The Patriots were off today before Thursday's first practice in pads (which could likely be inside and closed to the public, so stay tuned to Patriots.com for updates if you were planning to attend).
Seems like a good time to update our projected 53-man roster, which doesn't have many major changes. But we did pull two players off the trade market. And the PUP/injury situations for some players created some more opportunities.
On to the list, the changes, and which players are banging on the door:
Quarterbacks
No changes, but I wouldn't mind seeing Behren Morton push Tommy DeVito at some point. And it might happen once the games start.
Running backs
Terrell Jennings going to PUP is the only change, which likely opens up the spot for Jam Miller.
Banging on the door: Lan Larison. He's getting some run and could add value on special teams, but we've deferred to the smooth-running rookie for now.
Receivers
Kayshon Boutte has been great to this point, so he's off the trade block. In a vacuum, it would be great to sell high on a player unlikely to be in future plans. But his pre-draft red flags don't really go away for other teams, so it's doubtful the team gets a decent offer for him. Seems smarter to keep him, let him leave in free agency after the season, and get the comp pick. But a trade could happen closer to the season if the injury situation looks good.
Efton Chism is the odd man out for now as Kyle Williams brings too much speed to a slow group. But that could change.
Tight ends/full backs
UDFA Tanner Arkin has received too many first-team snaps to ignore. But that could change when CJ Dippre gets off PUP, but I'd probably still favor Arkin.
Tackle
If the Patriots keep a fifth tackle, it's between Dametrious Crownover and Marcus Bryant. By playing time, Bryant deserves the spot, but I was pretty haunted by his performance in 1-on-1s on Tuesday. We'll see if that changes when the pads go on.
Guard/center
No changes.
Banging on the door: Jacob Rizy. They're giving him every opportunity to show that he can play guard and center, but he wasn't great in 1-on-1s either.
Edge
We have no clue when Gabe Jacas will be activated, so we're going with four for now.
Defensive tackle
No changes. The group of six is pretty rock solid. They're getting good play from all of them. The games and joint practices will show us who can fill the large shoes left by Khyiris Tonga. Looks like Eric Gregory right now.
Off-the-ball LB
Ok, so my kid experiment didn't last long as I took KJ Britt off the trade block and put UDFA Khalil Jacobs on the cut list. He's in competition with draft pick Namdi Obiazor, but veteran Chad Muma is making a push for the team to keep five.
Cornerback
In the three-way competition between draft pick Karon Prunty, Marcellas Dial and Kobee Minor, Minor has the edge right now with his usage. But it's still wide open. The injury to Charles Woods could factor into this as well, if he's out for a while.
Safety
It would be a shock if the top four don't stay intact.
Special teams
Just waiting for Brenden Schooler to come off PUP.