New England Patriots: 6 players to watch tonight

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5. Logan Ryan

Although he is the longest-tenured cornerback on the Patriots’ roster, Ryan doesn’t exactly have the full confidence of the Patriots’ fan base. And it looks like he isn’t the No. 1 guy, as Malcolm Butler has grabbed that job with vigor this summer.

If I’m Logan Ryan, I’m a little nervous right now. The third-year pro got toasted by Jeff Janis in the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, a sight that Patriots fans are too accustomed to seeing with Ryan.

The truth is, Ryan doesn’t have much room for error until he becomes an endangered species on the Patriots’ roster. A slew of veteran additions (Tarell Brown, Bradley Fletcher, Robert McClain) and a few intriguing rookies (Darryl Roberts, Jimmy Jean) and fellow returning Patriots Malcolm Butler and Daxton Swanson make for a crowded cornerback group right now.

Should Ryan continue to flag, we will have to start wondering how much longer he will be in New England. The Rutgers product must play lights-out tonight for these worries to subside.

It’s hard to imagine the Patriots cutting a player that picked off five passes in his rookie season, but they have made weirder personnel decisions in the month of August (take the Logan Mankins trade last year, for example). Ryan has to play well tonight, he just has to.

Next: 4. Asante Cleveland