The New England Patriots are sure to put a lot of strength into making their final decision for the 53-man roster. Each year, Bill Belichick strives to overcome the puzzle of reducing 53 patriots.
This year, we’re likely to see a handful of really tough Patriots decisions, with Belichick seeming to understand how stressful these days can be for his players.
“All teams will have to release players and that’s always hard when the players have come in and done the best they can and given you everything they have,” Belichick said Sunday. “There are some players who will have to say we don’t have a place, but I think we all knew that when we signed up. I myself have been giving up several times, so I am familiar with this process. That is part of the competitive nature of professional sports. “
So let’s look at eight players who didn’t have the cut in our 53-man projection.
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Here’s the hardest cut, by far. Olszewski is not only a player who returns to the point of the Pro Bowl, but he is also a great story, becoming a cornerback on receiver when entering the NFL. And I cut it without much confidence. The Patriots could position JJ Taylor as a kicker and pointer returner, which would eliminate the need for Olszewski. Because Gunner has not been able to develop at the receiver (struggling noticeably with a fall and an incorrect route in the preseason finale), he may miss the cut this year.
(Photo by Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
The arrival of Shaun Wade was a bad sign for Williams. Wade is a 6-foot-1 defender who stood out in the slot in college. He can play both safety and corner. This is a story similar to Williams ’Scouting report coming out of college. And Wade, who joined the team in a trade last week, was solid in the preseason finale, though he left a touch that Belichick clearly believed was the product of a boost. Wade is likely to reject Williams from the list. Williams is simply not reliable as a defensive player. He hasn’t become the player the Patriots expected him to be.
(Photo by AP / Stew Milne)
Jennings may not be one of the team’s worst players, but he has also struggled to shine in his 16 months with the team. With the Patriots having a deep advocacy group, New England needs to break away from one of their younger prospects. Jennings just doesn’t have enough potential, and if the Patriots can hide him in the training roster, they definitely will.
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Langi was extremely productive in the preseason, but again, the Patriots only have a lot of space in the striker’s place. Since Langi is a basic collaborator on special teams, he could absolutely sneak onto the New England roster (or elsewhere). But they are likely to cut him off and put him on the training squad.
(Photo AP / Steven Senne, Swimming pool)
The selection for the sixth round of 2021 was always a foul to lose the cut. It is likely that the draft class of 2021 would not have depth as this year’s draft had half the number of prospects it had in 2020. Sherman would probably have been left unwritten for most of the years. And so this move would come as little surprise, even though the Patriots dedicated a selection to it in 2021.
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Although Spence spent a lot of time with the top defensive unit at the start of the training camp, he quickly faded with the rise of Carl Davis. It’s hard to see how the Patriots hold Spence after watching the team push him down to the depth table throughout the camp.
(Photo AP / Elise Amendola)
In this case, I switched to Derek Barnett and kept Henry Anderson, who crashed into Davis. He is currently the 54th man in my depth chart projection. And frankly, he will probably make the team after playing just 11 snapshots in the preseason finale, an indicator that is among the team’s best options on defensive attack. But in case the Patriots can find another option, they could avoid Davis, who has a history of concussions.
(Photo AP / John Minchillo)
There is no doubt that Nordin has more physical talent than Nick Folk. Is that Nordin missed a couple of one-off attempts in the second preseason game, which seemed to get a little out of the way. On the other hand, Nordin has been pretty impressive. But with a kicker, there is no room for error, especially when competing against Folk, the king of consistency.