With the Patriots Having an Elite Secondary Which Young Player Will Step Up and Make the Team???

Will Christian Gonzalez be an All Pro this season for the Patriots this season

Patriots Secondary (18)

Special teams players (4)

Going into the season, this position is supposed to be the strength on the Patriots roster led by all pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez. I add to that This position is projected to be a top five position in the NFL led by all Pro defensive backs, Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones and Kevin Byard III. In this article, I will look at who is projected to make the team and what young players or veterans will be slated for the practice squad.

As I write this article all Pro Cornerback Christian Gonzales has not signed his contract extension, so will that be a problem for the Patriots this season or will they get the deal done before the season starts? Moving on the Patriots are projected to have a top five secondary led by Gonzalez who is going to have to have an all-pro year and be a leader on the defense for the younger players. Next, we have all pro cornerback Carlton Davis III who came to the Patriots last season as a free agent from the Detroit Lions and had a very productive season. Going into his second year with the team he needs to improve on last year helping all pro Christian Gonzalez anchor the secondary. The Patriots signed Kevin Byard III from the Chicago Bears this offseason reuniting him with head coach Mike Vrabel he brings an elite play to his game. He led the league last year with interceptions and anchors that secondary. Marcus Jones continues to bring his elite play with his dynamic kick returns to the Patriots. Jones also is an elite punt returner on special teams and adds depth to the position. Then I wrap up the starters with last year‘s gem that they found in the fourth-round of the draft Craig Woodson from California who had a phenomenal rookie season with the team. Woodson is looking to build on last year performance while becoming a leader in that safety room. The team drafted Karon Prunty this year in the draft and are very high on him. He comes with some size speed quickness, while adding play making ability on defense.

We move forward to the players that I think will add quality depth to the position or could land on the practice squad or become practice squad eligible players with this team. First up Marcellas Dial Jr. who’s going into his third season with the team and he comes off an injury. He needs to return to form that he had before his injury. If Dial can do so I believe he will be a roster lock on the team to make the final roster. However, he needs to continue to grow and become an elite player and show he can still play in the NFL. We mov to Dell Pettus, who has also been with the Patriots a few seasons and he’s going into his third season. He has been a very reliable backup cornerback on the team, and I think he can continue that role while locking up a spot with the final roster as well. Another veteran, Mike Brown comes to the team after four seasons in the NFL and he should add a veteran presence in the locker room while being a valuable back up and seeing valuable playing time. Charles Woods is another veteran who will have an uphill battle to make the team but could slide into a backup role on the 53-man roster. I can see him making the practice squad after the first cuts are made if not signed by another team. Kobe Minor is another player that will have an uphill battle to make the team he’ll have to shine in summer camp this season. Another young player Brandon Crossley will have to have a tremendous summer camp and shine in the preseason to make the squad, but I see him as a practice squad player. Now the youngsters who should see time on the practice squad or be practice squad eligible Peter Manuma, who they signed as an undrafted free agent this year as well as Channing Canada and Kenneth Harris. These players are going to have a great chance to show what they can do this summer camp as well as in the preseason. Players who will have an uphill battle to make the roster are John Saunders Jr. and Kindle Vildor.

Moving onto the special teams, we have kicker Andy Borregales, punter Bryce Barringer, long snapper Julian Ashby, special team's specialist Brandon Schooler all making the squad on special teams this year. The special team's unit will also feature players like Marcus Jones, Efton Chism III, DeMario Douglas, Romeo Doubs, and finally Kyle Williams should also be key contributors on special teams this year. The unit is led by special team's coordinator Jeremy Springer who will continue to have his team in the NFL's top ten this season.

Closing out this article, I can see the Patriots keeping between eight and ten players in the secondary at this position while needing quality depth behind its starters. The team will need this defense to play with an elite style of defense this season and be a top five defense in the NFL this season. Players like Gonzales, Davis, Byard, and even Woodson are going to need to play at as an elite group this season added by having youngsters Marcellas Dial Jr., Charles Brown, Mike Brown, Marcus Jones, and Dell Pettus should be key contributors as backups on this team. The team will try filling out the practice squad with players like Kobe Minor, Channing Canada, Kenneth Harris, Peter Manuma, and Bandon Crossley all should have a great shot at making the practice squad for this team. This article concludes my summer camp position previews as I have showed my Patriots fans players who I think will make the roster and who I think will be practice squad eligible this season. Having said that I think your Patriots are going to have a very successful season winning between ten and twelve games making the playoffs and maybe even another trip back to the Super Bowl with all the cards falling again in their favor.