As the New England Patriots square off against the New York Giants tonight at Gillette Stadium here are some players to watch competing for roster spots.
Quarterback: From the Twitter account of Boston Globe reporter Ben Volin, it appears Jacoby Brissett will be getting the start tonight. Brissett has appeared shaky all preseason routinely over throwing receivers and lacking touch on many of his passes. It will be interesting to see if the Patriots keep 3 Quarterbacks on the roster for consecutive seasons since the early 2000's.
Running Back: Mike Gillislee is slated to get some work tonight after missing large stretches of the preseason battling a hamstring injury. DJ Foster will also get a chance to have a lot of carries tonight. He has shown some flashes of potential and could be one of the offensive skill position players that could benefit from the Edelman injury. However, being a 2016 undrafted FA signing, he still has practice squad eligibility.
Wide Receivers: Austin Carr and Devin Lucien highlight the 2 WR's with the biggest chance to showcase their skills for one last chance at a roster spot. However, both are considered long shots and could be destined for the practice squad or picked up by another team. With many other veteran WR's currently on the trade market such as SD's Dontrell Inman and SEA's Jermaine Kearse there should be plenty of options on the market after roster cuts should the Patriots opt for an additional veteran.
Tight End: It comes down to former chief James O'Shaugnessy vs. undrafted FA Jacob Hollister for the final roster spot. Neither has shown much this preseason
Offensive Line: One of the main backup OT battles for a final roster spot is between Cameron Fleming and LaAdrian Waddle. With 3rd round draft pick Antonio Garcia as a candidate for IR, these two could provide crucial depth. Also worth noting 6th round pick Connor McDermott clearly a long term project could be kept on the active roster in fear of being picked up by another team before joining the practice squad.
Defensive Front Seven: Both Undrafted FA signings Harvey Langi and Adam Butler have shown a lot this preseason almost guaranteeing roster spots. It will be interesting to see if former 2015 3rd round Geneo Grissom finally plays up to his potential. I think the Patriots may be better suited looking at other options in the market after roster cuts. With the trade this week of special teams ace Marquis Flowers several linebacker's roster spots could be in question. This group includes Shea Mcclellin who has been battling injuries all Summer, Jonathan Freeny, Elandon Roberts, and even David Harris. If we see any of these guys playing late in the 4th quarter that can not be a good sign.
Secondary: Former 2nd round picks Cyrus Jones and Jordan Richards stick out as prime candidates for a make or break game tonight. If you watched the 1st preseason game against Jacksonville each of them were victimized by long touchdown passes and looked horrible in coverage. Justin Coleman has played great this preseason and looks poised to be the 4th cornerback. However, Cyrus Jones could see an increased role on punt returns with Edelman out. Jones must maintain ball control to be effective. Richards the former Stanford DB has looked lost at times and is clearly on the bubble.
Coaching: It has been reported the Patriots are going to practice contingency plans on play calling if either HC Bill Belicheck, OC Josh McDaniels, or DC Matt Praticia were to miss time for whatever reason. Finally, with the retirement of Rob Ninkovich the Patriots are without their long term emergency long snapper. FB James Develin is expected to take some reps tonight for that spot along with his normal fullback duties.