod Mayo, Dont'a Hightower, Jamie Collins, Dane Fletcher, Chris White.
Safety (5): Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, Duron Harmon, Jordan Richards, Nate Ebner.
Cornerback (6): Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, Robert McClain, Tarell Brown, Bradley Fletcher, Jimmy Jean
Specialists (3):Stephen Gostkowski, Ryan Allen, Joe Cardona.
**Suspended for the opener and does not count toward the 53-man roster.
Brady is suspended for the opener at this point. If that holds, Matt Flynn would likely fill his roster spot.*
What do you think of this 53-man projection? Anything you don't agree with? Let us know with a comment below!
