Final New England Patriots 53-man roster prediction: Picking the best players for this new era

The New England Patriots preseason is officially over after their final game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night.

This was the players final opportunity to fight for a spot on the 53-man roster, with the deadline being Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. The front office and coaching staff have already begun meetings to finalize their roster for Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season against the Cinncinati Bengals. With that in mind, we're going to take a crack at predicting the 53-man roster for the team.

Here's a look at our final 53-man roster prediction ( find the previous projection here ).

Note: Players with a single asterisk (*) are 2024 draft picks. Players with double asterisks (**) are 2024 undrafted free agents.

Quarterbacks (3)

IN: Jacoby Brissett, * Drake Maye , and * Joe Milton III
OUT: Bailey Zappe

This has been the same throughout the entire preseason. Bailey Zappe is the only remaining quarterback from last season still on the roster, but based on how his preseason has gone, it appears his time in New England is coming to an end.

Running Backs (4)

IN: Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, Kevin Harris, JaMycal Hasty,
OUT: **Deshaun Fenwick, ** Terrell Jennings

Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson were both locks for the roster, but it was that final spot that was open. Kevin Harris seemed like the most likely candidate for the job considering how he stepped up last season. However, JaMycal Hasty has also had a good preseason. So for now, they both are on the roster in our minds.

Wide Receivers (6)

IN: *Javon Baker, DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, *Ja'Lynn Polk, Jalen Reagor, Tyquan Thornton
OUT: Kawaan Baker, Matt Launders, ** David Wallis, Kayshon Boutte
IR: ** JaQuae Jackson
PUP: Kendrick Bourne

Throughout the summer, we've been going back and forth with second-year receiver Kayshon Boutte. While he does add depth to the room, he hasn't done enough this summer to prove himself and earn a spot. If he clears waivers, the team would almost certainly want him on the practice squad.

Tight Ends (3)

IN: Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, *Jaheim Bell
OUT: Mitchell Wilcox, ** Jacob Warren, La'Michael Pettway

This group make sense. Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are locks and rookie Jaheim Bell has been getting numerous opportunities since coming back from an injury that sidelined him at the beginning of training camp. He's shown some steady growth and could prove to be an asset to this team.

Offensive Line (8)

IN: David Andrews, Nick Leverett, Vederian Lowe, Chukwuma Okorafor, Mike Onwenu, *Layden Robinson, Sidy Sow, *Caedan Wallce
OUT: Kellen Diesch, Liam Fornadel, **Zuri Henry, Michael Jordan, **Charles Turner, Calvin Anderson, Atonio Mafi

PUP: Cole Strange
IR: Jake Andrews

After what happened on Sunday night, the team needs as much help on the offensive line as they can get.

Vederian Lowe is sidelined at the moment with an injury, and the team lost Sidy Sow mid-game due to an injury. He was seen leaving the locker room in a walking boot and head coach Jerod Mayo said that he was expected to get an MRI on Monday.

This group has been mainly the same throughout all the roster predictions, but after Sow's injury, we struggled a bit with Michael Jordan. In the end, we viewed him as a practice squad player who could be elevated at the start of the season if needed.

Defensive Line (5)

IN: Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise, Daniel Ekuale, Jeremiah Pharms, Trysten Hill
OUT: Armon Watts, Sam Roberts, William Bradley-King, **Jotham Russell, Josiah Bronson
IR: Christian Barmore

Based on how this group has performed throughout the summer, some have stood out while others have fallen in the background. Armon Watts was heading in the direction of possibly having a spot, but has dropped off in the past week.

Linebacker (9)

IN: Ja'Whaun Bentley, Christian Elliss, Raekwon McMillan, Jahlani Tavai, Keion White, Joshua Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Oshane Ximines, Joe Giles-Harris
OUT: **Steele Chambers **Christian McCarroll
PUP: Sione Takitaki

The only three players on the list that were somewhat of a question were Raekwon McMillan, Christian Elliss, and Joe Giles-Harris. McMillan was held out of the final preseason game, which made it appear that he was safe. Giles-Harris and Elliss have both had solid summers, with a pick and a tackle for a loss in Sunday's game, respectively.

Cornerback (7)

IN: Alex Austin, Isaiah Bolden, Marco Wilson , Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Marcellas Dial
OUT: **Mikey Victor, Shaun Wade, Azizi Hearn

We've been going back and forth with Marcellas Dial throughout the summer, especially after his poor performance in the second preseason game. But he's back on the list due to his contributions on special teams. He's been seen at gunner opposite Brenden Schooler.

Safeties (5)

IN: Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawins, Brenden Schooler, ** Dell Pettus
OUT: Joshuah Bledsoe
PUP: Marte Mapu

This group was probably one of the easiest to decide outside of Dell Pettus. But the undrafted rookie safety has done enough to earn a spot on the roster, so we put him on it.

Specialists (3)

IN: Joey Slye, Bryce Baringer, Joe Cardona
OUT: Chad Ryland, Tucker Addington

While Chad Ryland did make a field goal in Sunday's game, Joey Slye still has the upper hand.