Five guys who are feeling heat in race for roster spot

FOXBOROUGH — With just over a week of training camp in the books, the race for roster spots is starting to come into sharper focus. And while the Patriots’ depth chart this coming year will ultimately look an awful lot like it did in 2016, some backup and situational positions are still up for grabs.

With that in mind, here are five guys who are starting to feel some heat when it comes to their chances of landing a spot on the final 53. It’s important to remember there’s still plenty of time for them to make some noise, but they need to make some sort of individual statement with their play sooner rather than later if they want to still be around when New England kicks off the year against the Chiefs.



Defensive end Kony Ealy: The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder has had an underwhelming start to his career with the Patriots, right down to the odd explanation he had for his absence the first day of camp. (“You have to ask Coach Bill. Me and him had something going on, or whatever,” he explained.) It’s unclear if his problems are because of his past inconsistency issues, a learning curve, or whatever. To be fair, there have been several new edge defenders who have shown up in Foxborough and have occasionally had troubles when it comes to being able to handle the additional level of responsibility, which including being able to rush the passer and drop into coverage. Regardless of what it is, the retirement of Rob Ninkovich has provided the 25-year-old with an opportunity to make an instant impact. So far, he hasn’t been able to take advantage of the situation.

Running back Brandon Bolden: The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder has managed to stick around for five seasons, and I’ve probably left him off my 53-man roster projection in each one of those five years. He’s a survivor, primarily because he’s a standout special teamer while providing depth as a part-time, backup running back. But while he's been OK this summer, with the backfield full and newcomer Rex Burkhead already flashing special teams value, Bolden needs to do something to differentiate himself from the rest of the pack, either at the running back position or on special teams. If he doesn’t, the clock might finally strike midnight for the 27-year-old.

Defensive end Geneo Grissom: The 25-year-old Grissom is another one of the guys who saw a window of opportunity open when Ninkovich retired. But while guys like Deatrich Wise and Trey Flowers have impressed to this point along the defensive front, Grissom really hasn’t registered. The 6-foot-4, 264-pounder out of Oklahoma, who has played in 25 games in the last two seasons with the Patriots, needs to make a statement soon if he wants to be able to stick around. For what it’s worth, he was the last guy on the practice field Thursday afternoon.

Offensive tackle Cameron Fleming: In the early stages of his career, the Stanford product was fairly dependable as an extra offensive lineman when the Patriots have lined up in big sets. But the 6-foot-6, 317-pounder, who has started 14 regular-season games in his three seasons with New England, was up-and-down late last year, and has gotten off to a similar start this summer. Barring an injury to a starter, the 24-year-old isn't going to pass left tackle Nate Solder or right tackle Marcus Cannon on the depth chart, and currently finds himself in a battle with the likes of youngsters Conor McDermott and Tony Garcia, as well as LaAdrian Waddle. It was interesting to see that Waddle supplanted him as the left tackle in walkthrough reps Thursday morning. Not a great look.

Cornerback Justin Coleman: We want to stress that the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder out of Tennessee has actually played relatively well over the course of the first week or so of practices — he’s had multiple pass breakups, as well as at least one interception. It’s just that there’s little margin for error at the back end of the cornerback depth chart, especially with Jonathan Jones continuing to play well. The race to land the role of third, fourth or fifth corner has the potential to get very interesting between now and cutdown day, and the 24-year-old needs to continue to put some separation between himself and the rest of the field in he wants to guarantee himself a roster spot.