NFL roster cuts 2021: Final 53-man roster, depth chart for the New England Patriots
The New England Patriots parted ways with their 2015 NFL MVP and starter for the 2020 NFL season, Cam Newton. New England now appear to be ushering in a new regime with the departure of their beloved Tom Brady.
Rookie quarterback Mac Jones has been named their starter. For now, he will serve as the QB that they'll look to build a roster around. With the conclusion of the preseason, Bill Belichick and the Patriots finalized their 53-man roster heading into the 2021 NFL season.
Here's a look at their updated roster for 2021:
New England Patriots' 53-man roster
Patriots offense
New England's offense struggled mightily a season ago, as they were devoid of any star-level talent. 2020 was a disaster, from an offensive perspective. Cam Newton and company failed to conjure up any consistency on the offensive side of the ball, which resulted in numerous lackluster performances.
They'll hope to get back on track this season with Mac Jones. Here's their offense heading into 2021:
QB - Mac Jones, Jarrett Stidham
RB - Damien Harris, James White
WR - Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Myers, N'keal Harry, Kendrick Bourne, Matthew Slater, Gunner Olszewski
TE - Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith
OL - Isaiah Wynn, Trent Brown, Shaq Mason, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Justin Herron, Marcus Martin, Ted Karras, Yasir Durant.
Patriots defense
The Patriots had a 4-3 defense in 2020, led my defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. New England have always possessed a defense with the ability to neutralize opposing offenses that rank in the upper echelons of the league. They have the ability to either defend in man or zone coverage against any team they face.
Their complex schemes, coupled with Belichick's brilliance, has always allowed the Patriots to compete in every game. Here's their final defense for 2021:
DL - Deatrich Wise Jr., Lawrence Guy, Henry Anderson, Carl Davis, Chase Winovich, Christian Barmore.
LB - Matt Judn, Dont'a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Ronnie Perkins, Ja'Whaun Bentley, Brandon King, Terez Hall, Josh Uche, Harvey Langi
CB - J.C Jackson, Stephon Gilmore, Devin McCourty, Josh Jones, Adrian Phillips, Jalen Mills, Kyle Duggar, Cody Davis, Justin Bethel, Joshuah Bledsoe, Joejuan Williams.
Patriots special teams
Undrafted rookie Quinn Nordin won the starting kicking duties for the 2021 season as the Patriots cut his competition.
K - Quinn Nordin
P - Jake Bailey
LS - Joe Cardona.
The Patriots will look to reclaim their AFC East title this season.