New England Patriots Roster 2019 Patriots Roster

Top 3 Patriots Roster Questions of 2019-2020

Who will become Tom Brady’s primary Red Zone weapon?

In his illustrious nine-year career, Gronkowski caught 79 touchdown passes, forming a connection with Brady that seemed unstoppable. In his absence, Brady will have to look elsewhere for scores. But he can’t turn to Amendola or Josh Gordon either, as the former is now a Lion, and the latter is still waiting to be reinstated by the NFL after yet another violation of the league’s drug policy. Thus, Brady will have to choose from Edelman and Harry. Edelman, at 5-10, is a relatively small target, one generally used in the middle of the field for third-down conversions. But this past season, the slot receiver proved his scoring ability, garnering six touchdown passes in 12 games. Harry, a 6-4 receiver drafted in the first round, figures to play the Gronkowski role, albeit not as effectively as the future Hall of Famer. The Patriots will need production from him early and often, but Gronkowski’s void will certainly require at least two players to fill.

From where will the pass rush come?

If there was one negative aspect of the 2018 Patriots, it was their pass rush. With only 30 total sacks on the year, the Patriots ranked second to last in the entire NFL, and their leading sacker from last year is gone. With 7.5 sacks, Flowers led the team, but he is now in Detroit, leaving questions as to how this pass rushing unit will improve upon their abysmal 2018 performance. Bennett, with his 9.0 sacks last year, will help, but relying on a ten-year veteran to bring a poor unit even to mediocrity is a difficult ask. However, it doesn’t seem to matter. The Patriots will be there at the end no matter what.

What’s the quarterback situation behind Brady?

Tom Brady is the face of the franchise, the orchestrator, and the difference-maker. His identity and the identity of the Patriots are thoroughly intertwined. That being said, it’s important to analyze the situation behind Brady, in the unfortunate event of an injury. Brian Hoyer is a capable journeyman backup who knows the New England system as well as anybody, having spent two separate stints on the roster. But, in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, the Patriots selected Jarrett Stidham from Auburn. Will he be the immediate second stringer? Is he being groomed as the starter? It’s too soon to say, but the situation is worth monitoring.