Deadlines, as they say, spur action.
But some of us don't want to wait for such things as OTA practice work, mini-camps, training camp and preseason games to begin to assess and project the Patriots 2017 regular season roster.
Nope. For us irresponsible media types it's much more fun to get ahead of the curve and speculate long before the league-mandated cutdowns of August and September come about.
As it stands today – little more than a week from the first Patriots OTA session open to the media on May 25 – New England has 89 players on its roster.
Between now and the regular season there will certainly be additions and alterations to the roster. And plenty of guys – from veterans to undrafted rookies – will see their standing with the team change significantly.
But that's for the coming days, weeks and months of work on the practice fields of Gillette Stadium.
Right now it's time for a PFW pre-OTAs projection of what will be the 2017 Patriots roster, a group that will attempt to defend a Super Bowl title as the NFL's unquestioned favorite entering the fall.
Offense (24)
Quarterback (3):
Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett
Notable cuts: None.
Possible practice squad: None.
Running back (5):
Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead, James White, Dion Lewis, James Develin
Notable cuts: Brandon Bolden, D.J. Foster
Possible practice squad: Foster, Glenn Gronkowski
Tight end (3):
Rob Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen, Matt Lengel
Notable cuts:James O'Shaughnessy
Possible practice squad: Jacob Hollister
Wide receiver (5):
Brandin Cooks, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, Malcolm Mitchell
Notable cuts: None.
Possible practice squad:Devin Lucien, Austin Carr, Cody Hollister
Offensive line (8):
Nate Solder, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Shaq Mason, Marcus Cannon, Ted Karras, Tony Garcia, Conor McDermott
Notable cuts:Cameron Fleming, LaAdrian Waddle
Possible practice squad: Just about anyone who gets cut.
Defense (24)
Cornerback (5):
Stephon Gilmore, Malcolm Butler, Eric Rowe, Cyrus Jones, Jonathan Jones
Notable cuts:Justin Coleman.
Possible practice squad:D.J. Killings, Kenny Moore, Dwayne Thomas.
Safety (5):
Devin McCourty, Duron Harmon, Patrick Chung, Brandon King, Jordan Richards
Notable cuts: None.
Possible practice squad:David Jones, Jason Thompson, Damarius Travis.
Linebacker (5):
Dont'a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, Harvey Langi, Shea McClellin
Notable cuts:Jonathan Freeny
Possible practice squad:Trevor Bates, Brooks Ellis
Defensive line (9):
Rob Ninkovich, Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Trey Flowers, Vincent Valentine, Kony Ealy, Derek Rivers, Lawrence Guy, Deatrich Wise Jr.
Notable cuts: Geneo Grissom, Woodrow Hamilton
Possible practice squad: Josh Augusta, Adam Butler, Corey Vereen
Specialists (5):
Stephen Gostkowski, Ryan Allen, Joe Cardona, Matthew Slater, Nate Ebner
Notable cuts: None.
Possible practice squad:None, unless as kicker is added at some point.
