Meet the 2023 Patriots: A player-by-player look at the initial 53-man roster
Updated September 5, 2023, 5:41 p. m. An offseason of team-building has resulted in a 53-man roster for the Patriots for Sunday’s season opener against Philadelphia.
While there could be some moves between now and kickoff, here’s an up-to-date, player-by-player look at the team Bill Belichick will take into his 29th season as a head coach in the NFL. Offense There’s a reason some national pundits said Bill O’Brien was the Patriots’ top acquisition of the offseason. O’Brien, who was an assistant with the Patriots from 2007-11, returns as the coordinator to take over an offense that struggled last year.
Under Matt Patricia, the Patriots were in the bottom half of the NFL in most major offensive categories. Enter O’Brien. While there are still questions — specifically, the state of the offensive line, the depth at quarterback, and whether or not Mac Jones can deliver — it was clear over the course of the summer that there’s a greater sense of optimism on that side of the ball.
Get Breaking Sports Alerts Be the first to know the latest sports news as it happens, and get the Globe's most interesting reporting right to your inbox. QUARTERBACK Mac Jones: Entering his third year, he is looking to bounce back after a miserable 2022 that included an injury, a quarterback controversy, and a sideline rant directed toward Patricia. Now, he’s healthy, the acknowledged starter, and O’Brien is the offensive play-caller.
Matt Corral: A relatively surprising late-summer pickup, he will compete with Bailey Zappe for the backup spot. Don’t sleep on the fact that he had 614 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns as a senior at Ole Miss in 2021. OFFENSIVE LINE Trent Brown: The big guy is back as the protector of Jones’s blind side.
A healthy Brown would go a long way toward a successful year for the quarterback, and the offense as a whole. Cole Strange: The left guard, a 2022 first-round pick, is looking to build on a solid rookie season. David Andrews: Rock solid.
The unquestioned leader up front, the veteran center was the only starter along the offensive line not to miss significant time this summer. Mike Onwenu: While Andrews is the acknowledged leader of the line, Onwenu — who can play guard or tackle with equal aplomb — has the skill set and versatility to be considered the best pure lineman on the roster. Calvin Anderson: The veteran was on the non-football injury list all summer and has just returned to on-field action.
If he’s good to go, he could be in the starting lineup for the opener. Atonio Mafi: After Strange went down early in camp, the rookie — a former defensive tackle at UCLA — served as the starting left guard, showing some nice power in the run game. Jake Andrews: The rookie out of Troy is part of a mix of backups in the interior.
His versatility (he can play guard and center) certainly works in his favor when it comes to playing time. Sidy Sow: There were growing pains this summer, but his willingness to embrace a move from guard to tackle bodes well. Vederian Lowe: A late-summer pickup via Minnesota who theoretically could provide depth at guard and tackle.
It’ll be tough to get a sense of where he best fits until he’s on the field. Tyrone Wheatley Jr. : Another player who was acquired late last month, he played both tackle positions this summer with the Browns.
TIGHT END Hunter Henry: One of Jones’s most reliable targets the last two seasons. There’s no reason to think that’s going to change. Mike Gesicki: The former Dolphin was part of some offensive highlights during training camp.
His red-zone skills should provide a boost for an offense that was one of the least effective there last season. Pharaoh Brown: The veteran is a favorite of O’Brien’s, as the two were together in Houston. Provides depth at a position of need.
RUNNING BACKS Rhamondre Stevenson: The foundation of the offense in 2022 (he led the team in rushing yards and receptions), he won’t be asked to do nearly as much in 2023. That should help when it comes to keeping him healthy. Ezekiel Elliott: The veteran joined the list of notable August pickups made by Belichick.
Like Gesicki, he figures to provide a boost in the red zone as well as in short-yardage situations. WIDE RECEIVER DeVante Parker: An occasional home run hitter (17. 4 yards per catch last year), and if he can do that more consistently, it would provide an excellent complement to the mostly short and intermediate passing attack.
JuJu Smith-Schuster: Showed nice versatility this summer, working on the boundary and in the slot. If he can stay healthy, he should be among the leaders in the passing game. Kendrick Bourne: The veteran had a terrific summer, catching just about everything thrown in his direction and bringing positive energy along with it.
If he builds on his work over the last month-plus, he could be in for a big season. Demario Douglas: The shifty rookie impressed all summer, using speed and short-area quickness to create separation. If that translates to the regular season, New England could have a difference-maker in the sixth-round pick out of Liberty.
Kayshon Boutte: Another rookie, he provided one of the highlights of the preseason with his 42-yard touchdown reception against the Packers. He can’t afford to be complacent, as he could be pushed by practice-squadders such as Jalen Reagor. Defense The defense did more than its fair share in 2022, scoring a team-record seven touchdowns and allowing 20.
4 points per game, 11th best in the league. However, it failed to consistently slow some of the league’s best passing attacks and came up short against most every playoff team it faced. Can the defense take the leap to elite status with a dominant performance against a top-level attack? Can some of the best young players entering contract seasons — such as Kyle Dugger and Josh Uche — continue their ascent? And can youngsters such as Christian Gonzalez, Keion White, and Marte Mapu acclimate quickly to NFL life? The answers to those questions will define this defense.
DEFENSIVE LINE Christian Barmore: When he’s healthy, he’s been close to dominant. Will be counted on to play a sizable role up front again. Lawrence Guy: Entering his seventh season with the Patriots, the 33-year-old figures to be a regular part of the rotation up front again.
Davon Godchaux: Stout against the run, this defensive tackle hasn’t missed a regular-season game in his two seasons with the Patriots. Daniel Ekuale: Will likely start the season as a backup defensive tackle. Deatrich Wise Jr.
: Hard to believe he’s one of the few players left from the last Super Bowl team. The veteran is coming off his finest season as a pass rusher (7½ sacks), and will be counted on again to bring pressure off the edge. Keion White: A second-round pick out of Georgia Tech, he was impressive at times this summer.
Will likely start as part of a rotation up front, but if his work in camp was any indication, his role could expand. Sam Roberts: Another depth piece at defensive tackle, Roberts enters his second season in New England. LINEBACKER Matthew Judon: A dynamic playmaker, Judon has assumed more of a leadership role with the departure of Devin McCourty.
A key piece of the defensive puzzle. Ja’Whaun Bentley: Only McCourty played as many defensive snaps as Bentley in 2022 (80 percent). Look for that number to increase as he continues to serve as a key piece.
Josh Uche: The Michigan man enjoyed a breakout 2022 with a career-high 11½ sacks. If he can build on that, he could land a big contract as a free agent. Jahlani Tavai: His role on defense and special teams has grown steadily the last couple of seasons.
Based on what we saw this summer, there’s no reason to think that won’t continue. Marte Mapu: One of the most fascinating rookies on the roster. He played multiple positions at Sacramento State; if that can translate to the NFL, he’ll see plenty of time in the first season.
Mack Wilson Sr. : A complementary linebacker who should see more time on special teams than defense. He can still serve as a nice depth piece up the middle.
Anfernee Jennings: An edge defender who likely has his path to serious playing time blocked by Uche and others. He provides depth at one of the deepest positions on the roster. CORNERBACK Christian Gonzalez: The first-round pick out of Oregon was competitive over the summer.
While there were some rookie moments, there also were impressive performances. He should play a lot in his first year. Jonathan Jones: The 29-year-old, who was out for a large portion of camp with an undisclosed injury, figures to be a steadying influence in an inexperienced room.
Will likely draw the No. 1 receiver most weeks. Jack Jones: A June incident at Logan Airport for gun possession threw his summer into turmoil, though legal issues were seemingly resolved Tuesday.
When on the field, he has shown good ball skills (two interceptions last season). Marcus Jones: Last year’s most electric special teams performer has stepped into the full-time role of slot corner. His speed and playmaking could mean an occasional cameo on offense as well.
Shaun Wade: Depth consideration who could be in line for more playing time. Ameer Speed: A sixth-round pick out of Michigan State. In the words of Matthew Slater, “Brother Speed has speed.
” Should get special teams reps before potentially working his way into a role in the secondary. Myles Bryant: His role has grown fairly dramatically over the last three years to a point where he played 61 percent of the defensive snaps in 2022. An undersized corner, he figures to be one of the first choices off the bench if a starter goes down.
SAFETY Jabrill Peppers: The 27-year-old veteran, who defines high energy, embraced a leadership role this summer. Part of a position group that is one of the most talented on the roster, and one that should help paper over any deficiencies the Patriots have with their young corners. Kyle Dugger: After finishing strong last year — only two Patriots had more touchdowns — he appears poised for a big year, one that likely will result in a massive payday.
Adrian Phillips: Smart and steady, Phillips has seen an awful lot of snaps in the center-field role that McCourty played. Jalen Mills: The hybrid corner/safety should help fill gaps as needed in the secondary. Special teams Once a point of pride for New England, the special teams were plagued by uncharacteristic sloppiness in 2022.
The Patriots struggled to defend in the kicking game and failed to slow some of the league’s best returners. To remedy things, they brought in a new kicker, punter, and special teams veteran Chris Board. “I think the time for excuses is up,” said Slater in July.
“We’ve had enough excuses the last couple of seasons. It’s time for us to put up or shut up. ” Bryce Baringer: The rookie spent the summer booming punts halfway to Bangor.
If he can incorporate some touch (when it’s called for) and put the majority of his opportunities inside the 20, New England will have something. Chad Ryland: The fourth-round pick out of Maryland beat out veteran Nick Folk for the placekicking job. Matthew Slater: Still without peer as a gunner and leader, Slater is entering his 16th season.
Joe Cardona: The veteran long snapper, entering his ninth season in New England, will be charged with working with a rookie punter and kicker. Chris Board: Though celebrated by Belichick as one of the best special teamers in the league, he also can serve as a backup linebacker. Brenden Schooler: A backup safety and core special teamer (only Slater had more special teams snaps last season), he recovered a pair of fumbles in 2022.
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