BOSTON (CBS) – Bill Belichick has been a busy man.
Last week, the Patriots executed operations and a series of renowned signings. Throw in a few released players and retire, and it’s been hard to keep track.
READ MORE: Patriots would have signed DT Montravius Adams
So, to try to fix this, let’s take a tour of the depth chart to see what the current situation of the local football team is. Given the team’s activity this week, it’s likely to be just a temporary image. We will also try to focus on the upper end of the depth box, leaving out the players who are unlikely to have a role in the 2021 team.
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
Cam Newton
Jarrett Stidham
Everyone is about to get it. Cam Newton signed a one-year deal that will basically pay him between $ 5.5 million and $ 7 million by 2020. Stidham still has two years left for his rookie deal.
RETURN
Sony Michel
Damien Harris
JJ Taylor
Brandon Bolden
Dan Vitale
Jakob Johnson
James White is still looking for a deal in a free agency, which could leave a catch-all hole in the Patriots ’bottom field. We must not forget the presence of Dan Vitale, who chose to nullify the concerns of COVID, as his power and versatility could open a real offensive creativity with Josh McDaniels.
Rex Burkhead is likely to have a depressed market as he comes out of a torn ACL. He could be a candidate to sign a one-year contract and spend the first half of the season on the PUP list, but that’s just speculation.
WIDE RECEIVER
Julian Edelman
Nelson Agholor
Kendrick Bourne
Jakobi Meyers
N’Keal Harry
Artillery Olszewski
Edelman’s state remains in place, as it is unknown what he and the Patriots want to do for his final contract year. Outside of that, the Patriots clearly got a much-needed infusion of talent with Agholor and Bourne, who combined 1,563 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. (In total, the Patriots receivers accounted for 2,063 yards and four touchdowns in 2020).
Harry’s space on the list also remains an issue, as several reports have indicated that the Patriots are holding serious discussions about his trade. He only has 414 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 21 games played.
FINAL CLOSED
Hunter Henry
Jonnu Smith
They become Asians
Dalton Keene
The most drastic change on the list is obviously at one end. It wasn’t necessarily neglected last year, as the investment of two third-round picks in the position does count for something. But the two newcomers failed to catch up quickly.
Now the Patriots have two legitimate extremes that can do it all. Given the importance of this position for Bill Belichick’s team for so long, things I could it is starting to get closer to normal for an offense that fought so hard a year ago.
Ryan Izzo, who hasn’t done much in his two seasons, was changed on Thursday. By September we’ll know if one of the two sophomores ends up dating.
OFFENSIVE INFRINGEMENT
Trent Brown
Isaiah Wynn
Justin Herron
Korey Cunningham
Yodny Cajuste
Trent Brown is back, but he will probably will be working on the right wing this year, unlike his place on the left in the 2018 Super Bowl winning season. But if Isaiah Wynn struggles to stay healthy (he has played in 18 of 32 games since entering the league), it may make sense to move Brown to the left side and use Herron or Cunningham on the right side.
Mike Onwenu, who stole last year’s draft, I could work on the attack, but maybe he would need more inside. Yodny Cajuste (the 101st overall pick of 2019) has yet to play in the NFL due to injury, but he is still hired and therefore should not be forgotten.
INNER LINE
Mike Onwenu
Ted Karras
Shaq Mason
It’s a solid trio in the middle of the Patriots line, but maybe you should expect the Patriots to target that area in the project. If any of the three starters get hurt, it will be a problem for the entire foul.
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Reports said David Andrews ’job now belongs to Ted Karras, but if he doesn’t find the deal he’s looking for in a free agency, he may be able to return to the Patriots in a kind of one-year deal situation.
DEFENSE
SECURITY
Adrian Phillips
Devin McCourty
* Jalen Mills
Kyle Dugger
Patrick Chung’s retirement probably didn’t surprise the Patriots, as Chung’s physical style of play has made him absorb quite a bit of damage over the years. Adrian Phillips played that role pretty well a year ago, and while his limit rose slightly to $ 4.25 million this year, we expect him to continue in that position. The increased chances for Kyle Dugger, who played about half of New England’s defensive catches as a rookie, should allow last year’s 37th overall room selection to continue to develop.
Jalen Mills could technically be a corner, but he looks more like a hyper-versatile safety-corner-linebacker-nickelback hybrid. No wonder he appealed to Belichick.
CANTONER
Stephon Gilmore
JC Jackson
Jonathan Jones
Joejuan Williams
This group is very much in the air right now. Stephon Gilmore is sure not to play the 2021 season with a $ 7 million salary, so he remains a prime candidate for a restructuring or a trade. JC Jackson was given a second-round contest, which theoretically opened him up as a candidate to be stolen by another team. But … it seems unlikely that the Patriots would let him go, especially with Gilmore’s situation.
Veteran Jason McCourty is a free agent and so far hasn’t generated much buzz. Maybe I would be open to a discount for “continuing to play with my twin brother” to add some veteran depth to the position.
Joejuan Williams, the 45th overall pick of 2019, played just 17 percent of the team’s defensive catches a year ago. In 2021 you will be faced with a kind of opportunity to make or break.
LINEBACKER
Dont’a Hightower
Kyle van noy
Ja’Whaun Bentley
Josh Uche
Anfernee Jennings
Sala Terez
Hightower’s return is massive. Van Noy’s return is significant. These two returns instantly transform a weak point in the list into a force.
EDGE
Matt Judon
Deatrich Wise
Chase Winovich
The Patriots had to bolster their passing race, so they went out and gave a lot of money to Matt Judon. If he can deliver, he changes the entire scope of a defense that was one of the worst in the NFL by putting pressure on opposing QBs.
DEFENSIVE ATTACK
Of which Godchaux
Henry Anderson
Byron Cowart
Akeem Spence
* Montravius Adams
Some more have to shake up here, as Lawrence Guy remains a free agent. Belichick has been a fan of Guy for a while and the fact that he is still away from home means he can still return.
The team is a little good if Guy leaves (as did Adam Butler), after signing Godchaux and Anderson on free agency. But still, for a team that was terrible at stopping the race last year, Belichick may want to do a little more work inside line D. Doing so could help rebuild that. defense in something that compares to the 2019 unit that was possibly the best defense in the entire league.
* Almost immediately after publishing this story, the Patriots signed Montravius Adams. The 2017 £ 300 third-round pick certainly adds a bit of weight to the middle of line D.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Jake Bailey
Matthew Slater
Artillery Olszewski
Jake Cardona
Roberto Aguayo
Justin Rohrwasser
Brandon King
Justin Bethel
Cody Davis
Jake Bailey is a bolt, no matter how dangerous the bettors may be, but the Patriots still don’t know exactly what they do to the kicker. Nick Folk, who was surprisingly excellent last year, is a free agent. Justin Rohrwasser spent his rookie season in the training camp (after a seemingly unimpressive field), and Roberto Aguayo was a total and total disaster in his only NFL season … back in 2016 .
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Finding out the kicker might not have been a first-day priority for the Patriots this offseason, but nonetheless, it’s an important point that needs to be addressed.