The 53-man roster decisions had New England Patriots fans feeling like the sky was falling, but on Wednesday, everyone was breathing a collective sigh of relief as the team’s true intentions were realized.
In other words, it was business as usual for the Bill Belichick-led team.
Buy Patriots TicketsThey’ve pieced together a better roster than they had last season, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t serious questions.
The offensive line has been shaky throughout training camp and the preseason, and there will always be questions with the receiving corps until the team actually succeeds with what they have or finally decides to take the plunge and add an elite No. 1 target.
But for right now, this is as good as it gets for the Patriots. Here are eight takeaways from the initial 53-man roster and practice squad.
1
Patriots take a big gamble at quarterback
The Patriots rolled the dice by cutting all of their backup quarterbacks, including Bailey Zappe, who was the No. 2 option behind starter Mac Jones. That move alone had fans scratching their heads wondering what direction the team was headed.
Rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham emerged into a fan-favorite, but he was always a long-shot to make the final roster. The gamble ultimately paid off for the Patriots because neither quarterback was claimed on waivers, and they both re-signed with the team’s practice squad on Wednesday.
Zappe’s return is the biggest relief considering the experience he already has with the team. He went 2-0 as a starter under center last season, and he’s the most familiar with Bill O’Brien’s offense.
Meanwhile, the team gets to continue developing Cunningham into either a quarterback or receiver behind the scenes. This ended up being a big win for the Patriots.
2
Double-dipping at wide receiver late in the draft pays off
Coach Bill Belichick has long been criticized for having a blind spot for drafting receivers, but he might have hit the lottery with sixth-round draft picks Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte.
Douglas has been one of the more impressive offensive playmakers on the roster from the start, and Boutte started coming on strong in the second week of training camp and beyond. The fact that both ended up making the initial 53-man roster is proof of that success. New England was even willing to carry six receivers in an effort to accommodate the two rookies.
How soon will they make an impact?
That’s the biggest question mark heading into the first week of the regular season. JuJu Smith-Scuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne are the veterans that should see more work initially. But given Tyquan Thornton’s health status, Douglas and Boutte could easily sneak into that No. 4 role and steal reps early.
3
Quantity over quality on the offensive line
There are a total of 11 offensive lineman on the 53-man roster for the Patriots. So 20 percent of the Patriots’ entire roster is composed of offensive linemen.
It’s a unique approach by the team, but it also speaks to the ongoing concerns up front. The Patriots are hopeful they’ll improve when Trent Brown, Mike Onwenu and Cole Strange return full-time to the lineup, but that still won’t ease the depth issues.
It almost feels like the team is throwing darts at the board and seeing what sticks with the recent signings of Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and Vederian Lowe. Both are seen more as projects instead of experienced options capable of stepping in and contributing right away.
But then again, veteran offensive line options are exceptionally hard to come by, especially this late in the year.
4
Preseason finale pays off for three Patriot hopefuls
People always seem to underestimate the preseason, but it paid off big for defensive end Sam Roberts, along with linebackers Calvin Munson and Ronnie Perkins, who all took advantage of their opportunities in the finale.
Munson led the team with 11 tackles, and Perkins was second behind him with nine tackles and a quarterback hit against the Tennessee Titans. Meanwhile, Roberts had one sack, two tackles for a loss and three quarterback hits.
For Roberts, that performance followed an ugly game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2, when he had two costly penalties. But he was able to put that performance in the rearview and bounce back with a herculean effort that helped earn him a spot on the Patriots’ 53-man roster.
Munson and Perkins signed with the practice squad, with Munson having a clear path to the main roster, given his ability to also contribute on special teams.
5
Youth wins out on special teams
Nick Folk was shipped off in a trade to the Tennessee Titans, and Corliss Waitman was cut before re-signing to the Patriots’ practice squad. That means the youth movement is in full effect in New England with kicker Chad Ryland and punter Bryce Baringer being promoted as starters.
The decision to throw the rookies right into the fire comes with both pros and cons. Ryland and Baringer both had stronger legs than their training camp counterparts, but they lack NFL experience. The Patriots are showing quite a bit of faith by naming them starters right out of the gates.
However, that was likely always going to be the case considering they were both taken off the 2023 NFL draft board. It would have been considered a waste of a draft pick if either one of them failed to make the initial 53-man roster.
Some growing pains are inevitable, but will they be glaring enough to actually cost the Patriots games? It’s something to keep an eye on this season.
6
Calvary arrives at tight end
The Patriots might only have Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki on their main roster, but they made a couple of notable additions to the practice squad. First, they brought back Matt Sokol, who is coming off a strong training camp.
The second move was the addition of Pharaoh Brown, who is more of a traditional tight end than Gesicki. Brown played briefly for Bill O’Brien during his time in Houston, and he has the ability to catch and block. That blocking ability is the sort of depth the roster needed with Gesicki basically being a tight end in name only. His best skill set is predominantly as a larger receiver.
Brown can help boost the Patriots’ run blocking and pass protection, along with providing Jones with another viable receiving target.
Pharaoh Brown could be a sneaky nice addition if he can revert to his 2020 form.
'20 Grades (TE Ranks)
Overall: 81.3 (7th)
Receiving: 80.0 (9th)
Run Block: 75.5 (4th)
Pass Block: 78.2 (10th)He also earned the 10th overall grade among TEs in the '23 preseason (min. 50 snaps).…
— Louie Benjamin (@PFF_Louie) August 31, 2023
The Patriots are seemingly determined to make the tight end position a focal point in the offense, and they’ve added the necessary depth to ensure things go according to plan.
7
Patriots may or may not be done at quarterback
There was an initial report before the practice squad signings that the Patriots might be looking for a veteran quarterback option for the No. 2 role behind Jones.
Are the Patriots considering Zappe for that role, or are they seriously considering looking outside of the organization for a more experienced option? Patriots Wire’s Cam Garrity put together a list of potential options that could work in that role.
The line of thinking here is that the team will likely continue to lean on Zappe in the role. It doesn’t make sense to bring both Zappe and Malik Cunningham back to the practice squad if that weren’t the case. You also have to factor in the effort it would take for a new player to get up to speed with the offense and skilled players.
Even for players with familiarity with O’Brien’s offense, it’s a bit of a stretch to expect someone to step into that role immediately as the No. 2 option. There are even reports that Zappe will still likely fill the top backup role in New England.
I know there have been rumblings that the #Patriots are interested in a veteran at QB2. I'm hearing they're happy with Bailey Zappe, who is safely on their practice squad.
He's the plan at backup QB, per source.
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) August 30, 2023
That would mean Zappe being elevated to the main roster is the likely end scenario in this situation.
8
Are the Patriots preparing for a potential worst case scenario with Jack Jones?
The Patriots keeping Shaun Wade on the main roster was the right move considering the questions facing Jack Jones right now. There’s the lingering legal situation that could potentially impact Jones’ availability for the team.
So it made sense to keep another tall and long corner to play on the outside. Wade has continued to show improvements in the Patriots’ defense, and his efforts in training camp and the preseason earned him a spot on the 53-man roster.
Outside of rookie first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez, the Patriots are lacking in size at the cornerback position. Granted, rookie Ameer Speed would also fit that mold, but he is mostly viewed as a special teams option at this point. Wade could serve as an emergency option behind Gonzalez and also Jones, if he’s forced to step away from the team.
