NFL Notebook: 10 early thoughts on Patriots' post-cutdown roster

For this week’s edition of the NFL Notebook, we’re going to forego our regular format and give you our thoughts on cutdown weekend and the current state of the Patriots’ roster.

1. There will be moves between now and the start of the season. By keeping 52 (51, if you count the looming placement of rookie tight end Ryan Izzo on injured reserve), the Patriots have guaranteed they will still make some moves between now and kickoff next weekend. The feeling here is they add at least one more wide receiver and/or an offensive tackle. As I’ve said on a number of occasions, you can mask a lot of deficiencies in the passing game when you have Rob Gronkowski and James White on your roster. But with just Chris Hogan, Cordarrelle Patterson and Phillip Dorsett until Julian Edelman comes back, New England has left itself with no margin for error at the position.

We asked wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea about the lack of depth at the position late last week.

“As a coaching staff, our job is to identify our strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “We have a lot of strengths on this offensive team, and we’re real excited to start this season and finish up our preparation in training camp. We just think there are a lot of strengths on this offense. We always talk about what our players can do. We don’t talk about what they can’t do. We really focus on what our players can do to go out there and help us win, and that’s we’re going to continue to do. We’re real excited about working with the group that has worked hard, been out there and really done what we’ve asked them to do.”

2. As for the tackle spot, the Patriots really caught a bad break when Ulrick John suffered a torn tendon in the preseason finale against the Giants. John had progressed to a point where he would have made the 53-man roster. Now, it appears he’ll be out for the duration of the 2018 season. (The rest of the offensive line, which includes the five starters, Teddy Karras and LaAdrian Waddle, is no real surprise.) As a result, the Patriots will likely look to add depth at a position where they were looking good a few weeks ago. Late last month, Bill Belichick compared depth at offensive tackle to an insurance policy.

“If you never need it, then you don't need it. If you need it, then you're glad you have it. You never know where you're going to need it,” he said.

3. Provided everything stays status quo over the next week or so with J.C. Jackson, the cornerback’s presence on the roster means the Patriots will have an undrafted free agent on the roster for the 15th consecutive season. Jackson and Keion Crossen came out the big winners on the cornerback depth chart. Jackson enjoyed a steady ascension over the course of the spring and summer, and that peaked this past Thursday when he came away with a pair of picks in the preseason finale against the Giants. (He would have made the roster regardless, but that simply clinched it.) As for Crossen, the youngster displayed some blazing speed, as well as a short memory, which certainly helped his cause. (After getting picked on in the game against the Eagles — a night where he had three penalties — he had a nice bounce back the following week against the Panthers.) Crossen could find himself as a healthy scratch for a bulk of the season, but with his electric speed, could still chip in as a special teamer as needed.

4. Cyrus Jones’ time in New England has come to an end. The cornerback/return man out of Alabama never really seemed to find his form — an uneven rookie year led into a 2017 that was wiped out because of a knee injury. I had him making it through for a few reasons, not the least of which is the fact he’s only one of a couple guys on the roster who had any sort of punt return experience. But he was cut loose on Saturday. (For the record, he does have practice squad eligibility.) Jones’ farewell highlights the draft struggles the Patriots have had the last few seasons. Greg came up with this note: With Jones’ release, the Patriots don’t have one of their second-round picks since 2011 on the roster. (They’re 0-for-8). And ’18 pick Duke Dawson has barely been on practice field. Testament to coaches, Brady, and doing better in later rounds.

On Friday, Belichick was asked if he’d seen Jones start to return to the explosive athlete he was before the injury, which was a year ago this past week.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I wish in these last two games we could have had an opportunity to get him started in the return game. He had a couple chances that I thought he did well with in Carolina, but he really didn’t have much (against New York). They were kick-offs or touchbacks and we didn’t block well enough on the returns really to give him a chance to do anything but handle the ball. I thought he handled the ball well in some fairly challenging ball-handling situations.”

5. When it comes to punt returning, with no Jones and no Riley McCarron in the picture, what are the Patriots going to do without Edelman for the first four games? Patrick Chung has experience, but you have to wonder if the Patriots think he’s too valuable to use at that position. Rex Burkhead did some work there during camp, but he’s still a relatively unknown who also has had problems staying healthy. Patterson was back there a few times in the preseason.

6. We’re in the minority here, but we were shocked to see Brandon Bolden among the cuts. The veteran running back/special teamer, who has remarkably found a way to stick around since 2012, was one of the final players to be let go on Saturday. But we were quick to recall the same thing happened last year, and in that case, he was one of a few who returned after the final cuts were announced. The bottom line? Look for him to return in some form or fashion sooner rather than later. (Maybe he’s the guy who returns after Izzo is placed on injured reserve?)

7. Keeping with the running back theme, it was strange to see Mike Gillislee relaxing on the sidelines with the rest of the starters in Thursday’s preseason finale, especially in the wake of his release on Saturday. While a vet taking a DNP-CD in the final preseason game and a release aren’t always mutually exclusive, it is pretty rare. Gillislee will be recalled as a guy who never really seemed to connect in New England, but also a guy who never complained when he was surpassed on the depth chart. He told me earlier this summer that part of the reason for his struggles last year were health-related. We shall see where he ends up.

8. We’re always on the lookout for practice squad candidates, and there are plenty to go around this summer. Of the guys who were cut on Saturday, I’d start with running back Ralph Webb, quarterback Danny Etling and punter Corey Bojorquez, three youngsters who all had their moments in the spring and summer, and all showed enough to be considered developmental prospects down the road. (Just a reminder — to reach the practice squad, you have to pass through waivers. It’s always a roll of the dice, as the Patriots have lost players this way in the past. But in the case of those three, those three are likely OK for now. For a closer look at how a player can get to the practice squad, check out this piece from our guy Miguel.) One more point when it comes to Etling: The quarterback certainly showed some speed in the preseason finale, racing for an 86-yard touchdown scamper. Even though he told me after the game he never had a run that far, he’s certainly faster than backup Brian Hoyer. That suggests to me he would make a pretty good scout team quarterback for weeks when New England is facing a mobile signal-caller. That wouldn’t be the only reason they’d keep him around, but it might be part of the conversation.

9. There are plenty of intriguing veterans who are on the market as a result of what happened, and while that market will be pretty fluid in the coming days as New England checks out available tackles and receivers, there’s one guy who really sticks out to me — defensive end/pass rusher Brian Robison, who was cut loose by the Vikings on Saturday. I have no idea if the Patriots could convince him to sign with New England, but his position and pedigree suggest he’s got that sort of "veteran defensive player near the end of his career who might have one more year left" vibe to him that frequently appeals to the Patriots. The 35-year-old has 60 career sacks, and could be a situation presence for New England in the mold of Andre Carter or Chris Long.

10. Did we mention there will be moves between now and the start of the regular season? Last year, the Patriots made four deals between “final cuts” and the start of the regular season, acquiring Dorsett, linebacker Marquis Flowers, edge defender Cassius Marsh and defensive back Johnson Bademosi. This year, I’d expect New England to use some of its draft capital for 2019 (the Patriots have multiple selections in the second and third round) and target a wide receiver and perhaps another offensive tackle. If you’re a fringe player at another position who feels satisfied you’ve survived to this point, my advice is simple: Don’t start to feel too comfortable. There’s always the danger of one of the thousand or so guys who were cut this weekend being a favorite of the New England coaching staff and them bringing in a guy they consider an upgrade. Ultimately, even though they’ve made it through this round, those guys at the back end of the roster can’t feel too secure about their status.