Patriots 53 Man Roster Predictions for September 5th, 2020

The Patriots have a cutdown coming to get 53 men. Here are my roster predictions. I am not familiar with how the NFL is working assigning people to the practice squad this year with exception that four PS squad players are untouchable. These are guys I think would get taken if cut.

Quarterbacks: (3)

Newton, Stidham, Hoyer*

Running backs: (6)

Michel, White, Burkhead, Taylor, Miller, Harris

Fullback: (1)

Johnson

Receivers: (7)

Edelman, Harry, Olszewski, Byrd, Ross, Meyers, Slater

Tight Ends: (3)

Izzo, Keene, Asiasi

Offensive Linemen: (8)

Andrews, Thuney, Mason, Wynn, Froholdt, Cajuste, Eluemunor, Cunningham.

Front Seven: (12)

Guy, Cowart, Butler, Wise, Rivers, Berry, Bentley, Winovich, Uche, Simon, Jennings, Hall

Defensive Backs: (10)

Gilmore, J. McCourty, Jones, J.C. Jackson, Williams, D. McCourty, Phillips,  Brooks,  Dugger, Bethel 

Special Teams: (3)

Cardone, Folk, Bailey

If Hoyer can be put directly on the Practice squad, defensive backs Cody Davis Or Myles Bryant will take this place.

Patriots are rumored to select fan favorite quarterback but it won't be official until game day

Cam Newton earned the respect of his fellow teammates and was named team captain. That is a huge honor as it makes him one of the team leaders heading into the 2020 season. Sam Mintor of Chowder and Champions says people shouldn't be shocked.

Mintor talked about Newton's competition,  "Jarrett Stidham isn’t ready to take over yet. He is still a young quarterback who has a lot to learn before coming a starter. He showed that with his performance in Training Camp. Stidham was throwing interceptions left and right."

Several writer said that Newton was inaccurate and inconsistent, overthrowing balls and having a lot of dropped interceptions. That Stidham and Newton were even, even after Stidham's injury. So I do not buy that Stidham's play was why Newton won the job. It was his injury and Newton getting extra time and reps.

Newton has NFL experience but it's more his playstyle that gives him the the edge. Stidham is the more accurate passer and a quarterback. As where Newton is a playmaker who lines up as a quarterback.

Like Lazar and several other writers, Mintor describes Newton's play, "Newton is such a dynamic quarterback. He has an arm capable of stretching defense’s thin with the deep ball while also being able to break free for a long run."

About a week ago, Evan Lazar said Newton wasn't going to beat anyone standing in the pocket trying to be an accurate quarterback or by passing the football, that Newton beats people with his legs.

How often do you watch college football or football in general and rate the quarterbacks by their ability to run the football? While mobile quarterbacks are becoming more popular, accuracy and arm strength should always be what defines a quarterback.

Mintor says the team goes from a playoff contender to a superbowl contender by switching from Stidham to Newton. We still don't know if Belichick is truly making Newton the starter or if he will go with a rotation. 

For now all we have are rumors from supposed leaks. Belichick will have to name a starting quarterback on game day. Every team has to, so until then anything can happen.

Belichick upset, refutes Patriots naming Cam Newton the Starter. Belichick is the coach of the Patriots

On Thursday Patriots playere named their team captains. The world went Getty as the team appeared to also name Cam Newton the starter for the 2020 season. It is unknowing to this writer, who announced that Cam Newton was the starter but everyone rolled with it.

On friday morning an angry Bill Belichick spoke about Cam Newton being the starter and categorically denied ever naming anybody a starter. He acknowledged the team captains were announced but rebuked the notion that Cam was awarded the starting job.

Belichick said according to CBS Boston, "I'm not -- we're not naming any starters at any positions. So ... you know, any conversations that I have with the team will stay between me and the team. But we're not naming any roster, starters, or positions, or who's on the team or anything. So sorry.  I have to bypass that one."

It makes sense for a couple of reasons for Bill to not name a starter yet. One is that he hasn't seen them really play in a game. The Miami game has been long expected to be treated like a playoff game. Another reason for Bill not to name a starter is that Cam is the better playmaker but Stidham is the better quarterback.

As far as the captains being named, Belichick doesn't decide who are and who are not the team captains, those are voted on by the players and personnel. Normally, it is the starting quarterback who is voted the team captain.

Belichick said "It wasn't a decision. The captains are voted on by the team. And players that they elect are the players that they obviously want to represent them in various capacities that come with those positions. So I think we have a lot of good leaders on our team...

And I think they're all good selections. The leadership certainly extends past those positions, past the captain position. It always has and I'm sure it always will."

Bill is keeping his decisions mum. So someone has some explaining to do, whether it was a player trying to force Bill's hand or a reporter making assumptions. Either way, according to one William Belichick, th New England Patriots have no starting quarterback at the moment.

As for Cam Newton, he was asked about McDaniels offense and his role. Newton responded, “I think the most exciting thing is that nobody knows and you’re still not going to know. So you’ve just got to tune in and see. That’s what excites me the most.”

Maximo Gonzales of Clutch Points wrote, "Even the former NFL MVP did his best to deny the reports that he had named as the starter by suggesting he needed to get a better grasp of the offense like fellow quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham."

Newton knows what style offense he's running but if the Patriots are planning on keeping two quarterbacks on the field, if they're planning in rotating quarterbacks, he's not saying. All he'll say is he'll do what's asked. That's the same thing every player on the roster says.

Is Belichick gushing over Cam to get under Johnny Foxborough's skin?

Bill Belichick has been uncharacteristically giving out a lot of praise to Cam Newton according to many sources. Bill could be infatuated with Newton but two other theories have emerged.

The first theory is that Bill is stroking Cam Newton's ego for one of two reasons. A, he is trying to make sure Newton wants to resign and holds no hard feelings towards the Patriots or B, Bill feels Cam has a fragile ego and is stoking it because Newton needs the extra approval. That Newton has one of those mental conditions where he needs constant reassurance.

Kyle Love said that the Panthers didn't criticize Newton and maybe when Belichick did his heavy scouting of Newton he found some truth to it. 

The second reason is Bill Belichick is sending a message to Tom Brady, the way people like to parade a new girlfriend/boyfriend in front of an ex. An attempt to get at Brady and make him jealous. Tom didn't just leave New England, he drug it out and waited until free agency was just about to start. 

One source I read said the Patriots offered Brady a non guaranteed version of the contract he got in Tampa, last summer and Brady turned it down because he wanted guaranteed money. If true, with Brady's age; one could understand how Belichick would want to protect the Patriots and be upset that Brady would take the deal he got. 

Whatever the case for Bill showering Newton with praise, it has gotten the attention of the media and as long as it continues; it's likely a story that will grow. Nobody knows what goes through the head of Belichick, so anything is possible.

Three free agents as of Thursday that the Patriots could sign.

NFL cuts have begun and already three names have emerged as players the Patriots should take a look at. One move tight end and two versatile defensive backs.

Ahmed Wagner is a 6'5" 234 pound move tight end who didn't see a lot of passes as Kentucky ran the ball more when Wagner was on the field. Like Asiasi and Keene, his skills weren't properly utilized. He caught 15 for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns. He runs a 4.64 and has a good vertical.  Being that the Patriots don't have an X receiver to play the outside, with how he was used; he could fill that gap as an outside pass catcher.

Ha Ha Clinton Dix is a guy who can fill that safety linebacker hybrid role. Which would allow the Patriots evolve their defense. He can tackle and cover running backs and tight ends. He's 6'1" 211 pounds. While a little light for a linebacker, his speed would make up for it. His commitment has been questioned on occasion. The former first rounder is only 27 and with the shape of the linebacker core, he could help fill hybrid position and stop some of the more mobile offenses on a one year deal.

Elijah Riley is a 6'0" 205 pound defensive back out of Army, who like Dix can also fill that linebacker role. Riley excels at blitzing And playing the run but needs a little improvement in his man coverage skills. At 22, the Patriots could develop him into that Hybrid safety linebacker role while stashing him in the depth chart as a rotational piece early on.

The Patriots have needs at linebacker and receiver, while their tight end unit is unproven. These three players allow them to adapt and fill needs while giving them flexibility to create mismatches for opposing teams.

Patriots have no true X receiver as they accept Harry as a big Bodied slot and cut Sanu.

The Patriots drafted N'keal Harry to be the X receiver. A big bodied, fifty fifty guy to work the outside. In Harry's last year at Arizona, Harry excelled being a big Bodied slot receiver. After a failed experiment, on the outside the Patriots are going to use him as a slot receiver.

While the Patriots have some guys with speed, by using Harry in a slot or Flanker role, the Patriots don't have any big Bodied X or split end receivers. Their entire core is comprised of slot (Y) and flanker (Z) receivers. 

With that, the Patriots opted to release Sanu. Sanu had one good game after coming to the Patriots. Due to playing with what should've been a season ending injury, he never contributed how the Patriots extended him to being traded for a second round pick. When Sanu arrived in camp, he looked slow and didn't stand out. He definitely didn't look like he was worth his pay grade. Cutting Sanu saved now saved them a cap hit. 

The only other receivers on the team standing 72 inches or more areIsaiah Zuber, at 6'0" and Jakobi Meyers at 6'2", both far from a roster locks.

The Patriots run the "Air West Spread" and even with can and all the zone plays they're gonna run, how the pass catchers are used really isn't gonna change. The only major difference is the quarterbacks are gonna be expected to throw on the run. With Newton and Stidham being mobile quarterbacks, they should be able to do this at higher levels than Brady, thus allowing McDaniels to use more air raid concepts. 

With Newton being named the starter vs Miami, we'll get to see how well he can handle those concepts first, and how well he connects with Harry. The season is now just nine days away.

 

Harris's injury could knock him down the Patriots depth chart.

Sony Michel and Lamar Miller Spent caml on the PUP, leaving the door open for JJ Taylor and 2019 third round draft pick from Alabama, Damien Harris to show what they could do. While both impressed, Harris made a case to be the Patriots number one back.

With about three weeks before kickoff against Miami, Michel came off the pup list and was said to be lighter and looking 2018 good. However, this week, Harris had to have his pinky fixed and has been missing time, with reports that he could be out week one.

Earlier this week Miller came off the pup as well. With Harris missing time, he could fall back on the Patriots depth chart. Not just behind Michel but behind Miller. The Patriots are stacked at running back, almost as well as they are at defensive back. Having six backs, Taylor might make the practice squad but are the Patriots really going to carry five backs plus Johnson? That's very doubtful. If the Patriots can move one of their backs to the practice squad they will but I think the waiver wire will claim them.

Not Buying The Argument Of Newton Not Having Help In Carolina.

You have an NFL quarterback who is known as an inaccurate and inconsistent passer but also as a playmaker. A quarterback who one NFL reporter said that "Accuracy, 7 on 7s and passing drills wasn't his game. His game is running around using his legs and his arm strength." Thus his pass catchers gotta do extra to make up for his flaws.

Look at the rushing stats without Newton.

In 2011 Williams and Stewart ran for almost 1600 yards and 12 touchdowns and the team rushed for a combined 1702.

In 2012 the team rushed for 1347 and 13 touchdowns 

In 2013 the team rushed for 1441 and 8 touchdowns.

In 2014 the Panthers rushed for 1497 and 5 touchdowns.

In 2015 the team rushed for 1646 yards and 9 touchdowns. (Newton ran for 10)

In 2016 the Panthers ran for 1455 yards and 11 touchdowns.

In 2017 another 1348 and 9 touchdowns.

In 2018 again 1648 and 13 touchdowns.

In 2019 without Cam Newton the Panthers ran for 1821 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The running game over the course of Newton's career in Carolina was constant and over the last two seasons where Newton was hurt, it actually showed improvement. The better Newton ran, the worse his backs ran, it averaged out.

Newton has a 59.6 career competition percentage, in 2019 Kyle Allen had a 62% competition percentage starting 14 games; 6% higher than Newton for the year.

Now let's compare Newton's completion percentage to the pass catching percentage and a look at guys with double digit receptions.

In 2011 Newton had a 60.0 completion percentage, his receivers had a 61.9% catch percentage with 4 pass catchers above 61% with double digit receptions.

In 2012 Newton went 57.7 completions, while his pass catchers caught 58.4 with 4 guys over 65%.

In 2013 Newton completed 61.7% while his pass catchers caught 62.4 with 3 over 65%.

In 2014 Newton completed 58.5%, his pass catchers caught 60.6% with 5 over 61% and 2 more over 58%.

In 2015 Newton completed 59.8 %, his pass catchers caught  60.6 with 6 guys catching above 62%.

In 2016 Newton completed 52.9%, his pass catchers caught 55.3% Newton had 3 guys over 62% and another 3 guys over 52%.

In 2017 Newton completed 59.1% of his passes. His pass catchers 59.6 with 3 guys above 60% and 2 more above 57%

In 2018 Newton completed 67.9%, his pass catchers caught 69.5% with 4 guys above 70% and 2 more above 60%.

In 2019 Newton completed 56.2%*, his pass catchers caught 63.7% with 3 guys above 63%.

On average Newton's pass catchers had 1-3 points higher catching percentage than Newton's completion percentage. Newton also averaged a minimum 3 pass catchers that had decent percentages in catch rates. With many still catching over 50%. 

With Newton not being an accurate quarterback, who relies on his pass catchers to make circus catches while he puts the ball in their area, the blame falls more on Newton than his pass catchers and offense as his team was pretty consistent statistically. Newton's accuracy or lack there of his why he failed and why his pass catchers had lower stats and why they had such a significant increase with Kyle Allen as the quarterback.

As Evan Lazar said, "Newton wasn't the best quarterback this preseason for the Patriots, he was the best playmaker."  Newton ranged from 46 to 68% competition percentage and I would not be surprised if he only completed 57% of his passes. 

Newton is also known for his turnovers. Newton would've had double digit interceptions this camp but the defense dropped them. Newton averages 12 Interceptions and 8 fumbles a season. 

If one looks at 2019, Meyers had a great camp with Stidham but looked like crap with Brady. Byrd, Ross, and Olszewski have all looked good in camp with three quarterbacks throwing to them. However, expect that they could look worse with the least accurate quarterback on the roster throwing them the ball. 

Remember Cam wins with his legs, not with his arm. The better the quarterback's arm, the better season the pass catcher has. So while Cam is running around looking for the homerun, expect a down year for Patriots' pass catchers. 

Cam should complete 60% for 4000 yards with 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, plus 8 fumbles if he doesn't get his ball security down. Close to what Brady had in 2019. The Patriots are better without Brady this year and I believe they would be better with Stidham. Also expect Newton to run for 500 yards and 5 touchdowns. 

Patriots: A Josh Rosen Trade is possible but He's a far cry from Ton Brady.

Josh Rosen was drafted by the Cardinals in first round of the 2018 draft. Rosen went 3-10 as a starter that season. David Johnson ran for 940 yards on 258 carries, so he had some help from the run game. Arizona had no offensive line and Rosen was sacked 45 times. 

Rosen did have Larry Fitzgerald catch 69 passes. His three main receivers were Fitzgerald, Kirk, and Johnson who totalled 1770 receiving yards of Rosen's 2200. That season, Rosen had 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. 

In 2019 the Dolphins traded for Rosen to be their future franchise quarterback and planned to develop him with help from Ryan Fitzpatrick. Rosen would get three starts and go 0-3. He threw for 567 yards, 1 touchdown and 5 interceptions. He was also sacked 16 times.

The dolphins had no run game to help out Rosen. They did have Davante Parker who put up 1200 yards and 5 other pass catcher who put up respectable numbers for depth guys. The Dolphins saw enough in Rosen to draft Tua as their franchise quarterback. Rosen appears to not even be good enough to challenge Fitzpatrick for the backup role.

Rosen has dropped back 502 times and and been sacked 61 times. He has a 54.8% competition percentage and about the only thing going for him is the fact that he has NFL starting experience.

Currently, the Patriots have Cam Newton,  who with his style of play, I expect to be done after the 2025 season. Then they have Brian Hoyer who should be the team's third string quarterback and a future coach in the NFL.

Then they have 2019 fourth round draft pick Jarrett Stidham. Like Tom Brady with Friesz and Bishop, Stidham was said he couldn't beat out Hoyer for the Backup job and did in 2019. In his rookie season, Brady went 1 of 3 for 6 yards, Stidham went 2 of 4 for 14 yards and a pick 6.

Like Brady heading into his second year in 2001, Nobody expected Brady to beat out the former number one on the roster and Brady started his second season on the bench with no NFL experience. Like Brady; Stidham will be sitting and learning behind a franchise quarterback going into his second season.

The Patriots will want to give Stidham competition in 2021 as Newton will probably play himself out of a contract this year. The Patriots signed Lewerke to be the next Brian Hoyer but could trade a future 2022 pick for Rosen. 

The Patriots could offer a 2022 sixth round pick for the young quarterback with it changing to a fourth if he manages to start in 2021. This gives the Patriots time to develop Rosen and have a competition in 2021 with Stidham. 

Unlike Brady who played with one team for 20 years, this will be Rosen's third team. That's the third thing to show why Rosen isn't Tom Brady 2.0 but could still be developed into a starter. Now, if Newton gets hurt or doesn't play well, Stidham is in line to replace him, thus making him closer to being the next Tom Brady. 

And let's be real, Newton didn't come into camp and run away with the job. He stayed even with Stidham until Stidham got hurt and won the job because he was getting more time and was the better playmaker. If Newton ran away with the job, we're not talking potential trade here.

Cam Newton declared Patriots starter for now

Heading into Thursday morning, the Patriots were ten days away from facing off against the Miami Dolphins and had no starting quarterback. The decision was going to come down between Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham. Two former Auburn quarterback with similar yet different play styles.

Tom Brady couldn't leave the Patriots fast enough and at first there was expectations that there would be a competition between Brian Hoyer, hero of superbowl 53 and 2019 rookie quarterback Jarrett Stidham but Belichick would add Newton in late summer.

The Patriots now had Hoyer, a passive quarterback who could beat you with his mind and a his weak arm, Newton a reckless abandonment quarterback who would beat you with his legs and deep ball, and Stidham who falls in between the two veterans.

The quarterbacks would split reps but it was clear that Hoyer was just a conservative game manager who wasn't going to do anything flashy to win the job and this the other two would have to lose it.

Stidham was looking accurate in camp until he injured himself from overuse due to lack of stretching. The Patriots wouldn't find out about the injury for three days later. Over that three day period Stidham showed something was off and went on a interception streak. The Patriots were frustrated over the injury and the lack of disclosure.

Newton would see more reps but as several writers acknowledged, Newton was inconsistent and inaccurate. Newton wasn't pulling a head and the two quarterbacks stayed even in play. Newton's worst day saw him complete 46% of 28 passes. Newton showed some reason for concern, as he had several dropped interceptions and was made to do a lap for lack of ball security.

Belichick dragged the competition out hoping that one of his two quarterbacks would eventually run away with the job. Even with Newton getting more reps, that didn't happen. Hence, Belichick had to name a starter with only days before week one.

Bill could go with an accurate but inexperienced  mobile passer, or an inaccurate but experienced veteran running cannon. With Newton only being on a one year deal and Belichick wanting to continue to develop Stidham in the spring, Cam Newton won the Starting job by default.

Newton could play into a bigger contract but he could also play poor enough to be benched during the season. There is debate among analysts, to whether Newton will hold the Patriots back to only 7 wins or if he can lead them to 12 wins. This is still a wait and see situation. The Patriots are expected to keep Brian Hoyer as the teams third quarterback, to continue the development of Stidham.

The 31 year old Newton has an incentive based contract and thus will be looking to prove himself this season. For now, Cam Newton is the starter of the New England Patriots and we in Patriots Nation wish him all the best of luck going forward.