Cut down day is looming.
The Patriots have one final preseason game Sunday against the Washington Commanders. Then Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf have to get to work paring the roster from 90 to 53 by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
“This is a big week for us, just kind of operationally, being on the road, night game. Roster cuts are Tuesday, and we play the last game of any team, so we’re cognizant of that,” Wolf, the Patriots executive vice president of player personnel, said during his media availability a week ago. “With the injury situations, it’s going to be a challenge for us, but we’re excited about it.”
Mayo, meanwhile, suggested jobs can still be won or lost in Washington.
“This game, we say it doesn’t count, but it matters,” Mayo said Friday. “I think there are still a few positions where it’s a battle. We’ve been talking about competition all year, and that’s still my message right now.”
While it’s been harder getting to 53, than cutting to 53 with roster projections, that doesn’t mean the job will be easy for the Patriots braintrust.
Here’s a look at where the toughest cuts will come.
Sixth wide receiver
Kendrick Bourne, Demario “Pop” Douglas, K.J. Osborn, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker qualify as locks. That’s five already pencilled in. So that likely leaves one opening. Given Tyquan Thornton has been with the 1s throughout training camp, and has performed well, it’s hard not to pencil him into that sixth spot.
He’s basically gone from being on the bubble, to a lock.
So where does the difficulty lie?
If Bourne, who has yet to be activated off the PUP list, starts out the season in the same spot, that will provide an opening for one more.
Assuming Thornton is in fact in the mix, who does that leave for the final spot?
Jalen Reagor and Kayshon Boutte.
That’s where the toughest cut will come.
Reagor, a former first-round pick of the Eagles who was signed to the practice squad last season after being waived by the Vikings, started strong in camp, faded in the middle, and has made another push in recent days. His special teams ability as a returner might give him the edge.
Boutte, meanwhile, a 2023 sixth-round pick, has made some splash plays, particularly on the sideline. There’s definite upside with him. Will that put him over the top? Last week, Boutte said there was “not a doubt” in his mind that he was going to make the team.
Time will tell.
Sixth cornerback
Pencil in Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones. They represent the likely starters, with Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones on the outside, and Marcus in the slot.
Marco Wilson and Alex Austin also look like fairly safe bets to make that team and be in the cornerback room.
That leaves Isaiah Bolden, Marcellas Dial Jr. Shaun Wade, Azizi Hearn and Mikey Victor fighting for one spot.
Mike Pellegrino, the Patriots cornerbacks coach, called this the “deepest crew” he’s had dating back to 2015. Pellegrino acknowledged how difficult it will be to whittle down the group to six corners, with an outside shot at seven.
“It’s going to be extremely tough. These guys make my job extremely hard, and as they should, but the way I look at it is, we’re all horses running in a race,” Pellegrino said. “We’re not looking at the guys in our room or in our heat. We’re just trying to get better every day and improve. And look, we’re running fast in our heat. We’re probably running faster than the guys in other heats. So look my job as a coach is to develop these guys and make them great corners. That’s my job. I open the door. They’ve got to walk through it, though.”
Outside of Jon Jones (5-9, 185) and Marcus Jones (5-8, 188), Wilson (6-0, 191), Austin (6-1, 191), Bolden (6-2, 205), Wade (6-1, 195), Dial (6-0, 190) Hearn (6-1, 204) and Victor (6-2, 205) all bring size to the table.
Judging by reps and performance, the sixth spot can be narrowed down to a battle between Bolden, a second-year player who was on IR all last year and boasts tremendous speed, and Wade, who has been with the team the past three years, knows the system, and has versatility.
Dial, a 2024 sixth-round choice, hasn’t shown enough. Hearn has improved, and is a favorite of Pellegrino, but he and Victor are a notch below for that final spot.
Third tight end
The best way to describe this group is Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper and a tight end to be named later.
The top candidates?
Mitchell Wilcox, who is more well-rounded given his blocking skills, could be the third one in. Working against him is the fact he’s been prone to drops. He’s also injured.
Rookie 7th-round pick Jaheim Bell, meanwhile, does not compute as a blocker, but he does have receiving skills and could be a potential weapon in the passing game.
Basically, this comes down to what the Patriots need or prioritize, be it blocking or receiving ability.
La’Michael Pettway and Jacob Warren are technically in the mix, but it seems like it’ll come down to Wilcox or Bell.
Fourth safety
The Patriots sport one of the best one-two combos in the league with Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger. Jaylinn Hawkins can probably breathe easy given he’s a free safety who can handle center field while Peppers and Dugger play closer to the line – their strong suit.
Brenden Schooler is technically a safety, but he’s primarily going to make the team as a core special teamer.
That leaves second-year player Marte Mapu, who has been sidelined all of camp, undrafted rookie Dell Pettus and Joshuah Bledsoe duking it out for the fourth safety spot.
Mapu looks like a candidate to remain on PUP. So no roster spot needed.
That means it’ll be Pettus versus Bledsoe, a former sixth round pick who has been bounced between the practice squad and roster the past three seasons.
Pettus has certainly been noticeable both in games, and in practice.
“He came in eager to learn, aggressive, hard-hitting,” Peppers said of Pettus Friday. “You know, we like those in our safety room. He just keeps improving every week. He asks the right question, and he applies the classroom to the field. I think that’s the best thing going for him right now.”
Kicker
Chad Ryland and Joey Slye have been duking it out kick-for-kick throughout training camp and the preseason.
To this point, Slye has out-dueled Ryland. But does that mean the Patriots will be willing to part with their 2023 fourth-round pick so soon?
Ryland didn’t have the best rookie year, only making 16 of 25 field goal attempts. The Patriots brought in competition to see if that might provide a spark. While he hasn’t beaten out Slye, the competition has been fairly close. Ryland has the stronger leg, but Slye has been more consistent.
It’ll be interesting to see how this one shakes out.
