With training camp looming, we’ve decided to rate the Patriots’ roster, counting down the most valuable from No. 90 to No. 1. “Valuable” can be defined on multiple levels, but for purposes of this exercise, we’re going to take a few different things into account: talent, dependability, track record of success in the system, and their individual spot on the depth chart. (Basically: How bad would things be if they were removed from the lineup?)
There are some cases — namely, the first-year players — where it’s tough to predict where they should land. But based on their performances in the spring workouts and having talked to teammates and people around the league, we took our best shot.
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Today, it's Nos. 18 through 10. Many of the guys in this group aren’t considered the above-the-marquee talent that dominates the headlines, but are vital (or will be vital) to what they want to get done on either side of the ball in 2018.
18. Isaiah Wynn: There’s a lot riding on the rookie offensive lineman this year, but part of that is because he’s shown an ability to be versatile over the course of his career. It all depends on how quickly he comes along, but there’s a possibility to see him at guard or tackle this year. Dante Scarnecchia seems intent on having him give left tackle a shot, despite his arm length. But if Trent Brown and/or LaAdrian Waddle show they’re OK and Joe Thuney struggles with health, could be line up at left guard? As a first-round pick, Wynn was already a guy worth keeping an eye on this summer. Given the nature of things along the offensive line, he now looms as one of the more compelling figures at camp.
17. Jason McCourty: There was some concern McCourty
wasn’t on the field for extended stretches over the course of the spring sessions open to the media, but it’s my understanding it isn’t a big deal, at least right now. Acquired as a No. 2 corner, he figures to work opposite Stephon Gilmore.
16. Lawrence Guy: This defensive lineman is really underrated. He can play multiple spots well, is cost-effective, and is a smart and positive locker room presence. He’s not going to make the Pro Bowl, but he’s an excellent complementary piece of the defensive puzzle who is consistently overlooked when you’re talking about the Patriots. Like some of the other holdovers, I’m curious to see how he adapts to some of the changes up front this offseason, but as long as he stays healthy, there’s no reason to think he won’t have another good year.
15. Joe Thuney: First on the team in offensive snaps in 2016 and second (by two snaps to ironman Shaq Mason) in 2017, this stalwart at left guard has demonstrated the importance of durability the last two years. (It’s a remarkable run considering the level of violence at the position — former Patriots guard Stephen Neal once said it was like getting into a car crash over and over again.) Thuney has gotten overwhelmed occasionally at the point of attack the last year-plus, but when it comes to toughness and an ability to consistently answer the bell time and again, he’s one of the best in the league. Bill Belichick has said “dependability is more important than ability,” and that’s really the case with Thuney.
14. Patrick Chung: Over the last few seasons, high-profile cornerbacks have come and gone (Darrelle Revis, Malcolm Butler), but the trio of Chung, Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon have really been the consistent strength of the New England secondary. Their familiarity with each other and their respective skill sets, their flexibility and their ball skills have combined to make them one of the more impressive safety groups in the league. Chung’s ability to work as a linebacker, corner or safety is a big part of what puts him at this spot on this list, but his special teams value cements him as one of the most valuable guys on the roster. We’ve all heard about how Chung’s second act in New England was more successful than the first, but kudos to Chung and Belichick for coming up with a way to utilize Chung’s abilities in a far better manner this time around.
13. David Andrews: Talking to Andrews this spring, you really get a sense that he is stepping up his leadership game. Whether it’s because he feels more comfortable in his own skills, he’s being asked to exert more authority because of the free-agent departure of Nate Solder, or it’s just the nature of the center position, but you can tell he’s taking more and more command. Now the senior member of a sizable group of ex-Bulldogs on the New England roster, it’ll be interesting to see how that manifests itself in 2018 and beyond. But he’ll be at the heart of any of the success the Patriots might have on the offensive line this year.
12. Duron Harmon: A lot of what we said about Chung is true for Harmon as well, in that he’s shown an ability to work with the other two safeties to create some defensive flexibility. At the same time, while Chung’s strength is his physicality, Harmon’s ball skills are maybe the most impressive part of his game. The Rutgers product, who was named a captain for the first time as a member of the Patriots last year, mostly plays the centerfield role for the New England defense, and has carved out an odd niche as a guy who does a better job than just about anyone when it comes to late-game interceptions — 10 of his 13 career picks have come in the fourth quarter, including last season’s dramatic interception in the end zone against the Steelers. Considered one of the more vocal defensive leaders the last year-plus, when he met with us earlier this spring after an eventful offseason, he was more introspective about what had happened over the previous few months. We’ll be watching to see if that means a change in leadership style for one of the more upbeat guys in the locker room.
11. Marcus Cannon: Not sure anyone has had such a dramatic turnaround over the course of his career as Cannon. At the end of the 2015 season, the TCU product was the face of an ineffective New England offensive line as Tom Brady was battered beyond belief by the Broncos. But by the end of the 2016 season, there were Patriots’ fans who were wondering why Cannon was left out of the Pro Bowl. There were a lot of reasons that went into his turnaround, but a weight loss and a reunion with Scarnecchia went a long way toward his emergence. With Solder’s free-agent departure, the 30-year-old is the senior member of the New England offensive line, at least in terms of games played in a Patriots’ uniform. Not sure anyone would have seen that coming a couple of years ago. The bottom line? Given the uncertain state of the New England tackle position, a healthy Cannon at right tackle would go a long way toward stabilizing things up front for the Patriots.
10. Chris Hogan: Between his shoulder injury (which was worse than initially anticipated) and the absence of Julian Edelman and Malcolm Mitchell, the Patriots wide receiver depth suffered a serious hit last season. Hogan’s value is as a field-stretcher, and someone who has the full faith of the quarterback. A healthy return for him would go a long way toward answering some of the questions that exist when it comes to the rest of the depth chart, and also give Brady another dependable target who has flourished in big games in the past.