Meet the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster for 2024
The New England Patriots roster is set for the start of the 2024 season.
After releasing 14 players on Monday to get ahead of final roster cuts, the Pats moved on from 23 more to get down to their initial 53-man group. NFL rules no longer require players to be named to the roster before being placed on short-term injured reserve, so it’s possible that this is the team for Week 1.
Read more about the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster below, plus analysis…
Quarterbacks
Jacoby Brissett
Drake Maye
Joe Milton III
No surprises here, unless you count the fact that the Patriots waived third-year QB Bailey Zappe as part of their final cut-downs. Brissett remains the favorite to begin the season as the starting quarterback, with Maye beginning as the backup despite coming on strong over the final 2-3 weeks of camp.
Milton, meanwhile, has enough arm talent and intangibles for the Patriots to keep him around and see how he develops in their program. But the big question for this group – arguably the only pertinent question – is when Maye finally goes in as the starter.
Wide Receivers
Javon Baker
Kayshon Boutte
DeMario Douglas
K.J. Osborn
Ja’Lynn Polk
Jalen Reagor
Tyquan Thornton
After all the talk of who makes the cut, the Patriots kept basically all their capable receivers, seven to be exact. Douglas, Osborn, and the two rookies have long been locks. Thornton, meanwhile, didn’t just stay healthy but continued to rep as a starter, and has a lot of confidence from the coaching staff.
Reagor likely stuck around due to his versatility as a returner. He does have a chance to actually be an asset on the new kickoffs. Boutte has been more up-and-down and is more of a pure receiver, but there’s possibly more upside to be tapped into there.
The Patriots still lack a true No. 1 star receiver, but this is an underrated group whose solid summer has been overshadowed by the struggles of the offensive line. They could be surprisingly productive, especially once Maye goes in.
Tight Ends
Jaheim Bell
Hunter Henry
Austin Hooper
Henry and Hooper have been roster locks all along, so no surprises there. The hope is that Henry is healthy and ready for the start of the regular season. Bell came on strong over the final few weeks of the summer, ultimately overtaking Mitchell Wilcox, Jacob Warren, and La’Michael Pettway for the third spot.
In this group, however, the Patriots lack a consistently strong blocker. It’s possible the Pats look to add a pure blocking tight end to the depth chart via waivers or trade.
Running Backs
Antonio Gibson
JaMycal Hasty
Rhamondre Stevenson
It was a little surprising to see the Patriots cut Kevin Harris and go with just three running backs, but if Harris – and for that matter, Terrell Jennings – can’t find new gigs elsewhere, they could return on the practice squad. You can never have enough bodies at this particular position.
What this says, is that Stevenson is going to be leaned on heavily, potentially as a true bell cow. He’s primed for a big season. Gibson and Hasty will mix in as changes of pace, especially in passing situations.
Offensive Line
Tackle
Vederian Lowe
Chukwuma Okorafor
Caedan Wallace
Guard
Michael Jordan
Mike Onwenu
Layden Robinson
Sidy Sow
Center
David Andrews
Nick Leverett
Of all the position groups, this is the one with the highest likelihood to have a new addition come in off the waiver wire or via trade. The Pats especially need help at tackle, where Lowe is dealing with an injury and Wallace has been slow to develop.
The interior is relatively solid. As long as David Andrews is in at center, snapping shouldn’t be as much of a problem as it was with the other centers throughout camp. Onwenu is one of the league’s better right guards when he plays that spot. Left guard will be a position to watch, if Sow has to miss extended time.
Defensive Line
Daniel Ekuale
Davon Godchaux
Trysten Hill
Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
Keion White
Deatrich Wise Jr.
Oshane Ximines
Christian Barmore would’ve headlined this group had he not unfortunately suffered from blood clots earlier in the summer. He’s designated to return from the reserve/non-football injury list, but it’s going to take a combination of players to replace his roles, especially in the pass-rush. Look for Pharms and Ekuale to rep more than ever on third downs, while Godchaux could be in line for an increased role getting after quarterbacks.
On the edge, White has been excellent throughout the summer and looks ready to make a true year-2 jump, while Wise remains a cornerstone of the leadership group and pass-rush packages. Ximines earned his spot after a strong camp, as he looks to find second life in New England after starting his career with the Giants.
Linebackers
Ja’Whaun Bentley
Christian Elliss
Anfernee Jennings
Raekwon McMillan
Jahlani Tavai
Joshua Uche
Lot of eyes on this group in the post-Matthew Judon era. Jennings projects as the direct replacement in Judon’s role, while Uche will be leaned on more than ever to generate pressure off the edge. Bentley, Tavai, and McMillan will primarily defend the run.
Elliss sneaks in from the bubble, while Joe Giles-Harris barely missed the cut. But the latter should be a top practice squad candidate.
Safeties
Kyle Dugger
Jaylinn Hawkins
Jabrill Peppers
Dell Pettus
Brenden Schooler
The Patriots are still going to play a lot of “Nickel” defense (five defensive backs) and some “Big Nickel” (three safeties), so it’s not shocking that they kept five safeties. This is one of their best, most deepest position groups, as it has been for years.
Expect Dugger and Peppers to mostly play close to the line of scrimmage and in the box. Pettus has lined up all over the field, but projects best as a Peppers type with his run defense and physical presence. Hawkins projects as the deep safety, while Schooler will remain a special teams cornerstone and mix in on defense more than he has previously.
Cornerbacks
Alex Austin
Isaiah Bolden
Marcellas Dial Jr.
Christian Gonzalez
Jonathan Jones
Marcus Jones
Marco Wilson
Ultimately, it was Shaun Wade that didn’t make the cut in a competitive position group. He should be considered for a spot on the practice squad, though.
Gonzalez, Austin, Wilson, and Dial are your outside corners. Jonathan Jones could also continue to line up there, but he’s always been best-suited in the slot, and Marcus Jones hasn’t been the most reliable player with health, anyway. It’s an intriguing group with an excellent position coach in Mike Pellegrino, so there’s a chance their performance exceeds expectations.
Special Teams
Kicker: Joey Slye
Punter: Bryce Baringer
Long Snapper: Joe Cardona
Joey Slye edged out second-year pro Chad Ryland in the kicker competition, which was the only real roster battle among the specialists. Ryland simply could never find consistent accuracy with his powerful leg. Slye has been more dependable and thus gets the job.
Baringer and Cardona, meanwhile, were locks. The Patriots briefly had long snapper Tucker Addington in the fold before releasing him. Baringer has a chance to be one of the league’s best punters, based on his performance in the preseason.
Injured Players
OT Calvin Anderson (IR)
C/G Jake Andrews (IR)
DT Christian Barmore (Non-football injury-return)
WR Kendrick Bourne (PUP)
WR JaQuae Jackson (IR)
S Marte Mapu (IR-return)
OG Cole Strange (PUP)
LB Sione Takitaki (PUP)
DT Armon Watts (IR)
Bourne, Strange, and Takitaki can all be kept on PUP since they were placed on that list prior to the start of camp and never returned. Barmore and Mapu had to go on reserve, since they’d previously participated in camp, but both have been designated to return.
That’s especially encouraging for Barmore, who is recovering from blood clots. The Patriots obviously have some confidence that the star defensive tackle can come back at some point this season.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
