FOXBORO — With Thursday’s training camp walkthrough practice behind us, and with one notable returnee, feels like as good a time as any to drop another 53-man roster projection.
It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these, and plenty has changed. For example, take the wide receiver room alone.
Stefon Diggs has been working on the field almost without limitation. Ja’Lynn Polk has been in, then out, then back in the lineup. Mack Hollins was placed on PUP, and he returned for Day 8 of practice, making him eligible to start the season on the active roster.
Javon Baker went from seemingly having no shot at the roster to making a few plays and giving himself new life. Kendrick Bourne went from old Josh McDaniels pupil who seemed like a safe bet to make the club… to buried on the depth chart.
Kayshon Boutte has somehow made himself reliable. Efton Chism III went from springtime darling to summertime reserve — with upside.
It’s been a whirlwind. And though we’re a long way off from knowing exactly how things will play out, let’s take a stab anyway. Never stopped us before.
Quarterback (2): Drake Maye, Joshua Dobbs
No surprises here. Third-stringer Ben Wooldridge has had moments of competency, but not so many that he’s pushing for the No. 2 role.
Running back (4): Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, TreVeyon Henderson, Lan Larison
Larison received reps with Drake Maye and the first-team offense on Wednesday. He’s also getting regular looks in the kicking game. Injuries are inevitable at this spot, so perhaps the undrafted rookie out of UC Davis is the do-it-all type to provide them a necessary layer of depth.
Wide receiver (5): Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, Mack Hollins
This is one of the most difficult positions to peg at the moment. The top three players here have remained consistent through camp, with Diggs, Douglas and Boutte getting the most regular work with Maye.
On Thursday, however, Hollins was removed from PUP and allowed to take part in the team’s walkthrough. Then, in non-competitive snaps, he repped with the first unit.
Hard to put an incredible amount of stock into those because of their half-speed nature, but they seemed to be an indication that New England will have a real plan offensively for Hollins, who signed for over $3 million in guaranteed money this offseason. Though he should be a regular in the kicking game, he certainly doesn’t look like a kicking-game-only player.
That could be bad news for players like Kendrick Bourne and Ja’Lynn Polk. Those two would be in the running, it seems, for the No. 6 wideout gig. Yet neither look like special-teams factors. That, to me, would make their place on the roster tenuous.
For Bourne, because of his experience in Shanahan-style offenses — and because of the sheer number of those schemes that have spread like wildfire through the league — it would make sense for the Patriots to try to trade him in the hopes of developing depth at another position where they’re thin.
Chism is worthy of consideration here, too, but he’s repped consistently with the reserves. Should he explode in preseason, putting good work on tape for the league to see, perhaps he’d force the hands of Patriots decision-makers to give him a job as a developmental piece and keep him away from the waiver wire.
Phil Perry breaks down a potential Patriots receiver battle on the latest Patriots Talk Podcast
Tight end (3): Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jack Westover
This is one of those aforementioned dangerously-thin roster spots in Foxboro, in my opinion. They have two capable players at the top. Otherwise, it’s anyone’s guess.
Westover looks like he’d be the top option if Mike Vrabel and his staff want someone who can fill in offensively. He took reps alongside Henry at times while Austin Hooper was on PUP. But if the team wants a special-teamer? That might be last year’s seventh-round pick, Jaheim Bell, who has been getting early work on kick and punt-return units.
Undrafted rookie Gee Scott might be the upside play since he’s impressed at times as a pass-catcher with the backups.
Three options. None of them sure things.
Offensive line (8): Morgan Moses, Mike Onwenu, Garrett Bradbury, Jared Wilson, Will Campbell, Demontrey Jacobs, Ben Brown, Caedan Wallace
The top five here look pretty well set. Bradbury was banged up this week, but that’s not expected to be a long-term issue, and when he returns, he looks like the best bet to start at center. Brown was the player who filled in as the top backup in the middle, which helps him land here.
Cole Strange, not included in this projection, feels like the third center. And he feels like the third or fourth guard behind Onwenu, Wilson and (perhaps) Wallace. Wallace’s standing as a second-year player — someone considered worthy of a third-round pick — is what earns him the nod over Strange as a reserve guard here.
Special teams (3): Parker Romo, Bryce Baringer, Julian Ashby
Andy Borregales was taken with a draft pick back in the spring, which makes him the odds-on favorite to win the job. But Romo has been perfect in camp, while Borregales got off to a rocky start.
Borregales has been accurate of late, but he seems to hit a consistent draw, whereas Romo’s kicks seem to fly straighter and with a little more velocity.
Defensive tackle (5): Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Khyiris Tonga, Jeremiah Pharms, Jaquelin Roy
Tonga has been one of the surprises in camp. He’s been disruptive on the interior in both run and pass situations.
Pharms and Roy also appear to fit what Vrabel wants in terms of being aggressive defensive linemen who could make an impact as part of a regular rotation.
Edge defender (7): Harold Landry, Keion White, K’Lavon Chaisson, Anfernee Jennings, Bradyn Swinson, Elijah Ponder, Truman Jones
Too many names here? Maybe. But all three of Swinson, Ponder and Jones have shown up in different capacities.
Ponder, an undrafted rookie out of Cal Poly, has been used early in the kicking game, and that could be his path to a roster spot. The same could be true for Jones, who was added to the active roster off the practice squad late last season. He flashed as a pass-rusher in 1-on-1s on Wednesday against Demontrey Jacobs.
Swinson, meanwhile, got the best of Will Campbell in 1-on-1s on Day 7 and has special-teams potential as well.
Perhaps there will be two of this group of three who separate over the next few weeks. But all look like they could be roster-worthy right now.
Linebacker (4): Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens, Jahlani Tavai
Pretty straightforward grouping here. Tavai has been banged up and missed time, but if gets healthy by the time the regular season rolls around, it would come as little surprise if Vrabel wanted him for defensive and special-teams depth.
Gibbens has popped at times in coverage and he’s a regular on special-teams coordinator Jeremy Springer’s units.
Cornerback (6): Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, Marcellas Dial, D.J. James
James has been among the biggest surprises in camp. A Day 3 pick of the Seahawks last year out of Auburn, he eventually ended up on New England’s practice squad. This summer he’s taken advantage of extra reps — with Davis and Gonzalez missing time — to be a regular around the football.
James has seen some quality reps with the top defense, and if he were able to carve himself a role, it would be one of the top underdog stories of camp.
Safety (6): Jabrill Peppers, Kyle Dugger, Craig Woodson, Jaylinn Hawkins, Brenden Schooler, Dell Pettus
Marcus Epps may be tough to leave off this list for Vrabel, but it’s a relatively deep group. Pettus has real special-teams ability, and he’s used at times as the personal protector on the punt team.
Schooler is a kicking-game ace, one of the best in the league in that phase and a potential captain. Hawkins has seen plenty of early reps with the defense and looks like a core special-teamer as well.
