Patriots 53-man roster projection: Milton too impressive to let go

Patriots 53-man roster projection: Milton too impressive to let go originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

FOXBORO — What better time to slap together a way-too-early 53-man roster projection than after the first preseason game of the summer?

That’s exactly what we’ve cobbled together here for the Patriots after they beat the Panthers in an exhibition Thursday night at Gillette Stadium, 17-3.

Which quarterbacks stick? Are there journeymen vets who’ve proven they are worthy of an active roster spot? How many undrafted rookies built on strong practices to help secure themselves roster spots (at least in this way-too-early projection) against Carolina?

We’ll provide answers to those questions and many more in this exercise. Let’s get to the names…

Can’t leave Joe Milton off this list after what he did Thursday. There’s promise there, and not just in the fact that he has a cannon arm and legitimate outside-the-pocket athleticism.

He showed good poise to keep his eyes downfield and hit his back on a checkdown after sliding away from pressure. He looked off the defense, gave a shoulder fake, stood tall in a clean pocket and turned to the opposite side of the field for his touchdown. He showed some polish, and he looks worthy of a 53-man spot and further development.

Bailey Zappe potentially could land on the practice squad after getting through waivers, as he did a year ago.

Is this an overreaction to what Jennings did against some of Carolina’s furthest-down-the-depth-chart defenders? Possibly.

But the 6-foot, 217-pounder ran hard Thursday. No surprise. He averaged 4.6 yards after contact per carry at Florida A&M. Signed after his rookie minicamp tryout, Jennings seemed to make the most of his opportunities in his pro debut.

Kendrick Bourne will be a part of this team, but until he’s off the PUP list, we’ll leave him off the 53-man roster.

Hard to figure out what to do with Tyquan Thornton. He’s dealing with a soft-tissue issue that has limited him of late, even though he…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-53-man-roster-projection-133430090.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-08-09 13:34:30

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