New England Patriots 53-man 2018 Full Roster Projection v1.0

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FOXBORO, MA – SEPTEMBER 24: Lawrence Guy #93 of the New England Patriots defends Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans during the third quarter of a game at Gillette Stadium on September 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

DEFENSIVE TACKLE: (4)

Starter(s): Danny Shelton, Malcolm Brown

Back-up(s): Lawrence Guy, Vincent Valentine

Roster Bubble Boy(s): John Atkins, Adam Butler

The big camp battle will be between 2016 run-stuffer Vincent Valentine and 2017 undrafted free agent penetrating interior tackle Adam Butler. Valentine is more of a back-up to Shelton and Brown with the run-stuffing style and size. Butler is the outlier as a smaller, penetrating defensive tackle. Butler was a revelation rushing the passer from inside last preseason but struggled to make an impact during the regular season.

At this point, with the roster crunch at wide receiver and in the secondary, the Patriots may not be able to have more than four defensive tackles. At this time, the impressive Butler is on the chopping block with Valentine seemingly back at full strength.

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