As the New England Patriots prepare for their Week 13 matchup with the Giants on Monday Night Football, their roster has been put under the microscope due to the accumulation of injuries sustained in their win over the Bengals last week.
It has prompted many questions about how well they will fare for the rest of the season, with the playoffs and the division hanging in the balance, and whether they will prove they are as good as their record suggests.
And with that, there are a few players that appear to be fortunate to still be on the roster, for one reason or another.
Now that they're in a crucial part of the season, these players might have a chance to show exactly why Mike Vrabel and Co. have kept them around, and that could become a significant part in finishing the season strong and making it to the postseason for the first time since 2021.
3 Patriots players who should be thankful they haven't been cut yet
T Caedan Wallace
Despite the need for solid depth on the offensive line, especially now that rookie starters Will Campbell and Jared Wilson will be missing some time, Caedan Wallace is fortunate to still be on the roster under the new Mike Vrabel regime.
It's not necessarily because he's not talented enough to still have a locker, but the new Patriots' staff made it clear that they were ready and willing to move on from almost all of the 2024 draft class besides Drake Maye, and Wallace is one of the last remaining picks.
Other than Marcellas Dial, who suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason, the rest of last year's rookies are no longer on the Patriots. Wallace had a slim chance of sticking around, but now has an opportunity going into Week 13 to prove why he's valuable moving forward.
WR Efton Chism III
Coming out of the preseason, there was a lot of excitement surrounding undrafted wide receiver Efton Chism III, and for the right reason. His impressive showing throughout the summer transitioned nicely into the Patriots' preseason games, as he became a superstar overnight from his performance.
It ultimately led to him making the 53-man roster for the 2025 season, and it looked like he might have carved a nice role for himself on the offense. That was looking particularly true with the apparent downfall of DeMario Douglas in the offensive game plan under Josh McDaniels.
However, we've seen the rise of Douglas in recent weeks, as he appears to be somewhat of a secret weapon for Drake Maye to work with, while Chism has spent most of the year as a healthy scratch. In the few games he has been active in, he hasn't been utilized at all, making it even less likely that he will earn a bigger role in the future.
LB/EDGE Anfernee Jennings
As one of the top names floated as a preseason trade candidate, then a topic again leading into the trade deadline, Anfernee Jennings is a player who has shockingly gone under the radar this season and should be thankful he's still in New England.
His chances of that weren't looking too good over the last few months, and although he hasn't performed well enough to have kept his job long-term, he's clearly done enough to stick around, even if part of the problem might be that teams were not eagerly calling to get a trade done.
He's had some moments over the past few months that proved he was a solid depth piece on the defense, and that might be what he continues to do for the rest of the season. Unless he has a drastic turnaround in production, it's difficult to imagine he will be on the team for the 2026 season. For now, he can rest assured that he will be in Foxboro until the end of January.