A look at how the competition is shaking up with two games to go.
New England Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch (84) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game in Foxborough, Mass., Monday, Aug. 20, 2012.We still don’t know how the New England Patriots roster will end up shaking out when the final draft is submitted in less than 10 days.
Bill Belichick always finds a way to blow minds. He has no real tendencies, so it’s impossible to look at the past and consider it a viable way to predict the future.
Having said that, our best guess is that he’s going to keep six wide receivers. Why? Because that’s the number the team has started with the last three seasons – and yes, I’m aware the previous sentence contradicts my previous statement.
Could Belichick go with five receivers like he did for Week 1 of the 2007 season?
Yes.
Could he go with seven like he did in 2008?
Yes.
You just never know with the Patriots.
But assuming the number is six, a big name is going to be cut. The general consensus, as it has been all along, is that Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Julian Edelman and Matthew Slater are in.
That leaves Jabar Gaffney, Deion Branch and Donte Stallworth battling it out for the final two roster spots. Here’s a look at where they currently stand:
Deion Branch: In
The veteran receiver appeared to be falling out of this battle when he suffered an ailment midway through camp that prevented him from participating in team drills and the first preseason game. But he came roaring back Monday night, catching three passes on four targets for 51 yards. The performance was enough to remind everyone that Branch shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Donte Stallworth: In
Stallworth didn’t have his best game against the Eagles, but he’s been somewhat impressive in practices and has good speed for his age. He’ll need to have a better game against the Bucs Friday night, but, if we’re judging off of current performance, he’s done more than the next man on the list to warrant a spot on the roster.
Jabar Gaffney: Out
As things currently stand Gaffney should be the odd-man out. He just hasn’t done a whole lot in practices and is currently battling an injury. All three players need to make an impression over the final two preseason games, but Gaffney needs to put his chemistry with Brady to good use if he hopes to cover the lost ground.