The Patriots handed the Commanders a tough loss in their preseason opener last Friday night by almost recording a 50-burger, as they say in sports, in a wild turnaround from their performance just one season ago. It was clear that the Mike Vrabel effect has already made a positive impact, and that will be on full display based on who makes the 53-man roster.
There is a lot of competition at several positions, making training camp that much more important to even the longest-tenured players. It could result in some shocking decisions, whether it's who they choose to keep or who they unexpectedly cut.
But one thing is for sure, and that is their prioritization of giving Drake Maye the best possible offensive roster they possibly can to elevate his performance during his second season. That is certainly apparent with their decision to keep a near record amount of wide receivers on the team, but that's the luck of being in a position with such promising talent that you can't cut too many.
The latest 53-man roster projection for the Patriots' 2025 season after their preseason opener
Quarterback (2): Drake Maye, Joshua Dobbs
Perhaps the least controversial part of the entire Patriots roster is the quarterback position, as it is beyond clear that the team will run with Drake Maye as the starter and veteran Joshua Dobbs as his backup.
There's a good chance we will see rookie Ben Woodridge remain with the team, but on the practice squad.
Running back (3): Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Antonio Gibson
If it weren't for a preseason injury that put his future up in the air, UDFA Lan Larison would have been the fourth running back to make the 2025 team. He still could, but his injury status remaining unknown makes it hard to predict his immediate future.
Besides that, we already know who will make up the Patriots' backfield this fall, as Rhamondre Stevenson will remain the RB1 for the time being, with TreVeyon Henderson and Antonio Gibson right behind him.
Wide receiver (8): Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, Efton Chism III, Javon Baker
The competition at wide receiver might be the most intense that it has been for the Patriots over the last two decades. It has not been a situation the team has had the fortune of dealing with for far too long, and now Vrabel will have some difficult choices to make for the upcoming offense.
There are already roster locks in Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, and Kyle Williams, but beyond that appears to be fair game.
That's why the training camp performances of Kayshon Boutte and UDFA Efton Chism make them easy additions to that list, on top of Javon Baker, who appears to be carving a role for himself on special teams, and Kendrick Bourne, as he thrived under Josh McDaniels during the 2021 season.
Because they could utilize multiple players on special teams, that could be why the team decides to keep eight receivers for the season. That means Mack Hollins, who is apparently a controversial player in the eyes of many fans, will make the team.
Josh McDaniels is no stranger to keeping a deep receiving corps, and this season won't be any different.
Tight end (3): Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jack Westover
One of the least packed parts of the roster is the tight end room, which makes it easy to say that Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are going to be the 1-2 punch for Maye at the position.
They'll also keep Jack Westover, but not as a tight end; he will be the team's experimental fullback. They already lost the player that was presumably going to take that role in UDFA Brock Lampe, as he suffered a season-ending injury, and Westover was used as a fullback throughout the preseason opener last week.
Offensive lineman(9): Will Campbell, Mike Onwenu, Morgan Moses, Jared Wilson, Marcus Bryant, Caedan Wallace, Garrett Bradbury, Ben Brown, Vederian Lowe
With the starters locked in at left tackle (Will Campbell), right tackle (Morgan Moses), right guard (Mike Onwenu), and potentially left guard (Jared Wilson), all that's really questionable at this point is center.
That would explain why keeping Garrett Bradbury and Ben Brown on the roster is a safe move and why adding more depth to the tackle positions makes sense. Rookie Marcus Bryant, Caedan Wallace, and Vederian Lowe are the most sense.
Defensive line (5): Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, Khyiris Tonga, Joshua Farmer, Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
The defensive line is surprisingly one of the stronger groups of the current roster, led by a healthy Christian Barmore and Super Bowl Champion Milton Williams.
We've also recently seen the hype surrounding Khyiris Tonga increasing with his performance at training camp, and that stood out in the game against the Commanders last week, too. Jeremiah Pharms has also had a notable summer, while rookie Joshua Farmer has a bit of a longer way to go, but he's not so far off that he will be cut.
EDGE (5): K'Lavon Chaisson, Keion White, Bradyn Swinson, Elijah Ponder, Truman Jones
It might be fair to assume that K'Lavon Chaisson secured his spot on the 2025 roster this spring with a strong showing during OTAs and minicamp. The same could be said about Keion White, who has been thriving under the watchful eye of Mike Vrabel.
The rest of the pass rusher roster will be more inexperienced, but have been proving themselves to be on the rise over the last few weeks of training camp.
Linebacker (5): Robert Spillane, Harold Landry, Christian Elliss, Jahlani Tavai, Jack Gibbens
There likely won't be any surprising moves made within the linebacker roster, other than maybe some Patriots fans being shocked that Jahlani Tavai will remain on the team. Part of that shock will come from his up-and-down performances over the last four years, but also his unflattering comments about New England fans last season.
But the new regime has already proven they like what they see from Tavai, and that was clear before he was injured during minicamp, as he consistently worked with the starting defensive group.
Cornerback(5): Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, DJ James
Among the more competitive groups of the team during training camp, especially since inevitable starters Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis have spent time away due to injuries, this won't be as easy for Vrabel and Co. to decide who should make the team vs. those who shouldn't.
However, Marcus Jones' versatility will earn him a spot, while the 2024 performance and continuation of that during the summer will ensure Alex Austin makes the team, too. And rising training camp star and preseason interceptor DJ James could easily make the team if he can maintain the level of play we've seen over the last few weeks.
Safety(5): Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Brenden Schooler, Craig Woodson, Jaylinn Hawkins
The safety room is one of the more straightforward parts of the roster, with Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers leading the charge. Plus, Brenden Schooler will remain the top gunner on special teams for the immediate and long-term future, so he isn't going anywhere, either.
Craig Woodson has stood out in a lot of good ways this offseason, which can also be said about Jaylinn Hawkins. The two could easily round out the safety roster and become the reliable depth the secondary needs.
Special teams(3): Julian Ashby, Andres Borregales, Bryce Baringer
The Patriots have their easy go-tos in two areas of the special teams with long snapper Julian Ashby and punter Bryce Baringer. They have a white hot kicker competition taking place at training camp right now, but because they spent a fifth-round draft pick on Andres Borregales, he will win the job for the 2025 season.