Pats Pulpit
For the New England Patriots and the rest of the NFL, the “worst day of the year” is officially over. By 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, rosters across the league had been reduced to no more than 53 players — a process that put around 1,000 players out of a job, in some cases permanently.
Having entered the day at 76 active players, the Patriots had to make 23 transactions. There were no real shockers or true headline names involved, but every one of those moves comes with its own fallout both from a team and more importantly a personal perspective. For as much as the NFL loves the spectacle and dominating the news cycle — although a certain singer had something to say about that on Tuesday — it is, at the end of the day, a job for hundreds of people.
Pro football, however, rolls on. And at the end of the day, New England was left with its initial 53-man roster for the upcoming 2025 season.
Here are six thoughts on it.
1. The biggest question when it comes to the Patriots at this stage in their developmental process is this: will they be good enough? Obviously, that is quite the loaded question and the answer will differ depending on one’s definition of what “good” actually means in the context of an NFL team. Super Bowl-caliber? Playoff contender? Just better than 2024?
That last goal seems like a fair one for a team that is still very much in the early stages of its rebuild. Head coach Mike Vrabel was hired less than eight months ago, while quarterback Drake Maye has only 12 career starts under his belt. They will be the main men to impact the organization’s fortunes moving forward, but it might take some time for them to actually lift the team from the abyss it found itself in for at least the last two years.
Going back to that question above, the Patriots do look like a team equipped to show some actual improvement in the win-loss column this season. Their starter-level talent across the board looks better and that does not even account for Maye’s second-year jump or the (hopefully) improved coaching he is receiving. However, pro football is the ultimate team game not just because of the fragility of its in-play structure — a single player can mess up everything — but also the importance of the non-starters on a roster.
While players 1 to 22 are the headline names in most cases, those from 23 to 53 are of marginally lesser importance to the operation. And this is where the Patriots and their hope for improvement might get tested this season.
A look at the roster as its stands, after all, shows that there are some question marks below the top level. Are the depth cornerbacks equipped to do the job if Christian Gonzalez’s absence extends into the season? What about the backup offensive linemen, who are almost certain to see...
