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New England Patriots: Jacob Hollister was thrilled to make the team

By Nick Ziegler

FOXBORO, MA - AUGUST 10: Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots has words with officials during a preseason game with the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium on August 10, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA - AUGUST 10: Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots has words with officials during a preseason game with the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium on August 10, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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The New England Patriots have cut down their roster to 53 men prior to the start of the regular season. One of the surprises was Jacob Hollister.

As the New England Patriots prepare to defend their championship, they had to trim their roster down to 53 players. Like many teams, there were some hard decisions for the Patriots.

One of the surprises the Patriots made was having tight end Jacob Hollister make the team. Coming into camp, Hollister was a player that was battling for a spot after being an undrafted free agent.

As a tight end, making the roster was going to be difficult for Hollister. With the return of Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots have one of the best tight ends in the NFL. While Gronkowski is great, the Patriots like to have two good tight ends on the team. After losing Martellus Bennett in free agency this offseason, they decided to replace him with Dwayne Allen from the Indianapolis Colts.

In addition to trading for Allen, the Patriots also traded for James O’Shaughnessy from the Kansas City Chiefs. As a great special teams player, it appeared that the Patriots had plans for him to be a key part of that unit.

Despite trading for him this offseason, the Patriots ultimately made the decision to go with Hollister over O’Shaughnessy. As a undrafted free agent just a few months ago, Hollister is thrilled to be part of the Patriots.

"“It was just craziness,” said Hollister, recalling the day to Mike Girardi of CSNNE.com. “Really excited. Worked my butt off with my teammates and it’s such a blessing to be a part of this organization. I’m really proud and happy.”"

While Jacob Hollister was put on the 53-man roster, his twin brother Cody wasn’t as lucky. Cody will be going to the practice squad for the Patriots, as he wasn’t able to do enough in training camp and the preseason to secure a spot.

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For Jacob, he will be going into a great situation as a tight end. Being able to learn from Gronkowski and Allen will certainly help Hollister grow as a player. With the Patriots playing Week 1 against the Chiefs, it will be interesting to see what type of role Hollister has in the offense.

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