An Independent Patriots Blog
After filling out their roster with some quality veteran depth the Patriots have put together a solid 90-man squad. Yes, there’s some wide open positions like receiver, tight end and left tackle, but they’ve thrown enough at the wall in all spots to make things competitive.
Let’s take a wild swing at how I’d see a 53-man roster from here, with the caveat that injuries will turn this thing on its head, unfortunately. Here’s the current 90-man depth chart:
According to a report from Ben Volin (so take it for what it’s worth) Bill Belichick will be the one to call the plays for the defense this year.
The buzz I am hearing from a league source is that Bill Belichick will simply call defensive plays himself this fall. This same source also told me Bielema would become defensive line coach, which I was going to write in this space before it was confirmed on Friday.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2019/05/11/john-urschel-retirement-was-case-simple-math/sASqkV9xeS7e48JvO8ABKI/story.html
As we’ve seen plenty of times now from whenever he’s been miked up, Belichick takes the calm overseer role. He sticks his nose in here and there, mostly to tell people to do their job, but he takes in the big picture.
[Read more…] about Please Tell Me Belichick is Calling Defensive Plays!There isn’t much assured after Julian Edelman when it comes to Patriots wide receivers, but after adding Dontrelle Inman they now have a fascinating array of options to play a new key role.
Here’s how the group of ten break down:
[Read more…] about Patriots Add Inman to Intriguing Receiver GroupKent State class of 2019… we did it! 🎓 #13YearSenior pic.twitter.com/3uNwamnZkp— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) May 11, 2019
With veterans no longer counting against the compensatory pick formula, the Patriots have added two veterans, tackle Jared Veldheer and tight end Ben Watson that won’t cost them any of their projected four comp picks.
The moves are no brainers at positions in transition, with each on a low-risk one-year deal. The moves continue an approach to throw as much as possible at the wall when there’s positional uncertainty.
Combined, the team lost five “starters” at tight end and tackle and after the draft they still need all the help they can get, especially trying to make up for what they lost in Rob Gronkowski piecemeal. It’s gonna take a lot of pieces.
[Read more…] about Patriots Adding Comp-Free VetsRodney Harrison beat out Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour to become the latest former member of the dynasty voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. I’m going to be honest, I would’ve gone Mike Vrabel over him, but Rodney’s deserving nonetheless.
Let’s take a quick look back at Harrison’s tenure with the Patriots and the most memorable moments.
The Patriots officially announced 10 rookie free agent signings and with plenty of roster turnover this year, it’s a good bet one or two could make the roster.
Here’s a quick look back at the undrafteds that made the team over the last decade. As David Andrews confirmed, everyone is on a level playing field once they arrive in Foxboro, whether they were a high-round pick, a high-priced free agent or even a “drafterthought”.
Who might have the best chance to make this year? Let’s take a look.
[Read more…] about Four Best Patriots Rookie Free Agents Roster BetsI’ve spent the past week diving into any Patriots rookie film I can find and obviously there’s a ton out there. Each player sure has their Patriots-esque traits and seeing why the team picked them was pretty clear in almost every case.
How does each new rookie pick fit in? What’s their ceiling and who will they be in direct competition with? Let’s dive in now that I have a much better sense of all of them.
[Read more…] about Notes from the Film Room: Projecting Patriots 2019 Rookie Class