Patriots: 53-man roster projection after win over Eagles

We know the preseason “doesn’t count” and they’ve largely been playing against second- and third-stringers, but the New England Patriots have looked ready for regular season football over their first two tune-up games.

While those performances bode well for their outlook in 2021, however, it also means Bill Belichick will have some tough decisions to make when he has to trim the roster to 53 players on Aug. 31.

You know where we’re headed with this one, folks.

With one preseason game left to play and less than three weeks left until the regular season kicks off, let’s project what the 53-man roster should look like following Thursday’s win over the Eagles.

Patriots: 53-man roster prediction after win over Eagles

Patriots Quarterbacks (2)

Cam Newton, Mac Jones

The Patriots could potentially keep Brian Hoyer on the 53-man roster, as they reportedly like what the 35-year-old brings to the table as a mentor for Mac Jones, so keep an eye out for that as we approach the Aug. 31 deadline.

The good news for the Patriots is that both Newton and Jones looked like starters against the Eagles. Newton finished 8-of-9 for 103 yards and a TD (151.4 rating), while Jones went 13-of-19 for 146 yards (91.1 rating).

In other words, there’s only room for two QBs on this roster.