53 thoughts on the Patriots’ 53 active players from Drake Maye to Bradyn Swinson

Enough about Drake Maye for a minute Mike Vrabel too The Patriots are - thanks to them yes but also because they re healthy squeezing the majority of out of their talent and receiving contributions from all over the roster So here s a thought on all current Patriots players who have helped form a true Super Bowl contender QB Drake Maye The Gillette Stadium crowd was right the other night against the Jets Maye is the league s MVP entering Week QB Joshua Dobbs On Dobbs only completion this season he evaded a strong Titans pass rush on third down and hit DeMario Douglas for a -yard gain that moved the chains It also ALLOWED Drake Maye time to return from concussion protocol and sustained a scoring drive Dobbs may not throw another pass this year but he s been an ideal backu a cerebral experienced veteran who stays ready at a moment s notice QB Tommy DeVito Get ready to hear a lot about DeVito next week ahead of the Pats Monday night kickoff against the Giants That competition will be a reunion for him and vice president of performer personnel Ryan Cowden who was in New York last year and likely vouched for DeVito before the Patriots claimed him off waivers in late August RB Rhamondre Stevenson Stevenson s toe injury may prove to be a blessing if it helps keep him fresh down the stretch He s suffered from burnout and bad injury luck at the end of each of the last three seasons RB TreVeyon Henderson Henderson s long-awaited breakout is a credit to his persistence and the coaching staff taking its time with a young athlete who looked a bit overwhelmed in September and early October The -year-old still isn t the majority of efficient or client runner but he s growing and his explosive runs are well worth the meager gains in between Think of a home-run hitter who has a low batting average but when he connects gets his gang on the board RB Terrell Jennings Jennings is one of the best stories on the crew a young powerful runner who endured homelessness as a child growing up in the Jacksonville area then played college ball at Florida A M an FCS school later made the Patriots practice squad coming out of training camp and earned a promotion to the developing roster FB Jack Westover The Patriots still aren t bowling over defenses like you would hope when they play with a fullback but Westover is among their most of improved offensive players He of late helped key wins over the Browns and Falcons WR Stefon Diggs Diggs is tracking for the seventh -yard season of his career an incredible feat coming off an ACL tear at But set aside the stats This quote from Josh McDaniels about Diggs impact speaks loudest I think he s been a really good guy for our young players to watch work watch during the program of the day how he prepares And then certainly obviously his influence on our unit On the practice field During the curriculum of the meeting There s an force and an intensity about him that never stops I appreciate that as a coach because it s a long season WR Kayshon Boutte I ve commented it before I ll say it again Boutte has matured more than any young athlete I ve covered in New England Kudos to him for what should finish as a career year thanks to an attitude adjustment WR Mack Hollins Hollins receiving yards are already more than he s had in any other year of his career except one That was when he caught a career-high passes for yards and four touchdowns in Las Vegas His head coach Josh McDaniels WR DeMario Douglas Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas celebrates a first down during the second quarter of last Sunday's mastery over the Falcons in Foxboro Nancy Lane Boston Herald Maybe the the bulk well-liked athlete in the building And let s get more designed touches for him please WR Kyle Williams There s no denying Williams speed or his lack of production two catches on targets since the opener I wouldn t be shocked if he s a healthy scratch for a big upcoming championship regular season or playoffs WR Efton Chism III A developmental back-end-of-the-roster performer whose best football is ahead of him Any real contribution this year is gravy TE Hunter Henry One of the steadiest performers and personalities in the locker room And Henry might feast Sunday against a Bengals defense that ranks second-worst in the league at defending tight ends TE Austin Hooper Without Hooper the Patriots couldn t play through traditional personnel one running back two tight ends their second-most common personnel grouping this year That forced McDaniels to deploy specific rarely-used groups that featured six offensive linemen and four wide receivers Hopefully those short-term wrinkles which mostly worked aren t forgotten down the stretch TE CJ Dippre Congrats to Dippre an undrafted rookie on being signed off the practice squad this week He s a better run-blocker than receiver LT Will Campbell Campbell s tape has been far from spotless but the fact he s supplying the Patriots with league-average play as a -year-old is a stunner The history of rookie offensive linemen starting in the NFL even top- picks like Campbell is ugly LG Jared Wilson Wilson is coming off the best championship of his young career a welcome sign for an offensive line that s let Maye feel too much pressure the last inadequate weeks It s also easy to forget Wilson a college center transitioned to a new position just months ago C Garrett Bradbury An overlooked leader on offense Bradbury is a smart affable veteran In a major upset he s also allowed the fewest pressures of any starting offensive lineman RG Mike Onwenu Foxboro MA - Mike Onwenu and Mike Vrabel run off the field after the win at Gillette Stadium Nancy Lane Boston Herald Were it not for the four plays he sat out in garbage time of the Tennessee win Onwenu would join Bradbury as the only Patriots sportsman to take of their offensive snaps RT Morgan Moses The poster child man for the Patriots new emphasis on participant rest during the week and over the summer in training camp Moses has yet to miss a encounter after missing three in each of the past two years OT Vederian Lowe Lowe has as a large number of career catches as fourth-round pick Javon Baker and if he ever snags another touchdown he ll match Ja Lynn Polk career touchdowns as a Patriot G C Ben Brown Fun fact Brown can play the trombone He once played a high school battle then remained on the field in uniform at halftime so he could perform with the marching band OT Marcus Bryant Ideally Bryant never plays this season meaning Campbell and Moses stay healthy then vies for the Patriots swing tackle job again next year OL Caedan Wallace A professional healthy scratch with zero championship appearances Wallace continues to hold his roster spot after sitting squarely on the bubble all summer OLB Harold Landry Landry is tough tireless and a high-character sportsman But the bye week can t come soon enough for him as he deals with an injury and plays of all defensive snaps fourth-highest on the gang Landry had zero pressures last week against the Jets OLB K Lavon Chaisson No free-agent signing has given the Patriots more bang for their buck than Chaisson who inked a -year million deal last spring He s already pocketed a career-high sacks and a inadequate dozen pressures OLB Anfernee Jennings Jennings advised me he wasn t worried about being dealt ahead of this month s exchange deadline despite the fact the front office made it known for months that he was available He has four pressures in eight games OLB Elijah Ponder Two weeks ago Ponder notched his first career sack against two-time All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs Who could have seen that coming OLB Bradyn Swinson The talented fifth-round pick should have a chance to showcase his talents soon in a rotational role Vrabel noted earlier this week he s already gotten stronger over the syllabus of the season OLB Caleb Murphy Since claiming him off waivers from the Chargers last month the Pats have treated Murphy like a core special teamer He s taken just one defensive snap DL Christian Barmore Time to shine Barmore s one sack doesn t reflect the total pressure he s generated this season but the Patriots need him more than ever with Milton Williams out He s their only pass rusher who can win regularly on the interior DT Khyiris Tonga Foxboro MA - New England Patriots defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga chases down Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson during the fourth quarter of the contest at Gillette Stadium Nancy Lane Boston Herald Tonga may be the happiest sportsman in the Patriots locker room and watching him play fullback gives me the feeling it seems like he walks with every day DT Cory Durden Expect to see more of the -foot- -pounder in Williams absence Durden has performed surprisingly well for a third-year sportsman on his third company but playing a higher volume of snaps is a different challenge than playing - plays per event DT Joshua Farmer The fourth-round rookie has flashed and should return this week from an ankle injury that kept him out last week Can he contribute in a more regular role DT Eric Gregory It s a revenge contest this Sunday for the rookie and former Bengal who was well-liked in Cincinnati but became a roster casualty shortly after cutdown day LB Robert Spillane Sparse linebackers are stuffing the stat sheet quite like Spillane between his near tackles to two interceptions and a sack He remains a better run defender than coverage sportsman but Spillane has played instinctive winning football majority of of the year LB Christian Elliss It s been a roller-coaster year for Elliss who was missing tackles right and left for the bulk of September then thrived during the upset at Buffalo and more in recent times is battling injury LB Jahlani Tavai Tavai will miss Sunday s challenge due to personal reasons Here s wishing all the best to him and his family LB Jack Gibbens You know a nickname s stuck when Vrabel refers to his veteran linebacker as Dr Gibby in a post-game press confrence more than three years after bestowing the nickname when Gibbens was a studious rookie in Tennessee LB Marte Mapu A coverage specialist in nickel and dime packages Mapu is not locking down running backs and tight ends but has often provided a better option than Gibbens and Elliss on passing downs CB Christian Gonzalez Foxboro MA - New England Patriots Christian Gonzalez chased down Cleveland Browns' Quinshon Judkins during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium Nancy Lane Boston Herald Hard to believe the Patriots rank dead last at defending opposing No receivers by DVOA with Gonzalez now healthy for eight straight games But here we are I expect that ranking to change especially if the Pats play more press-man and aren t victimized as often by opponents who exploit their switching rules against certain motions and bunch formations that pull Gonzalez off No receivers CB Carlton Davis According to Pro Football Focus Davis has allowed three touchdowns and nine catches in man-to-man coverage He s been victimized by a limited perfect throws but compare those stats to his one pass breakup and it s been a slightly disappointing year for the high-priced corner CB Marcus Jones Jones is one of NFL players with a sack and two interceptions Of those two are teammates Spillane and Jaylinn Hawkins and no one has more pass deflections than Jones nine CB Alex Austin Austin s been a ghost since his brutal start to the season His play offers another reminder not to put too much stock into training camp performance which this summer indicated he was headed for a big season CB Charles Woods A special teamer the Patriots added after cutdown day from Los Angeles Woods has leapt Austin on the cornerback depth chart S Jaylinn Hawkins A sneaky critical free agent next spring The Patriots would presumably like to upgrade their starting talent at safety but Hawkins toughness consistency and professionalism have been paramount as Vrabel rebuilds his custom He re-signed on a -year deal last spring after Eliot Wolf originally inked him to a free-agent deal in a rare win for Wolf that offseason Related Articles New Patriots Get to know just now promoted rookie defender Bradyn Swinson Patriots should receive offensive boost Week vs Bengals Patriots longtime defender to miss Week due to personal reasons Two Patriots defenders missing from last practice before Bengals meeting Callahan The Patriots th-down dominance play-calling wisdom and more Week thoughts S Craig Woodson Credit to Woodson for being an Iron Man in his first NFL season He s been a staple of their secondary His next step for Woodson is more playmaking He has just three pass breakups all year S Dell Pettus You know who the Patriots highest-graded defender is at Pro Football Focus Yep it s Pettus the Pats third safety who also ranks among their hardest hitters ST Brenden Schooler Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer shared this week that Schooler often hits a top speed of MPH during games roughly the same maximum speed of a black mamba snake and just a little slower than a sprinting African elephant K Andy Borregales The impact his game-winner at Buffalo has had on the trajectory of this season can t be understated Even better Borregales missed field goal last week against the Jets was his first since the season opener P Bryce Baringer Baringer has boomed a punt longer than yards in each of his first three NFL seasons The man can kick LS Julian Ashby Long snappers are like referees The less you hear from them the better and lately it s been quiet for Ashby who had two false start penalties in October