2018 Patriots roster cuts: Quick-hit thoughts on the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster

The New England Patriots have cut down their roster under the 53-man regular season limit through a series of transactions over the last two days. While more moves will follow soon – the Patriots only have 52 players signed at the moment Youth Kendarius Webster Jersey , after all –, we now have a first roster to work with and analyze. Let’s do just that.The Patriots need to add at least one more wide receiverAs things stand right now, wide receiver is the lightest position on the team: after cutting Riley McCarron and placing Julian Edelman and Braxton Berrios on reserve lists, New England currently has only three pure wide receivers under contract. Expect New England to add at least one more body over the next few days to offer depth alongside the top trio, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson.The offensive line and safety positions could also see reinforcementsWhile not as glaring a need as wide receiver depth, New England could look at its offensive line and safety spots as other positions in need of more bodies. While the Patriots might look to the waiver wire or open market to find another offensive tackle, they may already have a backup safety on their team: cornerback Jason McCourty has seen plenty of snaps at the position over the past two weeks and could serve as the number four safety if need be. It would also not be a surprise, though, if the Patriots brought in another safety from the outside.New England’s defensive edge looks deep on paperLast year, the Patriots had to rely on in-season signings Eric Lee and James Harrison to provide depth along a defensive edge that was lacking just that. This year Womens Kendarius Webster Jersey , the group looks much better with Trey Flowers and Adrian Clayborn as the top options, and Derek Rivers, Deatrich Wise Jr. and Keionta Davis behind them. On paper, New England has been able to address one of the major weaknesses of 2017.Another undrafted rookie makes the teamTraining camp standout J.C. Jackson has survived roster cutdowns, which means that another undrafted rookie free agent has been able to make the team. 2018 will therefore be the 15th straight season that a player who did not hear his name called during the draft has made it through cutdown weekend and onto the initial 53-man squad. Whether or not Jackson can establish his presence on the team remains to be seen, but the early signs certainly were encouraging.There are few surprises on and off the teamWhile the Patriots made plenty of moves over the last two days, there were not a lot of unexpected developments ones among them. The release of Cyrus Jones and the Jordan Richards could be qualified as minor surprises, as could Geneo Grissom making the team and New England opting to go with just three pure wideouts. Ultimately, however, there were no real shockers among the Patriots’ transactions. Last night, Antonio Brown‘s lawyer issued a written statement. On Wednesday Authentic Kendarius Webster Jersey , Brown’s agent spoke about the lawsuit filed on Tuesday against Brown, accusing him of sexual assault and rape.“Antonio takes these allegations very seriously,” Rosenhaus told ESPN. “He is a loving father [of] five children, including a daughter. I myself am a father and I have two children, two daughters, that I love very much, along with my wife. I wouldn’t be doing this interview if I didn’t believe Antonio. These allegations are false. He denies every one of them. I’m very confident that his legal team has facts that will prove this.”Rosenhaus emphasized that this is a civil matter, not a criminal matter. He also said that Brown had been anticipating the filing of the lawsuit.“What I want to emphasize to everybody is please allow the situation to play itself out,” Rosenhaus said. “Antonio will cooperate. He will cooperate with the Patriots, with the NFL, with any investigation Kendarius Webster Jersey Boys , with the NFLPA, and in time Antonio will be cleared. These allegations in the lawsuit are false. They are not true. They are absolutely not true.”What advice is Rosenhaus giving Brown?“I’m advising him to let the truth come out,” Rosenhaus said. “I’m advising him to concentrate on football. I’m advising him to cooperate with the Patriots, with the NFL, with the NFLPA. Antonio and I both strongly believe that these allegations are very serious. In no way to we condone any type of illegal conduct, misbehavior. None of that happened here. This is a money grab. I’ll repeat this, this is a money grab. In my opinion, this is a money grab.”That portion of the comments echo last night’s statement: The accuser, in Brown’s view, is making a money grab.Rosenhaus also pointed out that the latest allegations have “nothing to do with the current turmoil” surrounding Brown, from the frozen feet to the helmet issue to the fines in Oakland to potential wiretapping of Jon Gruden to Brown’s release from Oakland.“Please keep in mind that Antonio denies these allegations Infant Chase Winovich Jersey ,” Rosenhaus said. “He will have a full investigation. He will go through the legal process. And we will cooperate. And there are facts out there that will come to light that will establish that he is indeed not guilty of any of these accusations. This is a civil matter, and this is a proceeding where the accuser is seeking financial gain.”Some would say she’s simply seeking compensation, not gain. Regardless, that’s for the court system to decide. In the interim, the NFL will have to decide how to handle Brown. The Patriots will have to address that issue, too.