FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots open the 2021 NFL regular season against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 12 at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots finished the 2020 season 7-9, their first sub-.500 year since 2000, which was Bill Belichick's first as head coach.
One of the big questions surrounding the Patriots was how they would resolve an overflow at running back, where Damien Harris returns as a top option, 2021 fourth-round pick Rhamondre Stevenson (Oklahoma) has been impressive this preseason, and diminutive sparkplug J.J. Taylor continues to ascend. Shipping 2018 first-round pick Sony Michel to the Los Angeles Rams last week helped clarify that picture.
Otherwise, the Patriots' roster doesn't seem like it will include many surprises, with some of the top questions relating to depth at tight end, offensive tackle and the defensive backfield.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Cam Newton, Mac Jones
No change from the last projection, but if coach Bill Belichick decides Jones is ready to start from Day 1, it would be easy to envision a scenario in which Newton is given the choice on whether he wants to stick around. Newton has seemed to earn that level of respect from Belichick, and if he ever decided he wanted out, it would open a spot for Brian Hoyer.
