5 Patriots who’ve impressed — and 5 who haven’t — ahead of roster cuts
Several rookies have flashed, while a few veteran players have disappointed.
COMMENTARY
With no preseason NFL games this summer, it can be easy to lose sight of the arrival of the regular season. With a shortened training camp, the arrival of real NFL football has flown under the radar.
But the NFL waits for no one, and we are now less than one week away from the first game of the regular season, Texans vs. Chiefs, and nine days away from the Patriots’ season opener, when they take on the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium.
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NFL teams have until this Saturday at 4 p.m. to cut their training camp rosters from 80 players to 53 players. The Patriots have several difficult roster decisions to make between now and then.
With no preseason games to watch, it becomes harder for teams and media alike to evaluate players on the roster. Still, we can glean roster clues from who has shined in practice, and who has struggled to stand out. Here’s who stood out in an abbreviated training camp this summer, and who could be on the cut line as we inch closer to Saturday at 4 p.m.
FIVE UP
Jakob Johnson, FB
The Patriots signed Dan Vitale to a one-year deal this offseason in hopes of replacing James Develin with Vitale and Jakob Johnson this season. Johnson was thrust into the spotlight however, once Vitale opted out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns, and has responded well to the added pressure of being the only true fullback on the Patriots’ roster now.
A native of Germany, Johnson is entering his third season with New England, and continues to show marked improvement each year, even showing some pass-catching potential in practices this summer. Johnson is a thumper like Develin, but could be used out of the backfield as a pass-catcher on certain plays in this year’s iteration of the Patriots offense.
Josh Uche, LB
There is a youth movement on defense with New England this year, after several key free agent departures. Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings highlight the group of young Patriots who will be counted on to replace lost production, and both have looked capable of handling significant early-season roles right from the jump.
Uche still looks to be getting comfortable with the responsibilities of his role on defense, but has been used in several spots along the front-seven in practices this summer. The athletic linebacker from Michigan could be the team’s best pass-rusher already, and shows shades of ex-Patriot Jamie Collins with his versatility and athletic ability. He could be a Swiss Army knife for this defense.
Anfernee Jennings, LB
While Uche is the more athletic and explosive of the two rookie linebackers, Jennings has done well in training camp also, and plays with the maturity of an NFL veteran already. Jennings projects to fill the role vacated by Kyle Van Noy, and has done well in setting hard edges against the run in practice, something that isn’t always a given with rookie defenders playing on the line.
Jennings is a more physical player than Uche, and seems to have a better grasp on the playbook than his rookie peers, something that is undoubtedly aided by his time spent at Alabama learning under Nick Saban.
Deatrich Wise, DL
A lot has been made this summer about Deatrich Wise gaining some “good weight” in the offseason, as he framed it to reporters this week. Coming into his fourth year, Wise has yet to emerge as a consistent, every-down defender, and it was not outrageous to think he was on the roster bubble coming into training camp.
After a quiet start to camp for Wise, the 2017 fourth-round pick has really come on in the last two weeks. With the added weight on his 6-foot-5 frame, Wise could kick inside on the Patriots’ defensive line to provide a matchup advantage against interior offensive linemen.
There are questions for New England as to how they will generate a pass rush consistently this season. Wise’s strong performance in training camp is a possible answer to that. At times, he’s been dominant on the practice field, and has been giving the Patriots’ offensive linemen fits.
2020 is a contract year for Wise. He has a lot to play for, and it looks like he has answered the bell so far for the team in 2020.
J.C. Jackson, CB
Jackson has deservedly gained recognition since the end of last season as being one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL, and has shown this summer that he has every intention of taking another step forward this season. Stephon Gilmore might be this team’s top cornerback, but Jackson is continuing to close that gap.
Jackson, who is only 24 years old, is a restricted free agent after this year, and it would not be surprising to see the Patriots try to sign Jackson to a big extension soon to lock up their cornerback of the future. With Stephon Gilmore turning 30 in September, Jackson is poised to be the next great Patriots franchise cornerback.
Honorable mention: Damien Harris, Devin Asiasi, Jermaine Elumuenor, Terrence Brooks, Kyle Dugger
FIVE DOWN
Jarrett Stidham, QB
The top storyline coming into training camp was the Patriots’ quarterback competition, but it lasted about four days until Jarrett Stidham suffered a hip injury.
Stidham was always going to need to have an outstanding training camp to beat out Cam Newton, but going down with an injury less than a full week into training camp derailed any shot he had at the starting quarterback job.
Now, with the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride reporting on Thursday that Newton has officially been named the team’s starting quarterback, Stidham finds himself in a competition for the backup job, rather than the starting job. With his injury, and Hoyer’s experience in the system, it’s now not even a sure thing that Stidham is the team’s backup this year. For a player who had generated some hype coming into this season, it’s been a very disappointing August for Jarrett Stidham.
Beau Allen, DT
Beau Allen was signed to help replace Danny Shelton after Shelton signed with the Detroit Lions in free agency, but hasn’t been able to practice yet this summer with his new team, due to a lower body injury.
With the Patriots challenged for depth already at the defensive tackle spot, Allen doesn’t appear to be at risk of getting cut, but being placed on short-term IR to start the season should not be ruled out at this point, with nine days to go until the team’s first game.
Justin Rohrwasser, K
It’s been a brutal training camp for Justin Rohrwasser, to put it mildly. The fifth-round draft pick has been inconsistent from the very beginning, and despite his big leg, has not shown the ability to kick the ball between the uprights with any regularity.
Since Nick Folk was signed by the team to compete with Rohrwasser, Folk has gone 17-of-20 on field goal attempts, while Rohrwasser has hit 11-of-20 attempts. That’s simply not good enough.
With NFL practice squads expanding to 16 players for this season, it’s likely that the team will sign Rohrwasser to the practice squad, assuming he clears waivers.
N’Keal Harry, WR
While he isn’t necessarily on here because of poor performance, this was supposed to be a huge offseason for Harry, the team’s 2018 first-round draft pick, after a rookie season spent playing catch up due to injury. Instead, it’s been an up-and-down August for the second-year wideout, one that hasn’t seen him separate from the pack like you would expect out of a former first-round draft pick.
Harry missed three practices in the middle of training camp, but returned in time to get back on track in his quest to earn a bigger role in 2020. Ideally, Harry becomes a physical red-zone threat for Newton to rely on, and somebody who can operate in the intermediate areas of the field and pick on smaller defensive backs.
Harry’s health will continue to be something to monitor. Until he can stay on the field consistently, it will be tough to count on Harry to be a big part on offense for this team.
Adrian Phillips, S
Phillips, the team’s top free agent signing from this offseason, has missed most of training camp due to injury, and has been limited in practices this week as he tries to work his way back to full health in time for Week 1.
With Terrence Brooks and Kyle Dugger playing well in training camp, Phillips’s name has been thrown out there as a possible surprise cut. But with Patrick Chung opting out of the season, and with how much value the Patriots place on the safety position, it would be extra surprising to see the versatile Phillips released, despite his absence from practice this summer.
(Dis)honorable mention: Brandon Copeland, Damiere Byrd
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