The New England Patriots will be prompted to make difficult choices in regard to roster cuts, which may threaten these three on-the-bubble players.
As the New England Patriots make their way through OTA offseason workouts, the team does so with a loaded roster. By the end of the summer, the Patriots will have to whittle their roster down to about half to adhere to NFL regulations, turning a 90-player offseason roster into a 53-player lineup.
This means a majority of New England's players competing in camp will be jostling for a roster spot, and about half won't make the final cut. Some players will be let go in favor of newly-drafted rookies and free agent acquisitions, while others will lose a place to an undrafted player fighting to stay on the team.
The team may continue to keep some of those players on the brink in hopes of future development, perhaps on the practice squad. Others will be let go because they could not deliver in camp, continuing the journey on the free agent market.
For various reasons, players at each position could lose their jobs come August — except Matthew Slater, of course.
Here are three current Patriots players who may not be on the 53-player roster on opening weekend.
3 New England Patriots who won't be on the roster by opening weekend
3. J.J. Taylor, RB
A consistent fan of the run game, the New England Patriots have zeroed in on several running backs to get their offense off the ground. Rhamondre Stevenson leads the running back room as a versatile, capable three-down back, but the Patriots have still fortified their roster with James Robinson. Additionally, the Patriots drafted Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris in 2022.
Taylor first signed with the Patriots in 2020 as an undrafted free agent, then joined the practice squad after training camp that year. By Week 1, Taylor was upgraded to the active roster and saw his NFL debut in Week 1 in 2020. Through 2020 and 2021, Taylor played in 11 games and rushed 38 times for 147 yards. Taylor spent most of the 2022 season on the practice squad, and he signed a reserve/future contract this January.
Taylor has already spent three seasons in New England, and while he has discernible talent and speed, he still hasn't managed to become a consistent feature in the running back room. His current contract will bring him through training camp, but considering the success of Stevenson, the signing of Robinson and the development of Strong and Harris, it's likely that there won't be room for Taylor come September.
2. Patriots who won't be back: Tre Nixon, WR
Drafted in 2021, Tre Nixon has spent his first two years in the NFL on the Patriots practice squad, and there's an apparent reason why New England may be reluctant to cut him off the team entirely. Ernie Adams, the Patriots' longtime "director of football research", believed in Nixon so much that he decided to draft him in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft. It was the Patriots' final pick that year and the final draft of Adams' illustrious career in New England, where he cultivated the strategies that brought the Patriots six Super Bowl titles.
Nixon signed with the Patriots in May 2021, but by August, he'd been waived and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract in January 2022, remained on the practice squad for the fall, then signed another reserve/future contract in January 2023.
Since Nixon was drafted, the Patriots have signed JuJu Smith-Schuster, traded for DeVante Parker, drafted Tyquan Thornton, signed Raleigh Webb, signed Ty Montgomery, and drafted Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas. Nixon is still listed on the Patriots depth chart, but considering how the locker room has expanded since he was drafted, it's unlikely that Nixon would be called up before any of the other more recent acquisitions.
Whether it's based on Nixon's rate of development or nostalgia for Adams' last pick, the Patriots still believe Nixon could potentially add to their lineup at some point. Considering how training camp goes and how the rookies and new signings perform, there may no longer be a space for Nixon on any part of the Patriots roster.
1. Patriots who won't be back: Nick Folk
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are the two primary constants that perpetuated New England's dynasty, but there's another overlooked factor that reinforced the Patriots' dominance. From 1996 to 2019, the Patriots roster hosted two of the greatest kickers in the league: Adam Vinatieri, then Stephen Gostkowski. As Gostkowski's time in New England came to an end, the Patriots landed on veteran kicker Nick Folk as his replacement.
While in New England, Folk has managed to set the Patriots record for most consecutive field goals at 36 and the NFL record for most consecutive field goals under 50 yards at 64.
From 2020 to 2022, Folk was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week at least once each season. All that being said, the 38-year-old's position isn't secure after the selection of Chad Ryland in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Belichick is known for distinctly valuing special teams performers, but considering Ryland's draft position, it seems that the organization is expecting to utilize him sooner rather than later. Even Vinatieri, who is arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history, saw a record-setting season in 2018 before a precipitous decline in 2019. The cliff arrives quickly for even the most accurate kickers, which is something that Belichick knows from handling other aging players over the years.
Folk, like several other veterans, isn't attending OTAs at the moment, yet there's expected to be a battle at camp for the future of the position. If Ryland continues to showcase powerful kicks, Folk may not make the regular season roster.
