New England Patriots
The Patriots only have one preseason game left before they need to cut their roster down to 53 players.
John Saunders’ strong play this summer has earned him a spot on the 53-man roster. AP Photo/Mark Stockwell
It’s decision time for Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, and the rest of the Patriots’ top brass.
The NFL preseason is nearing its end, with teams needing to cut their respective rosters down to 53 players by 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30
With just one preseason game left on the docket for New England on Thursday night in Cleveland, there’s a very limited runway left for Patriots players to solidify a spot on that 53-man squad and escape the dreaded roster bubble.
Ahead of that preseason finale against Cleveland, here’s a look at our latest roster projection for the Patriots — with a few tweaks from our previous roster deep dive.
Quarterbacks (3)
In: Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito, Behren Morton
No changes or surprises here, with Drake Maye entrenched as New England’s franchise QB and Tommy DeVito in place as the backup for now. But Behren Morton — a 2026 seventh-round pick — continues to make a legitimate push for a spot on the 53-man roster, rather than New England running the risk of sneaking him through waivers en route to a practice-squad assignment.
The Texas Tech product was sharp on Saturday against the Eagles, completing 13-of-17 passes for 129 yards — including a game-winning touchdown to Nick DeGennaro with just 57 seconds left on the clock.
Morton is likely going to be the emergency QB this season, but he could potentially rise up the depth chart as Maye’s backup in the coming years if he continues to develop.
Running backs (3)
In: Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Lan Larison
Out: Jam Miller, Hassan Haskins, JaMycal Hasty
A lot has changed since our previous roster projection regarding the ground game, especially with Terrell Jennings and Myles Montgomery both going down with injuries.
The fight for that vacant RB3 spot will be one of the top storylines to watch during Thursday’s preseason finale, with Lan Larison potentially the slight favorite at this stage of the summer given his versatility as both a reliable pass-catcher and punt returner.
If Josh McDaniels and New England’s offense is looking for a different wrinkle out of that RB3 spot, a player with Larison’s skillset could be a solid complement to the 1-2 punch of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
But, if New England is looking for more of a physical, between-the-tackles back to spell Stevenson when needed, a big body like Hassan Haskins (6-foot-2, 228 pounds) could be a better option in the trenches.
Fullback (1)
In: Reggie Gilliam
No changes here, with a veteran bruiser like Reggie Gilliam expected to be counted on heavily to clear a path and land some welts in the ground game to make life easier for Stevenson and Henderson.
Given the bruising nature of his job, Gilliam has been prescribed plenty of rest days throughout camp.
Wide receivers (6)
In: A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, Efton Chism
Out: Kyle Dixon, Nick DeGennaro, Cameron Dorner, Tejhaun Palmer
As underwhelming as the return for Kayshon Boutte might have been, dealing away the talented wideout did at least alleviate New England’s logjam at wide receiver. As such, we have New England opening the season with six wideouts, with Efton Chism back on the right side of the roster bubble after putting together another strong showing on Saturday against the Eagles (four catches on four targets).
A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs will lead New England’s wideout group, but it will be fascinating to see who steps up as New England’s go-to deep threat with Boutte now in Houston. It seems like a speedster like Kyle Williams has a prime opportunity to take some of those snaps moving forward.
Tight ends (3)
In: Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon, Tanner Arkin
Out: CJ Dippre, Jack Westover
No changes here for New England’s tight ends, with a pair of rookies in Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin looking to be the next men up to account for some of the pass-catching and blocking that the Patriots lost when free-agent pickup Julian Hill suffered a season-ending injury during OTAs.
Offensive linemen (9)
In: Will Campbell, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Mike Onwenu, Morgan Moses, Caleb Lomu, Marcus Bryant, Dametrious Crownover, Greg Van Roten
Out: Mehki Butler, James Hudson, Lorenz Metz, JonDarius Morgan, Jacob Rizy, Jack Conley, Darrian Dalcourt, Joseph Michalski
There’s a lot to like about New England’s five-man starting unit in the trenches, even if they haven’t been tested in any preseason action this summer. Will Campbell has been very strong during joint practices and 1-on-1 drills, while Jared Wilson has made a smooth transition over to center this summer.
But things could get very shaky when injuries inevitably arise this season. With top backup Ben Brown potentially landing on the PUP list or injured reserve, recent signing Greg Van Roten steps in as the next man up at guard/center, while Dametrious Crownover makes the cut as a project tackle worth developing.
One player worth keeping tabs on is 2025 seventh-round pick Marcus Bryant, who has potentially leapfrogged rookie Caleb Lomu as the team’s backup tackle entering the season. However, Bryant suffered an ankle injury on Saturday against the Eagles, which could really hamper New England’s depth at that spot if he’s out for an extended stretch.
Defensive linemen (5)
In: Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Leonard Taylor, Joshua Farmer
Out: Eric Gregory, Isaiah Iton, Jeremiah Pharms, Casey Rogers
Only a few tweaks with this grouping, with New England’s D-line expected to be anchored by Christian Barmore and Milton Williams — with Corey Durden stepping into the role vacated by the free-agent departure of Khyiris Tonga.
Depth on the D-line might be determined by Thursday’s preseason game against the Browns, although we have Leonard Taylor and Joshua Farmer making the cut for now.
New England’s run defense left a lot to be desired on Saturday against the Eagles. Still, Mike Vrabel praised Taylor — an unsung hero from the AFC title game — for his ability to generate pressure during that game in Foxborough.
Edge rushers (4)
In: Dre’Mont Jones, Harold Landry, Gabe Jacas, Elijah Ponder
Out: Bradyn Swinson, Xavier Holmes, Quintayvious Hutchins, Jesse Luketa
There’s not a whole lot of depth at this segment of the roster, especially if veteran Harold Landry — who has been on the PUP list throughout camp — isn’t ready in time for the start of the regular season. To make matters worse, several depth options on the edge haven’t exactly made compelling cases for a roster spot, while rookie Gabe Jacas has had an up-and-down summer after missing all of OTAs and minicamp.
It is to be expected that a 2026 second-round pick like Jacas will go through some growing pains. But, the Patriots might have to rely heavily on the raw prospect this year in hopes of generating pressure against opposing QBs.
Linebackers (4)
In: Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, K.J. Britt, Khalil Jacobs
Out: Chad Muma, Namdi Obiazor, Amari Gainer, Riley Wilson
This is another very thin grouping once you get past Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss. Chad Muma had plenty of momentum on his side entering camp, but has really struggled during preseason games — while a veteran like K.J. Britt helped his case with an impactful game against the Colts earlier this month.
Undrafted rookie Khalil Jacobs has also popped throughout camp, although he was banged up on Saturday against Philadelphia. This could be a segment of the depth chart that could use a post-cutdown-day pickup before Week 1 against Seattle.
Cornerbacks (6)
In: Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones, Charles Woods, Karon Prunty, Kindle Vildor
Out: Channing Canada, Brandon Crossley, Marcellas Dial
No changes with this group as well, although the hierarchy on the depth chart does seem to be changing after the team’s go-to options in the secondary of Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, and Marcus Jones.
Once viewed as a potential cut candidate, veteran corner Kindle Vildor has really come around as of late with some standout performances during preseason games and practices — and could be counted as the next man up in a cornerback room that does have some injury concerns between Gonzalez and especially Davis.
Safeties (6)
In: Kevin Byard, Craig Woodson, Dell Pettus, Jaylen Reed, John Saunders, Brenden Schooler
Out: Eric Butler, Peter Manuma, Mike Brown
This personnel grouping is suddenly pretty crowded, especially after the addition of Jaylen Reed via the Boutte trade. For now, it looks like Reed could carve out a regular role as a box safety, while Dell Pettus also stands as solid depth after a pair of strong starters in Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson.
But, former practice-squad regular John Saunders also earns a spot on the 53-man squad after recording five interceptions since the start of the summer. Brenden Schooler also has a spot as the team’s special-teams ace, although he’s yet to practice so far while on the non-football injury/illness list.
Special teams (3)
In: Andy Borregales, Matt Haack, Julian Ashby
New England’s special-teams stalwarts had an unfortunate shakeup this week after punter Bryce Baringer was sidelined with an injury suffered during New England’s preseason game against the Eagles. It’s unclear what the extent of Baringer’s injury is, but it was “serious” enough — as Vrabel deemed it — to warrant the Patriots signing another punter, Matt Haack.
It remains to be seen if Baringer will be designated on the PUP list or outright injured reserve. But for now, it’s looking like Haack will be the punter for New England once the season begins in Seattle on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
As for Borregales, the second-year kicker has rebounded after a very shaky showing against the Colts earlier this month — although his performance against the Browns will be worth monitoring.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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