Tuesday’s deadline to trim the roster down from 80 players to only 53 resulted in some key subtractions for New England. While the Patriots did sign many of the preseason favorites (Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor, and more) back to their 16-man practice squad, many players who were featured in the preseason matchups and training camp are no longer on the team.
While the current 53-man roster may not be the finalized one that the Patriots carry into the regular season, the vast majority of the players on the roster will be those who will be on the team for this upcoming season. Here is a positional preview of New England’s safties after the 53-man roster cutdown.
Roster Personnel
New England’s safety position going into the start of the regular season consists of Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Kyle Dugger, Jabtill Peppers, and Joshuah Bledsoe.
Special teamer Brenden Schooler did play a bit of safety in college, however, he is unlikely to be used in a role outside of special teams save for emergency situations. While rare, these situations can come up once or twice a season—think back to Week 4 last season when injuries forced Justin Bethel to play corner against Tom Brady—so there is technically a chance that Schooler could be featured at some point in the secondary.
Biggest Strength
The biggest strength of this group is for sure in their experience.
McCourty’s name speaks for itself—the 35-year-old veteran out of Rutgers has long been a stalwart of the Patriots’ secondary, and, while retirement rumors have been circulating for a few seasons, is poised to command the secondary for at least one more year.
While it doesn’t initially seem that the team has a true backup option for the free safety position if McCourty goes down due to injury, cornerback Jalen Mills played the position during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles and is likely the prime candidate to move into that role if needed.
Phillips (8th year), Peppers (6th year), and Dugger (3rd year), all bring their own experience to the team as well. While none of these players are true safeties in the traditional sense (more on that later), they all have proven to be versatile secondary pieces and can easily slot into the strong safety role when needed.
Bledsoe, a sixth round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, also made the roster as a depth piece after a stellar preseason and training camp. While he could, in theory, take over the free safety position from McCourty if needed, the Patriots used Bledsoe more in the strong safety/linebacker role during the preseason, and so it is likely that he is used in a similar manner if he receives regular season playing time.
Biggest Weakness
Lack of proven free safety depth is certainly a large issue for this New England secondary. While I mentioned above that Mills can, if needed, move into the role and has experience at the position, in doing so, he would make an already thin corner unit even thinner.
Moreover, this unit is fairly old for such an athletic skill position. While McCourty, 35, and Phillips, 30, have been quite durable, there is no telling how injuries could potentially impact a player’s performance before a season begins.
Grade: B+
With all that being said, this is likely one of the stronger position units on this Patriots team. While the depth behind McCourty could be a potential issue, the depth behind Phillips is fairly strong and experienced.
Phillips, Peppers, and Dugger seemed to fit in nicely into the hybrid linebacker/safety role that New England has grown to love in the past few seasons. The Patriots relied heavier on nickel and dime defensive schemes last year than they had previously, both schemes in which linebackers are removed from the field and replaced with defensive backs.
The ability to run a nickel or dime defensive scheme gives the defense more defenders in the secondary while eliminating pass rushers. With players on the team such as Phillips, Peppers, and Dugger, players that are large and strong for their positions but still agile enough to cover receivers, New England has the ability to play these schemes without jeopardizing their ability to rush the passer.
New England’s secondary has always been a strong point of their defense, and, barring unforeseen circumstances, this year should be no different.
Position Previews
- Quarterback
- Running back
- Wide receiver
- Tight end
- Offensive line
- Defensive line
- Linebacker
- Cornerback
- Safety
- Special Teams
