The New England Patriots depth chart is only beginning to take shape, as the team has completed its spring practices, which include organized team activities and minicamp. While those sessions are advantageous for players with experience in the system, that’s not exactly what they’re about. Bill Belichick emphasizes teaching during the spring. Position battles don’t really start until training camp.
With that in mind, here are some players who may use spring practices to earn themselves a spot on the 53-man roster for 2019.
Keionta Davis, DE
He was a surprise addition to the roster in 2018, when he made a few starts at the beginning of the season. In Week 2, he received 52 snaps (74 percent) at defensive end. It was a quick rise and a precipitous fall.
That spurred these comments from Belichick.
“Keionta‘s had a good year for us,” Belichick said in September after the Week 2 loss to Jacksonville. “He had a strong offseason and came into the spring ready to go, and followed that up with a strong training camp and preseason performances. He’s earned playing time.”
By midseason, however, Davis was barely playing and making regular appearances on the inactive list on game day. His season took a strange and winding path.
The third-year player could end up being a contributor in 2019, largely because the second defensive end job is wide open. Deatrich Wise is the favorite, while Derek Rivers is getting starting snaps in spring camp. But only Michael Bennett is a sure-fire starter. Davis could replicate the success he had during the offseason last year and manage another roster spot.
Derek Rivers, DE
Rivers did not get a starter’s share at any point during the 2018 season. His only claim to future success is that he was once the Patriots’ third-round pick in 2017 — and since they traded away their first- and second-round picks, Rivers was the team’s top pick in the draft. That carried some cache, even if expectations aren’t always high for a third-rounder.
In his rookie season in 2017, Rivers tore his ACL during training camp and missed the entire year. In 2018, he logged one sack and two tackles.
It’s his make-or-break year. If he doesn’t enjoy a productive training camp and preseason, he’s unlikely to make the roster, and will be considered a draft bust. However, he played at Youngstown State in college, and may have needed a few years to acclimate to the higher level of competition. Perhaps he can impress during this camp to change his narrative.
Ken Webster, CB
A no-name defensive back can absolutely make this roster. They always do. New England picked Webster in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He fits the description of past cornerbacks who snuck onto the 53-man depth chart.
“He’s a really, really good player in 2016,” Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said after the team selected Webster in April. “He had some injuries that he sustained in ’17 – whatever year that was – then he kind of worked his way back. I’d say he’s similar to [Keion] Crosen just from the standpoint of [he has] outstanding testing numbers. I mean, [he’s] really explosive in terms of his speed and his explosiveness – I mean like eye-popping numbers. Now, there’s an element that has to translate over to the field, but from a physical, athletic trait standpoint, there’s a lot of good qualities and he played against some pretty good people on a weekly basis.”
Both Webster and Crossen had eye-popping physical measurements that hadn’t translated to the game in college. But in both cases, the Patriots are intent upon helping make that happen. Belichick had a similar philosophy with cornerback Jonathan Jones, who is a slot cornerback and a strong special teams contributor. Webster’s presence should worry Crossen, who failed to take a step forward in coverage in 2018.
Christian Sam, LB
The Patriots linebacker group is absurd: Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Elandon Roberts. And yet, Sam could insert himself into the mix. He was an interesting prospect coming out of college, which is why the Patriots nabbed him in the sixth round. He teased enough explosiveness to play three downs in the NFL. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending injury and landed on injured reserve for all of 2018. But in 2019, he’ll have to demonstrate what he learned from his redshirt season, when he learned the team’s playbook but didn’t physically practice it. Perhaps he can outperform his draft position and edge his way onto the roster.
Obi Melifonwu, S
The addition of rookie cornerback Joejuan Williams seems to indicate Melifonwu is a long shot to make the roster. Williams and Melifonwu have an irregular body type for defensive backs — they’re both roughly 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds. The Patriots added Melifonwu last season with the intention of trying him against bigger slot pass-catchers. He could be their answer to oversized slot receivers and undersized tight ends.
He had small contributions in that role, but the Patriots’ decision to add Williams will put Melifonwu’s role in jeopardy. He still has a chance to stick on the team, but he’ll have to prove more competent than Williams as a big slot defender.
