This coming week is a big one for many New England Patriots. The team is currently in Tampa, Florida where they are holding joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Friday the team will play their third preseason game against the Bucs. Monday the team will have to cut its roster to 75 making this a very important week for players attempting to earn a spot on the team. Here are some players still fighting to earn a spot on the final 53-man roster.
Some spots have been settled for the wide receiver position but this week still gives some players a final chance to prove themselves. Jabar Gaffney, Jesse Holley, and Donte Stallworth are all free agent acquisitions this offseason that will be fighting for a spot. Gaffney probably has the edge on Stallworth and Holley with 2012 NFL Draft pick Jeremy Ebert close behind making this week crucial for all four.
The Patriots currently have two tight ends in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez that will be on the team. With newly acquired tight end Visanthe Shiancoe still injured and looking on his way out Monday, the final tight end spot will be between Daniel Fells and Alex Silvestro. Fells looked to have the upper hand going into this offseason but he has spent most of the offseason on the sidelines injured. Now back on the field, he’ll have a week to prove himself to the Patriots coaches.
There looks to be one spot available at defensive end for the Patriots. That spot will go to either Jermaine Cunningham or Justin Francis. Francis seemed to be the choice throughout training camp but Cunningham has come on strong lately with a great performance against the Philadelphia Eagles including a punishing hit on Michael Vick.
Veteran Jonathan Fanene looked to be a backup defensive tackle on the 53-man roster after being signed but injury forced his release earlier this week. That opens a spot for someone from the outside. Right now it looks like Kyle Love, Marcus Harrison, and Marcus Fortson will be vying for that position. Love may have the inside track now but Harrison and Fortson can make up ground this week.
The Patriots linebacker position is pretty much the same as the defensive tackle position. In the Patriots first preseason game against the New Orleans Saints Dane Fletcher tore his ACL ending his season and opening a spot on the 53-man roster. That spot will now be an open contest between Jeff Taprinian and Mike Rivera.
The Patriots have been attempting to rebuild their defensive secondary through the draft since 2009. The team has picked some good players over the last four drafts in Patrick Chung, Devin McCourty, and Ras-I Dowling. Most of the defensive secondary is already set but some spots could still be won and special teams positions are still available. Josh Barrett, Malcolm Williams, Sergio Brown, Ross Ventrone, Marquice Cole, and Will Allen will be fighting for those spots this week.
The third week of preseason is the most important week for players still attempting to win a spot on the team. Following the third preseason game the roster must be cut to 75 and more cuts come soon after. So after months of work, some position battles come down to one or two weeks. For the Patriots, the final battles start this week in Tampa.
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