FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots open the 2022 NFL regular season at the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium.
They project to do so with a decisive youth movement on their roster. In addition to the majority of their 10-player draft class being expected to earn spots, the team has four intriguing undrafted rookie free agents who have also made compelling cases to stick around.
As usual, expect plenty of roster juggling from coach Bill Belichick. The initial 53-man roster won't be the 53-man roster the team opens with at Miami, in part because some players must initially be on the roster before being moved to short-term injured reserve (e.g., second-round wide receiver Tyquan Thornton), opening a spot for someone who was initially released.
Belichick must also weigh which younger players he's willing to expose to waivers and potentially lose to other teams. There's always a surprise or two, with the Patriots eyeing players from other clubs as well.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (3): Mac Jones, Brian Hoyer, Bailey Zappe
Zappe, the fourth-round pick from Western Kentucky, has built a solid foundation to potentially elevate to the No. 2 role in the future. But Hoyer's value as a veteran sounding board to Jones, coupled with the financial commitment the team made to him, should solidify the team keeping three QBs on the active roster.
RUNNING BACK (5): Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, J.J. Taylor, Pierre Strong Jr., Kevin Harris
This was a late change after watching veteran Ty Montgomery get carted to the locker room in Friday night's preseason finale. The Patriots naturally hope it's an injury that doesn't knock him out for the season. If it does, it could open the door for Taylor to stick on the roster. Meanwhile, Harris, a sixth-round pick, might be more of a fit on the practice squad, so it will be a question if the Patriots feel he will clear through waivers.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton
Thornton, the impressive 2022 second-round pick from Baylor, needs to be on the initial 53-man roster before he's moved to short-term IR, as he recovers from a shoulder/clavicle injury. Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Kristian Wilkerson and Tre Nixon have been productive in the preseason and could fill the No. 5 receiver void as practice-squad elevations, assuming they clear waivers.
TIGHT END (3): Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Devin Asiasi
There was a thought of possibly going with just the top two, and seeing if Asiasi (2020 third round) might slide to the practice squad, but it seemed too risky, given the way the offense is trending to more two-TE sets without a traditional fullback. Matt Sokol and Jalen Wydermyer are practice squad candidates.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Trent Brown, Cole Strange, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Isaiah Wynn, Justin Herron, Yodny Cajuste, Arlington Hambright, Kody Russey
Veteran center/guard James Ferentz factors into the mix as a player who wouldn't have to clear waivers and would add valuable experience/depth, giving the promising Hambright and Russey more time to develop behind the scenes without exposing them to other teams. Will Sherman (2021 sixth round), Chasen Hines (2022 sixth round), Yasir Durant (possible trade candidate) and Drew Desjarlais are among the practice squad considerations should they clear waivers.
DEFENSIVE LINE (5): Davon Godchaux, Christian Barmore, Lawrence Guy, Deatrich Wise Jr., LaBryan Ray
Carl Davis Jr. and Henry Anderson wouldn't be subject to waivers and would be among considerations to bring back after some initial roster juggling or as veteran practice squad players if they were willing. Interior sub-rusher Daniel Ekuale won't count against the initial 53-man roster because of his NFL suspension, but he projects to be a factor for the team once eligible.
LINEBACKER (6): Ja'Whaun Bentley, Mack Wilson, Matthew Judon, Anfernee Jennings, Jahlani Tavai, Josh Uche
It was surprising not to see 2021 fifth-round pick Cameron McGrone make a stronger charge for a roster spot, but it's still possible the team protects him from waivers before potentially trying to slide him to the practice squad. In this scenario, Raekwon McMillan is initially released without being subject to waivers, with the intention of bringing him back after some initial roster juggling.
CORNERBACK (5): Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant, Jack Jones
Veteran Terrance Mitchell looked like a lock early in camp, but with Jonathan Jones playing more on the outside of late, Mitchell's standing now looks less secure. If he's willing to return on the practice squad, without having to clear waivers, that could be an ideal scenario for the team. One other burning question: Has Shaun Wade done enough to earn a spot? The Patriots run a risk exposing him to waivers and might want to keep him initially.
SAFETY (5): Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Joshuah Bledsoe
This seems like one the most straight-forward positions on the roster -- quality and depth one through five.
SPECIALISTS (7): Jake Bailey (punter), Joe Cardona (snapper), Nick Folk (kicker), Matthew Slater, Cody Davis, Justin Bethel, Brenden Schooler
Could Bethel, in the second year of a three-year pact, be in jeopardy? That has been a thought since spring practices, but when it was time to make a final call, he was kept on the roster because of his $550,000 in guaranteed money.