Training camp is over, the preseason is a wrap, and the New England Patriots are officially on to building their first 53-man roster for the upcoming season. What the reigning AFC champions will do is anybody’s guess, but here is our final projection with the NFL cutdown deadline looming.
By Sunday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m. ET we will know what they will have done. For now, here is what we think Mike Vrabel and company will do.
Quarterback
In (2): Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito
Out (1): Behren Morton
Drake Maye and Tommy DeVito
have been the clear 1-2 at the quarterback position throughout the summer. The former is an MVP-caliber quarterback with clear franchise player qualities, while the latter is an experienced player who had some really good moments leading the second-string offense through training camp and preseason.
The biggest question is the status of rookie Behren Morton. The seventh-round draft pick showed some promise, but ultimately would be too much of a luxury to have on the 53-man team. He is a prime practice squad candidate, though, even if waiving him comes with some risk.
Running back
In (4): Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Hassan Haskins, Lan Larison
Out (2): Jam Miller, JaMycal Hasty
IR (1): Myles Montgomery
The running back competition might not have been of the highest quality, but it has nonetheless been entertaining. Under normal circumstances, Terrell Jennings probably would be RB3 behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. With him being sent to injured reserve and subsequently waived, however, the race reopened.
Based on the full body of work after Jennings’ departure from the active team, we project two players to make the cut: Hassan Haskins and Lan Larison, the former as pure running back depth and the latter adding a receiving and kickoff return element to the mix. Of course, there is a chance the Patriots go below 53 players in order to create space for potential waiver claims. In that case, either could be a cut candidate.
Fullback
In (1): Reggie Gilliam
Out: N/A
When Reggie Gilliam joined the Patriots as a free agent in March, the Patriots had three fullbacks listed on their roster. Five months later, he is the last man standing: Brock Lampe was released early in training camp while Jack Westover converted back to tight end. Gilliam will make the team to serve as the lead blocker out of I-formation and serve as a potential H-back as well.
Wide receiver
In (6): A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, Efton Chism III
Out (4): Cameron Dorner, Kyle Dixon, Nick DeGennaro, Tejhaun Palmer
IR (2): Jimmy Kibble, Jeremiah Webb
The Kayshon Boutte trade to the Texans creates a clearer picture at wide receiver. Whereas the team was looking at potentially carrying seven wideouts — even though Boutte’s role on the game day roster would apparently have been non-existent to begin with — it now has six players as relatively safe bets to make the cut: A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs will be the top duo, with DeMario Douglas the starting slot; Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism provide depth behind them.
The other wideouts are all candidates for the practice squad, with Cameron Dorner and Kyle Dixon in particular worth keeping an eye on. Dorner was the most consistent depth receiver over the course of the summer, while Dixon has looked good during the last two preseason games.
Tight end
In (3): Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon, Tanner Arkin
Out (2): Jack Westover, C.J. Dippre
IR (1): Julian Hill
As mentioned above, the Patriots might cut their roster below the 53-man deadline in order to create extra space for waiver-wire pickups. In that case Arkin might find himself one of the odd men out. For the time being, we do see him make the team as the top blocking tight end behind the projected top two of Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon. Among those, Henry is likely to hoard reps while Raridon will be more of a package and part-time piece despite showing some flashes over the last month.
Offensive tackle
In (6): Will Campbell, Morgan Moses, Caleb Lomu, Marcus Bryant, James Hudson III, Dametrious Crownover
Out (2): Jack Conley, Lorenz Metz (exempt)
Six offensive tackles might seem excessive given the questions about depth elsewhere on the team, but hear us out. Will Campbell and Morgan Moses are the top two, with Caleb Lomu and Marcus Bryant the next men down the depth chart. Both are facing questions, though: the former about his regular season readiness, the latter about the ankle injury he sustained in the second preseason game against the Eagles.
Unless Bryant starts the year on injured reserve with a return designation in place of other projected candidates to be mentioned later, we do see the Patriots carry both on their 53-man team. In addition, James Hudson’s tackle-guard flexibility is a plus (and something Lomu could theoretically also provide), while Dametrious Crownover making it through waivers is not a given and releasing him therefore a plan too risky for our liking.
Interior offensive line
In (4): Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Mike Onwenu, Greg Van Roten
IR-DFR (1): Ben Brown
Out (5): Mehki Butler, Jacob Rizy, JonDarius Morgan, Darrian Dalcourt, Joseph Michalski
While we see the Patriots keep a relatively high number of tackles, we see them start the year thin along their interior offensive line. Behind starters Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson and Mike Onwenu, we only see one other player make the cut: recent free agent signing Greg Van Roten, whose mix of versatility and experience — let alone his contract — points toward him beating out the competition.
We do think the Patriots have another interior lineman in their plans for 2026, though. Ben Brown, who was banged up in the preseason opener, could start the year on injured reserve with the return designation. A reminder: teams can move up to two players to IR with the intention of bringing them back if they are properly designated on cutdown day.
Interior defensive line
In (6): Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Leonard Taylor III, Eric Gregory
Out (3): Isaiah Iton, Jeremiah Pharms Jr, Casey Rogers
Milton Williams and Christian Barmore are as disruptive an interior duo as there is in the NFL today, but the depth behind them is a question mark. Cory Durden projects as the third option, while the trio of Joshua Farmer and Eric Gregory as well as Leonard Taylor III offer depth against the run (Farmer, Gregory) and pass (Taylor).
The numbers are solid and every one of the backups has had his moments in training camp. Overall, however, Williams and Barmore are the only truly-proven commodities in their projected roles.
Defensive edge
In (3): Dre’Mont Jones, Elijah Ponder, Gabe Jacas
PUP (1): Harold Landry III
Out (5): Bradyn Swinson, Quintayvious Hutchins, Xavier Holmes, Jesse Luketa, Amari Gainer
Harold Landry is not guaranteed to miss the start of the season, per his head coach, but we still see the team keep him on the physically unable to perform list for the first few games. This, in turn, means that the Patriots will start the year quite thin on the edge: with none of the depth pieces truly rising to the occasion, only Dre’Mont Jones, Elijah Ponder and Gabe Jacas have earned spots on the team — for a variety of reason.
Fact is, after all, that Jacas in particular has had his issues; the preseason game against the Browns made it painfully clear that he has a long way to go before he can be trusted in an extensive role. As a consequence, this is a position where we can see definitive reinforcements coming through the waiver wire or free agency. As mentioned above, players such as Lan Larison or Tanner Arkin might be sacrificed for depth elsewhere. The edge is that elsewhere.
Linebacker
In (5): Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, K.J. Britt, Chad Muma, Namdi Obiazor
IR-DFR (1): Khalil Jacobs
Out (1): Riley Wilson
The Patriots cutting one or both of K.J. Britt and Chad Muma seems entirely possibly because, frankly, they both have had some underwhelming moments this summer; if the Patriots need the roster spot elsewhere, this is another position where they might go shallower than we anticipate. For the time being, however, we keep them and rookie Namdi Obiazor around based on their ability to also help out on special teams.
Undrafted rookie Khalil Jacobs, meanwhile, is a candidate to open the year on the injured reserve with a designation to return.
Cornerback
In (5): Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, Marcus Jones, Charles Woods, Karon Prunty
Out (6): Kindle Vildor, Kobee Minor, Marcellas Dial Jr, Channing Canada, Kenneth Harris, Brandon Crossley
Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones are one of the best cornerback trios in football and — if the 2025 season is any indication — play a vast majority of secondary snaps again this year. Of course, it all depends on their availability. If there are worries in that regard, the Patriots might be in trouble.
Fact is, after all, that the depth options behind them have struggled with consistency in training camp and preseason. No player exemplifies this more than Kindle Vildor, who seemed like a good candidate to make the team as a fifth cornerback before an underwhelming preseason finale. One game should not decide his fate, but his volatility has been a constant over the summer. As a result, we see him as a prime practice squad option while Charles Woods and Karon Prunty earn the backup spots on the 53-man roster.
Safety
In (5): Craig Woodson, Kevin Byard, Dell Pettus, Jaylen Reed, Brenden Schooler
Out (4): John Sanders Jr, Mike Brown, Peter Manuma, Eric Butler
The Patriots acquiring Jaylen Reed as part of the Kayshon Boutte trade changes the outlook at safety. He is a lock to make the team, as are Craig Woodson and Kevin Byard. We also see Dell Pettus make the squad considering that he factors into the special teams mix and has a clear advantage over Reed as far as his experience in the system is concerned. When it comes to the game day roster, that might give him an edge over the newest Patriot.
Brenden Schooler is the big unknown at this point. He still remains on the non-football injury list and might start the season there, missing at least the first four games as a consequence. If so, one more depth spot might go elsewhere on a team in need of all the quality depth it can get.
Special teams
In (3): Andy Borregales, Bryce Baringer, Julian Ashby
Out (1): Matt Haack
Bryce Baringer’s injury situation remains unclear. He could start the year as New England’s featured punter as usual, or be moved to injured reserve either on cutdown day or afterwards to preserve his eligibility to return. If the latter scenario becomes a reality, Matt Haack would be the team’s Week 1 punter and holder; based on his performance against the Browns on Thursday night he should be able to handle both of those jobs.
As for the kicker and long snapper positions, there are no surprises. Andy Borregales bounced back nicely from his three-miss performance against the Colts in the preseason opener, while Julian Ashby seems to have fully recovered from the ankle injury that bothered him during that same week.
