Patriots 53-man roster projection: Gillislee, Roberts, Valentine could be vets caught in numbers squeeze

With the NFL’s summer break looming, here’s a way-too-early look at what a 53-man roster would look like for the Patriots. With some injuries and uncertainty, there is some flexibility, so we took advantage, especially at the wide receiver and cornerback situation.

Let's be really clear about one thing before we start — there's going to be a ton of roster shuffling between now and when the regular season kicks off Sept. 9 against the Texans. But with roughly five weeks between now and the start of training camp, the foundational roster elements that will help shape the Patriots this coming season are clearly in place:


OFFENSE — 24

Quarterback — 2 — Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer
Tough cut: Danny Etling to the practice squad. Won't be easy, though, based on his spring.



Running back — 5 — James White, Brandon Bolden, Rex Burkhead, Sony Michel, Jeremy Hill
Tough cut: Mike Gillislee. The guy has been the very personification of a good veteran. He never complained at the end of the 2017 season, and while he’s remained a positive presence this offseason, that won’t be enough to keep him around. (Ralph Webb ends up on the practice squad.) Hill might be a candidate to be cut if he struggles this summer or someone else emerges at a different position.

Fullback — 1 — James Develin
Tough cut: None.



Tight end — 3 — Rob Gronkowski, Jacob Hollister, Dwayne Allen
Tough cut: Troy Niklas, although they could end up keeping him around in some form or fashion if they decide to go shorthanded at another spot. Despite his peerless blocking skills, Allen’s current contract might have to be reworked if he ultimately wants to stick around. Ryan Izzo lands on the practice squad.

Offensive line — 8 — LaAdrian Waddle, Trent Brown, Isaiah Wynn, David Andrews, Joe Thuney, Shaq Mason, Marcus Cannon, Ted Karras
Tough cut: Still a lot of potential for moving parts here, including when it comes to new faces like Luke Bowanko and Matt Tobin. And we’re still not 100 percent sold on the idea Thuney will be ready when pads go on, which could also change things. But for now, we’ll go with James Ferentz, Bowanko and Tobin as the tough cuts. There’s some flexibility there with Wynn and Karras that makes things a little easier.

Wide receiver — 5 — Chris Hogan, Kenny Britt, Jordan Matthews, Braxton Berrios, Phillip Dorsett
Tough cut: Malcolm Mitchell starts out on PUP and Julian Edelman’s four-game suspension (pending), so those moves will open up some spots. I know it’s an easy way out, but that’s the way it is at this time of the year. I tried a million different ways to keep Riley McCarron. No dice. (For purposes of this exercise, I’m going to classify Cordarrelle Patterson as a special teamer.)

DEFENSE — 23



Defensive line — 8 — Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise, Danny Shelton, Adrian Clayborn, Derek Rivers, Malcom Brown, Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler
Tough cut: This was brutal. Right now, Vincent Valentine is probably the odd man out, but that could change with a strong summer. They could also try and find a way to keep Keionta Davis around.

Linebacker — 6 — Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Marquis Flowers, Harvey Langi, Eric Lee, Ja’Whaun Bentley
Tough cut: Another difficult series of cuts. Elandon Roberts’ lack of special teams background might leave him on the outside looking in, at least right now. Maybe that changes between now and the start of the season, but the return of Hightower and Langi and the two rookies make it hard to keep Roberts. From this viewpoint, one of the rookie linebackers makes it and another is (ideally) ticketed for the practice squad. We’ll go with Bentley for now, but that could change. Nicholas Grigsby was mostly a special teamer who could also find a way to make it through.



Safety — 4 — Devin McCourty, Duron Harmon, Patrick Chung, Nate Ebner
Tough cut: Maybe Jordan Richards sticks. Maybe Damarius Travis or David Jones emerge as a rotation. Maybe they dip into an astonishingly impressive group of safeties that are still out there. But for now, we’ll go with these three and Ebner (mostly a special teamer) with the understanding that things will change between now and the start of the season.

Cornerback — 5 — Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, Eric Rowe, Duke Dawson, J.C. Jackson
Tough cut: Jonathan Jones and Cyrus Jones start the year on PUP. Keion Crossen has a great backstory — maybe he develops the Foxborough Flu and ends up sticking around in some form or fashion. Cyrus Jones is going to be a guy worth watching this summer.

SPECIAL TEAMS — 6

Cordarrelle Patterson, Matthew Slater, Brandon King, Corey Bojorquez, Stephen Gostkowski, Joe Cardona
Tough cut: We’re going with Bojorquez over Ryan Allen at punter right now, but this is a battle that’s going to be worth watching all summer.