BOSTON (CBS) – Bill Belichick was a busy man.
In the last week, the Patriots have executed transactions and a series of big-name signatures. Throw a few free players and a retreat to start and it was hard to follow.
READ MORE: The Patriots would have signed DT Montravius Adams
So, to try to solve this, let’s take a walk through the depth chart to see where things are at the moment for the local football team. Given this week’s team activity, it’s likely to be just a temporary image. We will also try to focus on the upper end of the depth chart, leaving out the players who are unlikely to have a role in the 2021 team.
CRIME
QUARTER
Cam Newton
Jarrett Stidham
Everyone is aware of this. Cam Newton has signed a one-year deal that will essentially pay him between $ 5.5 million and $ 7 million in 2020. Stidham has two more years to go.
THE RUN BACK
Sony michel
Damien Harris
JJ Taylor
Brandon Bolden
Dan Vitale
Jakob Johnson
James White is still looking for a free agency deal, potentially leaving a catch-all hole in the Patriots’ backfield. The presence of Dan Vitale – who gave up COVID’s concerns last year – should not be overlooked, as his power and versatility could open up a truly offensive creativity with Josh McDaniels.
Rex Burkhead is also likely to have a depressed market as he emerges from a broken ACL. He could be a candidate to sign a one-year deal and spend the first half of the season on the PUP list, but that’s just speculation.
BROADBAND RECEIVER
Julian Edelman
Nelson Agholor
Kendrick Bourne
Jakobi Meyers
N’Keal Harry
Gunner Olszewski
Edelman’s status continues to be pursued, as it is not known what he and the Patriots want to do for his final contract year. In addition, the Patriots clearly got a much-needed infusion of talent with Agholor and Bourne, who combined 1,563 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. (In total, the Patriots received 2,063 yards and four touchdowns in 2020.)
Harry’s place on the list also remains a question, as several reports have indicated that the Patriots have serious discussions about his trading. He has only 414 welcoming yards and four touchdowns in 21 games played.
END TIGHT
Hunter Henry
Jonnu Smith
They become Asians
Dalton Keene
The most drastic change in the list is obviously at the end. It was not necessarily neglected last year, as the investment of two options in the third round in the position counts for something. But the two beginners failed to reach speed quickly.
Now, the Patriots have two legitimate tight ends that can do anything. Given how important this position has been for Bill Belichick’s team for so long, things could You’re starting to get closer to normal for a crime that fought so hard a year ago.
Ryan Izzo, who hasn’t done much in his two seasons, was replaced on Thursday. We will learn from now until September if one of the two boys in the second year reaches the exits.
OFFENSIVE APPROACH
Trent Brown
Isaiah Wynn
Justin Herron
Korey Cunningham
Yodny cajuste
Trent Brown is back, but he will probable work on the right side this year, unlike his place on the left attack in the 2018 Super Bowl winning season. But if Isaiah Wynn is struggling to stay healthy (he has played in 18 of 32 games since joining the league) , it might make sense to move Brown to the left and use Herron or Cunningham to the right.
Mike Onwenu, who stole the project last year, could to work on the approach, but more may be needed inside. Yodny Cajuste (the 101st general election in 2019) has not yet played in the NFL due to injuries, but is still under contract and therefore should not be forgotten.
INNER LINE
Mike Onwenu
Ted Karras
Shaq Mason
It’s a solid trio in the middle of the Patriots line, but maybe you should expect the Patriots to target this area in the project. If any of the three owners are injured, it will be a problem for the whole crime.
READ MORE: The Patriots trade Ryan Izzo in Houston for the 7th round draft pick
Reports said David Andrews’ job now belongs to Ted Karras, but if he can’t find the business he’s looking for in the free agency, he may be able to return to the Patriots in a one-year situation.
DEFENSE
SAFETY
Adrian Phillips
Devin McCourty
* Jalen Mills
Kyle Dugger
Patrick Chung’s retirement was probably not a surprise to the Patriots, as Chung’s physical style of play led him to absorb quite a lot of damage over the years. Adrian Phillips performed this role quite well a year ago and, although his maximum hit rises slightly to $ 4.25 million this year, expect him to continue in that place. An increased opportunity for Kyle Dugger – who played about half of New England’s defensive actions as a novice – should allow last year’s 37th overall standings to grow further.
Technically, Jalen Mills could be a defender, but he looks more like a hyper-versatile safety-corner-linebacker-nickelback hybrid. No wonder he appealed to Belichick.
CORNERBACK
Stephon Gilmore
JC Jackson
Jonathan Jones
Joejuan Williams
This group is very high in the air at the moment. Stephon Gilmore will certainly not play in the 2021 season with a salary of 7 million dollars, so he is still a leading candidate for either a restructuring or a transaction. JC Jackson received a bid in the second round, which theoretically opens him up as a candidate to be poached by another team. But … it seems unlikely that the Patriots will let him go, especially with Gilmore’s situation.
Veteran Jason McCourty is a free agent and hasn’t generated much buzz so far. Maybe he would be open to a “keep playing with my twin brother” discount to add some veteran depth to this position.
Joejuan Williams – the 45th general election in 2019 – played only 17% of the team’s defensive catches a year ago. He will face a make-or-break opportunity in 2021.
LINEBACKER
Dont’a Hightower
Kyle van noy
Ja’Whaun Bentley
Josh Uche
Anfernee Jennings
Sala Terez
Hightower’s return is massive. Van Noy’s return is significant. The two returns instantly turn a weak point in the list into a force.
MARGIN
Matt Judon
Deatrich Wise
Chase Winovich
The Patriots needed to keep up, so they went out and gave Matt Judon a ton of money. If he can release, he changes the entire extent of a defense that was among the worst in the NFL to put pressure on opposing QBs.
DEFENSE APPROACH
Of which Godchaux
Henry Anderson
Byron Cowart
Akeem Spence
* Montravius Adams
He still has to shake up here, because Lawrence Guy remains a free agent. Belichick has been in love with Guy for some time and the fact that he is still there means that he still has the opportunity to return.
The team is somewhat OK if Guy leaves (just like Adam Butler did) after signing Godchaux and Anderson in the free agency. But still, for a team that was terrible when it stopped racing last year, Belichick might want to do a little more work inside line D. Such action could help rebuild that defense into something that compares to unity. from 2019, which was, without a doubt, the best defense in the entire league.
* Almost immediately after the publication of this story, the Patriots signed Montravius Adams. The choice of 300 kilograms in the third round of 2017 certainly adds a certain weight to the middle of line D.
SPECIAL TEAM
Jake Bailey
Matthew Slater
Gunner Olszewski
Jake Cardona
Roberto Aguayo
Justin Rohrwasser
Brandon King
Justin Bethel
Cody Davis
Jake Bailey is a stud – as much as bettors can be studs, you know – but patriots don’t know exactly what to do with a kicker yet. Nick Folk, who was surprisingly excellent last year, is a free agent. Justin Rohrwasser spent his debut season on the training team (after a seemingly unimpressive camp), and Roberto Aguayo was a complete and total disaster in his only NFL season … back in 2016.
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Discovering the kicker may not have been a priority on Day 1 for the Patriots this season, but it is still an important place that needs to be addressed.