Final Roster Analysis

New York Giants Final Roster Analysis

stevenlourie Final Roster Analysis, Giants

Quarterbacks

Quarterback Eli Manning was obviously locked in and backup David Carr was as close to locked in as you can get because the only other quarterback competing for a spot was Ryan Perriloux and he never really made it much of a battle for the backup job. He was cut as the Giants decided once again to only carry two quarterbacks this season. Punter Brian Weatherford will remain the emergency quarterback.

Running Backs

Ahmad Bradshaw and backup David Wilson were locked in. Bradshaw will start and Wilson will see significant action behind him. DJ Ware was, at one point, being considered for the goal line, short yardage, 3rd down role, but he was a somewhat surprising cut as the Giants decided to keep Andre Brown and Da’Rel Scott instead. Brown is their biggest back and only true bruiser so he could see short yardage situations, while Scott, a 7th round pick in 2011, was kept for mostly developmental purposes. Fullback Henry Hynoski was also brought back and kept as the Giants’ only fullback.

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Receiving Corps

Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz were locked in, as was Dominek Hixon, who won the 3rd string job, meaning he’ll play outside opposite Nicks in 3-wide receiver sets, allowing Nicks to focus on the slot. Reuben Randle, the team’s 2nd round pick, was also locked in even though he didn’t win the 3rd string job because of his draft status. 2011 3rd round pick Jerrel Jernigan was also locked in, both because of his draft status and also because he was their starting kick returner and punt returner.

That left maximum one spot for another receiver and they used it, keeping 2010 3rd round pick Ramses Barden, giving the 6-6 receiver one more chance. At tight end, starter Martellus Bennett and 4th round rookie Adrien Robinson were locked in and Bear Pascoe joined them, staying on the roster as a blocking specialist.

Offensive Line

Starters Kevin Boothe (left guard), David Baas (center), and Chris Snee (right guard) were all locked in. On the outside, William Beatty is not expected to play week 1 at left tackle. Instead, Sean Locklear will probably be their left tackle, which is a problem. David Diehl was their left tackle last season, but he really struggled and is now on the right side, where he beat out 2011 4th round pick James Brewer. All 4 of those offensive tackles looked pretty locked in on the roster.

However, instead of keeping Matt McCants, a 6th round rookie offensive tackle, they cut him and signed undrafted free agent DJ Jones, who has been waived by the Eagles, which is not a good sign for McCants’ career. An even worse sign for McCants’ career was when Jones failed his physical, they brought back Mitch Petrus, a guard cut the day before, instead and kept McCants on the practice squad. Petrus, who saw significant action last season with injury, will continue to be a reserve left guard, while Jim Cordle stuck as a reserve center.

Defensive Line

Starters Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Linval Joseph are locked in, as is pass rushing specialist. However, another starter, Chris Canty at defensive tackle, was put on IR, meaning he’ll miss the whole season. Rocky Bernard will take his spot in the starting lineup as Marvin Austin is also hurt, so Bernard is locked in as well, as is Austin, even though the 2011 2nd round pick hasn’t played in a live game since 2009, missing 2010 at North Carolina with a suspension and last season with a torn pectoral.

Needing a 4th defensive tackle, the Giants kept 7th round rookie Markus Kuhn over veteran Marcus Thomas. The Giants kept 2 more defensive ends, Adrian Tracy, who could see a situational role in absence of free agent departure Dave Tollefson. Tracy, a converted linebacker, would come in when the Giants bring out 4 defensive ends. They also kept undrafted free agent Adewale Ojomo as a 5th defensive end. He’ll be a frequent game day inactive unless he can carve out a special teams role, but he was kept for developmental purposes.

Linebackers

Locked in as the starters were Mathias Kiwanuka and Michael Boley on the outside and Chase Blackburn, who beat out Keith Rivers in Training Camp, at the middle linebacker spot. Rivers was likely a lock given that the team just gave up a 5th round pick for him to compete for the starting middle linebacker spot. He’ll provide depth across the board at linebacker.

Having kept 9 defensive lineman, the Giants could realistically only keep 6 or 7 linebackers. They kept 7, giving them 16 front 7 sevens, choosing 2nd year players Jacquian Williams, Mark Herzlich, and Spencer Paysinger over fellow 2nd year player Greg Jones. Williams was a 6th round pick last year, as was Jones, while Herzlich and Paysinger were undrafted, but Herzlich, a cancer survivor, provided himself to be valuable on special teams last year and a developmental prospect at either middle linebacker or outside linebacker. He’ll backup Blackburn at middle linebacker. Paysinger, meanwhile, simply beat out Jones, a former draft pick, as a former undrafted free agent.

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Secondary

At cornerback, the Giants needed depth. Not only was Terrell Thomas lost on IR with ACL problems for the 2nd straight season, replacement starter and 2011 1st round pick Prince Amukamara was out for at least week 1 with a high ankle sprain. The Giants kept Amukamara, obviously, along with established starter Corey Webster and 3rd round rookie Jayron Hosley. The Giants then kept two veterans, Michael Coe and Justin Tryon. Coe will get the week 1 start at cornerback, as Hosley could miss that game as well. Tryon is currently listed as the slot cornerback, so we might not see Hosley until week 2 at the earliest.

With all of the injuries at cornerback, the Giants needed depth at safety because Antrel Rolle would likely be playing a lot on the slot as a cornerback in sub packages, especially early in the season, meaning they would use 3 safeties more often than most teams, something they already did last season. They didn’t bring back Deon Grant, who was that 3rd safety last year. The veteran is probably done in this league.

With Tyler Sash, originally supposed to serve in that role, missing the first 4 games of the season with suspension, the Giants kept Stevie Brown, a 7th round pick of the Raiders in 2010, to be their 3rd safety. Will Hill surprisingly made the roster after going undrafted and unsigned last offseason because of character problems. When Sash returns, one of those two is probably gone, likely Hill, unless Brown bombs in his audition.

Specialists

Lawrence Tynes and Steve Weatherford remain as their place kicker and punter once again, as is the case pretty much every year. Those are their only two kickers. Another familiar face is long snapper Zak DeOssie. Jerrel Jernigan will return both punts and kickoffs, with Dominek Hixon backing him up as punt returner and Da’Rel Scott backing him up as kick returner.

Practice Squad

DE Matt Broha

G Selvish Capers

OT Matt McCants

WR David Douglas

TE Larry Donnell

G Stephen Gooden

CB Laron Scott

DE Craig Marshall

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Philadelphia Eagles Final Roster Analysis

stevenlourie Eagles, Final Roster Analysis

Quarterbacks

Michael Vick was obviously on the team, so was 3rd round pick Nick Foles, even if he hadn’t stepped up in Mike Kafka’s absence and nailed down the #2 quarterback job, despite the team viewing him as a developmental 3rd quarterback at the start of the offseason. Kafka went from primary backup to injured to 3rd string and when he returned, he found that Trent Edwards had beaten him out for the 3rd string job. Not wanting to keep 4 quarterbacks, the Eagles tried to trade the 2010 4th round pick Kafka, but did not have any luck and made him a final cut. He should catch on somewhere as a backup.

Running Backs

LeSean McCoy was a lock as was primary backup Dion Lewis. Bryce Brown and Chris Polk were 7th round and undrafted rookies respectively and there was talk about if the team would keep both and if they did, would that mean releasing true fullback Stanley Havili. Instead the Eagles opted to keep all 5, keeping 4 running backs and a fullback. Brown and Polk won’t see much action as rookies unless injuries strike, but it’s clear the team has interest in developing them.

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Receiving Corps

The Eagles’ top 3 receivers, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant were all locks as was tight end Brent Celek. Tight end Clay Harbor and wide receiver Damaris Johnson were also pretty close to being locks. Johnson was an undrafted free agent, but nailed down a roster spot with his strong play on special teams. He was named the team’s primary punt returner and 2nd kick returner. Harbor, meanwhile, was a big part of their two-tight end sets from a year ago. The Eagles didn’t have a better option on the roster and, in fact, didn’t keep another tight end, cutting a pair of undrafted free agents Emil Igwenagu and Chase Ford, both of whom were added to the practice squad.

With the two Johnsons, Maclin, and Avant at wide receiver, the Eagles had 4 players competing for the final receiver spot, with Riley Cooper, the incumbent, nursing an injury. He’s unlikely to play week 1, but the Eagles kept him on the roster, cutting 6th round rookie Marvin McNutt, former 4th round pick of the Rams Mardy Gilyard, and Chad Hall, a “veteran” who has been up and down with the team several times over the last couple of years. McNutt was added to the practice squad.

Offensive Line

The Eagles had their starting 5 on the offensive line locked in before final cuts, with King Dunlap at left tackle, Evan Mathis at left guard, Jason Kelce at center, Danny Watkins at right guard, and Todd Herremans at right tackle. Demetress Bell, who surprisingly lost the left tackle battle to the inexperienced King Dunlap, was a roster lock because his 3.25 million dollar salary was fully guaranteed. Dennis Kelly, a 5th round rookie, also locked like a pretty safe bet for the team.

They kept those 7, but only one other, reserve center Dallas Reynolds, a member of their team last year. They cut 6th round rookie Brandon Washington and looked awfully thin on the inside of their offensive line with only Reynolds backing up all 3 positions, though if an injury struck to one of the guards, Bell could fill in. The Eagles got their 9th offensive lineman after final cuts, signing Nate Menkin, an undrafted free agent cut by the Texans. It’s a bad sign for the Washington that the Eagles brought in an outside undrafted free agent over keeping an insider 6th round pick.

Defensive Line

The defensive line is easily the Eagles’ deepest group and it might be the deepest defensive line group in the league. Starters Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, Derek Landri, and Trent Cole were all locks, while Fletcher Cox, their 1st round pick defensive tackle, who figures to have a big rotational role as a rookie, was also a lock. Also locks, 2010 1st round pick Brandon Graham, who is final healthy and heading into a make or break year, and 2nd round pick rookie Vinny Curry, both defensive ends. The Eagles also put Mike Patterson on the non-football injury list, taking him off the active roster as he unfortunately is not recovered from offseason brain surgery.

With Curry coming in and Graham coming back off injury, Darryl Tapp, a talented reserve defensive end was expendable at his 2.575 million dollar salary, but he took a paycut and stayed with the team, even though he’ll be just their 5th defensive end. Phillip Hunt was also kept as the Eagles kept 6 talented defensive ends. Cedric Thornton, a 2011 undrafted free agent, beat out Antonio Dixon, coming off injury for the final defensive line spot, and will be the 4th defensive tackle. Given how much they like rotation on the defensive line, Thornton could see pretty significant action this year with Patterson out and Dixon gone. Dixon was a starter in 2010, but was coming off injury and didn’t fit the new defensive coaching staff’s scheme so he was let go.

Linebackers

At linebacker, DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks, offseason additions through trade and the draft respectively, were locked in, as was Akeem Jordan, who somewhat surprisingly won the weak side linebacker job over Jamar Chaney. Chaney was kept as a reserve on the strong side because of his versatility and experience at all linebacker positions.

Casey Matthews beat out Ryan Rau, an undrafted free agent late added to the practice squad, for the backup middle linebacker job, in part because he was a 4th round pick just last year and in part because of his abilities in coverage and potential in become a situational coverage linebacker. Brian Rolle, another candidate for the starting weak side job, was kept as a reserve weak side linebacker over Keenan Clayton. With 10 spots going to defensive linemen, they only had 6 spots available for linebackers max, so Clayton was also cut.

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Secondary

Starters Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie were locked in, as was Brandon Boykin, a 4th round rookie who locked down the nickel cornerback job. With him locked in there and on special teams as kick returner, Joselio Hanson became unnecessary and the slot specialist was cut for more versatile cornerbacks. Curtis Marsh, a 3rd round pick last year whose upside they still really like, was kept as one of those cornerbacks as was, slightly more surprisingly Brandon Hughes, which meant the end of the road for Trevard Lindley, a 2010 4th round pick.

At safety, Nate Allen is one starter and Kurt Coleman won the other job, somewhat by default over Jaiquawn Jarrett, a 2011 2nd round pick, and veteran OJ Atogwe. There was some speculation that Jarrett, widely considered a major disappointment thus far in his career would be cut already, but they aren’t ready to give up on him and instead cut the veteran Atogwe, who might be at the end of his line after being cut by two safety needy teams, Washington and Philadelphia, this offseason. Two special teamers, Colt Anderson and David Sims, got the final 2 jobs, with Sims being acquired from Cleveland for a late round pick.

Specialists

Alex Henery and Chas Henry are back as place kicker and punter respectively and are their only two kickers. Jon Dorenbos is also back as long snapper. Boykin, as I’ve mentioned, is the starting kick returner, while Damaris Johnson won the punt returner job. He also backs up Boykin as kick returner and Boykin, likewise does the same at punt returner. Bryce Brown, another rookie, is the 3rd guy if anything happens to the first two.

Practice Squad

WR Marvin McNutt

WR BJ Cunningham

MLB Ryan Rau

TE Chase Ford

TE Emil Igwenagu

C Chase Beeler

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Buffalo Bills Final Roster Analysis

stevenlourie Bills, Final Roster Analysis

Quarterbacks

At quarterback, starter Ryan Fitzpatrick was obviously a lock, as was backup Tarvaris Jackson, who they just traded for. Jackson’s 2012 salary became guaranteed when they asked him to take a paycut, so they weren’t cutting him less than a week after trading for him. Brad Smith, their wildcat quarterback, who also plays wide receiver and special teams, was safe as a jack of all trades type player.

That’s three quarterbacks and teams don’t normally carry more than that, so the writing seemed to be on the wall for Tyler Thigpen, especially after they cut Vince Young, who reportedly pulled ahead of Thigpen this preseason. Thigpen was owed 2.5 million, way too much for a 3rd string quarterback. Instead, they kept him as a 3rd quarterback at a reduced rate of 1.5 million. Smith will technically be the 4th string and wildcat quarterback, but he’ll also provide some depth at wide receiver, where the team is thin at their final cuts.

Running Backs

Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller were obvious locks at running back. Behind them, Tashard Choice, a Chadn Gailey favorite, between out Johnny White, a 2011 5th round pick, and Zach Brown, an undrafted free agent, for the 3rd running back job. At fullback, Corey McIntyre remains the starter, but the Bills also kept Dorin Dickerson, a swiss army knife type player. Dickerson will play fullback, some h-back, and some tight end for them and practiced with the 1st team in special packages this offseason. He’ll also contribute on special teams.

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Receiving Corps

The Bills had a bunch of players competing for the starting wide receiver job opposite Steve Johnson and one of those players, Derek Hagan was cut as the Bills opted to go with 4 wide receivers (though Brad Smith can also play there). Steve Johnson and 3rd round pick TJ Graham were the only locks, but David Nelson and Donald Jones won the slot receiver job and the starting job respectively in the preseason and Training Camp and made the roster.

Graham will start the season as the 4th receiver and could see more playing time as the season goes on given how thin the receiving corps is, even though Graham is very raw with just one year of starting experience in college at NC State. Naaman Roosevelt, who saw significant playing time last year was cut, as was Marcus Easley, a 2010 4th round pick. It’s unclear why they didn’t keep at least one of those guys. They needed a 5th receiver and any of those guys would have been qualified. If a roster spot opens up, they could use it to add a wide receiver or bring back one of those guys. At tight end, starter Scott Chandler remains and blocking specialist Lee Smith also remains. Dorin Dickerson, as I mentioned, could see time here as well as a “move tight end” behind Scott Chandler, a big blocker and end zone threat.

Offensive Line

Starters Cordy Glenn (left tackle), Andy Levitre (left guard), Eric Wood (center), Kraig Urbik (right guard), and Erik Pears (right tackle) were locks as they from one of the most underrated offensive lines in all of football, especially in pass protection. Chad Rinehart was still a lock for the roster, even after losing the starting job to Urbik, because of his versatility and how well he played last season when injuries struck. Chris Hairston, who also had to start when injuries struck last year, was a lock to be kept as well as the swing tackle.

That figured to leave two more spots on the line, since teams normally keep 9 offensive linemen, one on the inside and one on the outside. These guys would likely be game day inactives because teams normally just keep 7 offensive linemen active for game day. Sam Young returned as the reserve right tackle, while Colin Brown beat out 6th round pick Mark Asper, a collegiate tackle, who was trying and apparently failing to convert to center.

Defensive Line

Starters Mario Williams, Mark Anderson, Kyle Williams, and Marcell Dareus, were obviously the locks, but the Bills had 4 veteran backups who were being paid like starters, Shawne Merriman (4 million), Dwan Edwards (3.8 million), Spencer Johnson (3 million), and Chris Kelsay (3.5 million). Merriman was cut earlier this month and Edwards was a final cut, but Johnson and Kelsay were not.

This makes some sense. They are overpaid, but the Bills aren’t backed up against the cap and back will provide valuable depth on a line that otherwise wouldn’t have really had any. Kelsay will be a nickel rusher, while Johnson was rotate in occasionally at defensive tackle. 2010 3rd round pick Alex Carrington stayed on the roster as well. He’s been a disappointed, but he was good enough to beat out Jarron Gilbert and Kellen Heard for the 4th defensive tackle spot. Kyle Moore, likewise, won the 4th defensive end spot over Robert Eddins.

Linebackers

Every down linebackers Nick Barnett and Kelvin Sheppard were obviously safe, as was Arthur Moats, who beat out Kirk Morrison to be the two-down running stuff linebacker. Morrison, even though he lost that job, was kept, as expected, as valuable depth across the board. He’ll also probably see a fairly big special teams role. Veteran Bryan Scott was also kept. The surprising move was the release of Tank Carder, a 5th round rookie. He lost out to a 4th round rookie Nigel Bradham and, more surprisingly, 2011 6th round pick Chris White, who stuck as a 6th linebacker. He’ll frequently be a game day inactive.

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Secondary

Aaron Williams and Stephon Gilmore were locks at cornerback as the starters, as was Leodis McKelvin, who recently won the nickel cornerback job. He also is their 1st string punt returner and backup kick returner. Ron Brooks was a lock because of his draft position, as a 4th round rookie, while Justin Rogers looked like a lock because he was their starting return man.

That didn’t seem to leave room for Terrence McGee and his 1.35 million dollar salary, after missing 22 games in the last 3 seasons. However, an injury to Ron Brooks opened up the door for him. Brooks had surgery on his foot and could be put on IR. For now, the Bills are keeping 6 cornerbacks, with McGee actually listed as the dime back ahead of Rogers, but if they put Brooks on IR, that will open up a roster spot for a receiver like Marcus Easley, who was added to the practice squad.

At safety, George Wilson and Jairus Byrd were locks as starters and Da’Norris Searcy earned another year on the team, possibly added by his status as a 4th round pick last year. Undrafted free agent Delano Howell won the 4th spot at a thin position over Isaiah Green and Nick Saenz. Howell’s special teams ability earned him the edge and he could be on the game day roster for his special teams prowess.

Specialists

Brian Moorman and Rian Lindell made the roster once again as punter and place kicker, but the Bills also kept a 3rd kicker, backup place kicker and kickoff specialist John Potter, their 7th round pick. We’ll see if he proves to be worth a roster spot just for kickoffs. Lindell did fine on kickoffs last year. The Bills held their opponent’s to the lowest average per kickoff return in the league and Lindell’s yards per kickoff was at 66.5, 23rd in the league out of 37 eligible players. Not great, but not bad enough to use a roster spot on a specialist to replace him.

Leodis McKelvin will return punts, while Justin Rogers will return kicks. CJ Spiller will backup McKelvin as punt returner, while McKelvin will back up Rogers as kick returner and come in when they put two returns in. Brad Smith will also provide depth there. Garrison Sanborn will once again be their long snapper.

Practice Squad

WR Marcus Easley

C David Snow

DT Jarron Gilbert

S Isaiah Green

WR Kamar Aiken

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Miami Dolphins Final Roster Analysis

stevenlourie Dolphins, Final Roster Analysis

Quarterbacks

Possibly the most surprising developmental of the Dolphins’ final cuts was that they kept 4 quarterbacks. Not only does that almost never happen, the Dolphins were assumed to be keeping 2, Ryan Tannehill and either Matt Moore or David Garrard as a veteran backup. If they kept 3, it was assumed that the 3rd one would be Pat Devlin, a developmental 2011 undrafted free agent, because of his upside and because of Moore’s and Garrard’ salaries.

However, the Dolphins kept all 4. This is likely in an effort to try to trade one of the veterans to a team needing a veteran backup for a late round pick. Neither of their salaries is guaranteed until September 6th. Green Bay is looking for an upgrade over Graham Harrell and if they don’t like any of the quarterbacks cut like Mike Kafka or Brian Hoyer, they could send Miami a late round pick for Moore or Garrard. Whoever is not traded will stick around as the primary backup to Tannehill, while Devlin as a developmental 3rd quarterback and a frequent game day inactive.

Running Backs

Top two backs Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas were locks, as was 3rd stringer Lamar Miller, a 4th round rookie. The only question at running back for the Dolphins was whether or not they would keep 4 backs and who that 4th back was. The Dolphins tried to trade 4th stringer Steve Slaton to the Redskins for wide receiver Anthony Armstrong, but eventually cut Slaton and signed Armstrong, a final cut by Washington. They kept Marcus Thigpen, a free agent acquisition as their 4th back because of his special teams ability. Undrafted rookie Jonas Gray is currently on the PUP and could be transferred to IR and preserved for 2013. Jorvorskie Lane was kept as the fullback.

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Receiving Corps

The Dolphins have one of the league’s worst receiving corps and because of that, there weren’t a lot of locks for the roster in the receiving corps. For example, some predicted 2011 4th round pick Clyde Gates would have taken the next step, capitalized on his athletic gifts, and moved up the depth chart into the starting lineup. Instead, he had a bad offseason and was cut from one of the league’s worst receiving corps.

Starters Brian Hartline and Legedu Naanee were locks, as was slot receiver Davone Bess. Starting tight end Anthony Fasano was a lock, as was 3rd round rookie Michael Egnew, even after a disappointing offseason. Along with Gates, 2010 undrafted free agents Marlon Moore and Robert Wallace and rookies Jeff Fuller (undrafted), BJ Cunningham (6th round), and Rishard Matthews (7th round), were all competing for spots on the depth chart.

Wallace joined Gates having a poor preseason, after being giving 1st team reps following the release of Chad Ochocinco. He was cut, as well as Fuller and Cunningham. Fuller was added to the practice squad, while Cunningham landed on the Eagles’ practice squad. Gates was snatched up by the Jets, whose offensive coordinator Tony Sparano was the Dolphins’ Head Coach when they drafted him last year. Moore and Matthews were kept and they signed Anthony Armstrong, a final cut of the Redskins.

Along with Fasano and Egnew, Charles Clay made the final 53. The 2011 6th round pick is actually listed 2nd on their depth chart and will be their “move” tight end. Jeron Mastrud was also kept as the 3rd string tight end, meaning Egnew will be 4th on their depth chart. He’ll be purely developmental this year and won’t see much action. It’s hardly a good start for his career, after he was widely considered a reach in the 3rd round.

Offensive Line

Starters Jake Long (left tackle), Richie Incognito (left guard), Mike Pouncey (center), and Jonathan Martin (right tackle) were locks. At right guard, Artis Hicks was pretty much a lock after winning the starting job by default over the disappointing John Jerry. Jerry, a 2010 3rd round pick who is a poor fit for their scheme and who showed up to Training Camp overweight, was on the roster bubble after losing his starting job to Hicks, an 34 year lineman who struggled as a reserve in Cleveland last year.

However, after Eric Steinbach retired, the Dolphins decided to keep Jerry. He’s one of two reserve guards kept, along with Nate Garner. Garner might be activated on game day over him. The Dolphins traded reserve center Ryan Cook to the Cowboys and made undrafted free agent Josh Samuda their primary backup at center. Their 9th offensive lineman is Will Yeatman, a swing tackle, who won that job over Lydon Murtha. If Long is hurt week 1 and can’t go, Yeatman could start at left tackle or Martin could start at left tackle and Yeatman would play right tackle.

Defensive Line

On the defensive line, starters Cameron Wake, Jared Odrick, Randy Starks, Paul Soliai were all locks, as was 3rd round pick Olivier Vernon, who is expected to play a situational role as a rookie. Tony McDaniel, one of their top remaining reserves from last season, was also kept, as were two rookies, undrafted free agent defensive end Derrick Shelby and 7th round defensive tackle Kheeston Randall. With the team keeping 4 quarterbacks, 4 running backs (5 including fullback), and 4 tight ends on offense, they didn’t have as many spots for defensive players as most teams. Shelby and Randall could be frequent game day inactives as rookies, beating out Ryan Baker and Isaako Aaitui.

Linebackers

Starters Koa Misi, Kevin Burnett, and Karlos Dansby were all locks, as it seemed 5th round rookie Josh Kaddu was. However, Kaddu was cut the day after final cuts to make room for Sammy Brown, an undrafted free agent cut loose by the Rams. Kaddu must have been pretty bad in camp to get cut for an undrafted free agent who wasn’t in camp and who was cut by the team with one of the league’s thinnest linebacking corps. Kaddu could still be added to the practice squad if he clears waivers.

The other two linebackers kept were Jason Trusnik and Austin Spitler, who surprisingly made the roster over veteran Gary Guyton, who played a prominent role with the Patriots over the past few seasons. Perhaps the linebacker needy Patriots will bring him back. Jonathan Freeny and Cameron Collins, two undrafted free agents, were also cut, with Freeny being cut the day after final cuts to open up a spot for cornerback RJ Stanford.

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Cornerbacks

After trading Vontae Davis, the Dolphins became very thin at cornerback. Sean Smith and Richard Marshall could hold down the starting spots just fine, but their depth was pretty much gone. Nolan Carroll, their incumbent 4th string cornerback, was expected to be their nickel cornerback and because of that was pretty much a lock for the roster. Somewhat unsurprisingly, those were the only 3 cornerbacks the Dolphins kept, though it’s not like Vincent Agnew, Kevyn Scott, and Quinten Lawrence were really deserving of the roster. They signed RJ Stanford, who was cut by the Panthers in final cuts, but that leaves them with only 4 cornerbacks and most teams have 5. This could easily be a position where they add a player after trading (or worse case scenario, cutting) a quarterback.

Reshad Jones and Chris Clemons are the starters at safety, both underwhelming starters. The Dolphins didn’t have any good, proven depth though. In fact, their most experienced backup safety was Tyrone Culver, but he was cut. He was pretty bad last season. The Dolphins signed Troy Nolan, who was cut by the Texans, to replace him. He’s a veteran, but he’s unlikely to be much competition for either of the starters. The Dolphins also kept Jimmy Wilson, a 2011 7th round pick.

Specialists

Davone Bess will return punts and Marcus Thigpen, a free agent acquisition this offseason, will return kicks, which is why he was kept as a 4th running back. Rishard Matthews will be the backup punt returner, part of why he made the receiving corps as a 7th round rookie perhaps, while Lamar Miller will be the backup kick returner. Brandon Fields and Dan Carpenter returns as place kicker and punter respectively and will be their only two kickers. John Denney, their long time long snapper, will continue in that role.

Practice Squad

G Chandler Burden

WR Jeff Fuller

WR Chris Hogan

OT Andrew McDonald

CB DeAndre Presley

S Anderson Russell

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New York Jets Final Roster Analysis

stevenlourie Final Roster Analysis, Jets

Quarterbacks

Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow were the obvious locks. Sanchez will begin the season as the starter and Tebow will serve in a more limited kind of swiss army knife role, but Tebow could eventually get the starting job this season. Because of how shaky both looked in the preseason, the Jets kept Greg McElroy as their 3rd string quarterback. McElroy was actually the only one of the 3 to lead a touchdown drive all preseason, but he’ll need both Sanchez and Tebow to try and fail as regular season starters to get a start.

Running backs

The Jets decided to keep only 3 running backs even though they are going run heavy because the Jets like Tebow’s running ability and they, for whatever reason, believe in Shonn Greene as a feature back on a run heavy team. Former 4th round picks Bilal Powell (2011) and Joe McKnight (2010) could push him during the season, but both really struggled last year. Powell won the primary backup job in Training Camp and the preseason and will see action on passing downs.

McKnight will have a limited role on offense, if he has one at all, but he’s the team’s starting kick returner. John Conner returns as the starting fullback. Terrance Ganaway, a hybrid running back/fullback who scored the Jets’ only touchdown this offseason, was waived, though they were unable to put the 6th round rookie on the practice squad because the Rams claimed him.

Receiving Corps

Santonio Holmes, by virtue of his guaranteed salary, and Stephen Hill, by virtue of his status as a 2012 2nd round draft pick, were locks in the receiving corps, as was tight end Dustin Keller, their leading receiver last year. The Jets also kept 2011 5th round pick Jeremy Kerley, who saw some time in the slot last season and Chaz Schilens, an injury prone free agent acquisition. 7th round rookie Jordan White was waived and added to the practice squad, but Patrick Turner, a bust of a 2009 3rd round pick in Miami, made the roster.

Turner saw some action for the Jets last year, but they obviously hope the guys above him on the depth chart on do their jobs so he doesn’t have to see action. The Jets also signed another Dolphins bust, 2011 4th round pick Clyde Gates. Gates was a final cut of the Dolphins with a new regime coming in, obviously not a good sign for his career, but the Jets took a flier on his speed. It’s worth mentioning that offensive coordinator Tony Sparano drafted Gates as Head Coach of the Dolphins last year. He’ll often be a gameday inactive most likely.

Having lost Matthew Mulligan this offseason to the Rams and Josh Baker on IR, 2010 undrafted free agent Jeff Cumberland will be the #2 tight end and serve as primarily a blocker. The Jets also kept Konrad Reuland over Hayden Smith and Dedrick Epps at tight end, making Smith and Epps final cuts and signing Reuland after the 49ers made him a final cut. He’ll likely be a gameday inactive frequently unless he can carve out a role on special teams.

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Offensive Line

Starters D’Brickashaw Ferguson (left tackle), Nick Mangold (center) and Brandon Moore (right guard) were locks, as were Matt Slauson and Jason Smith, whose salaries were fully guaranteed. Slauson will start at left guard, while Smith will be a reserve at right tackle and a swing tackle if he can stay healthy. He could also beat out starter Austin Howard, another roster lock, eventually once the recent acquisition learns the playbook and the timing with the offensive line. Vladimir Ducaase was also a roster lock because of his draft status as a 2010 2nd round pick.

That left 2 or 3 spots open on the line, depending on how many linemen the Jets kept. The Jets kept 9, meaning there were 2 spots left, likely one outside and one inside. Those spots went to Dennis Landholt (left tackle) and Caleb Schlauderaff (center) as they beat out Paul Cornick (added to the practice squad), Matt Kroul, and Fred Koloto. The Jets probably will only have 7 offensive lineman active on gameday so neither Landholt nor Schlauderaff figure to see much action unless either can beat out Ducaase for that 7th spot, not unrealistic seeing as the 2010 2nd round pick bust is in the Jets’ doghouse. He needs a good year to stay on the roster in 2013.

Defensive Line

Starters Mike DeVito, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Sione Pouha were locks, as was Quinton Coples, a 1st round rookie who figures to have a big situational role this year. Kenrick Ellis, a 2011 3rd round pick, was also a lock because of his draft status. The Jets didn’t have a lot of spots open for true defensive lineman as they use a lot of defensive fronts and linebackers like Bryan Thomas, Aaron Maybin, and Calvin Pace could also see time on the defensive line.

In the end, the Jets kept 7 defensive linemen, the 5 mentioned and 2 others. Undrafted free agent Damon Harrison was kept as the 3rd string nose tackle. He can also play defensive tackle when they go a 4-3 or a 46 scheme, but he’ll probably be a frequent gameday inactive as a rookie. The Jets are probably just keeping him to develop him and because they didn’t want to risk another team grabbing the William Penn University prospect, which would have made them unable to put him on their practice squad.

They also signed Isaako Aaitui, a 2011 undrafted free agent who was a final cut of the Dolphins’ this season. They snatched him up, maybe at Tony Sparano’s urging, and cut Marcus Dixon, who played poorly in significant snaps last season. He became pretty useless when the Jets drafted Quinton Coples to play his role and more. The Jets seem to have preferred to try and see what an outsider had over going with a proven failure insider.

Linebackers

The Jets figured to keep a bunch of linebackers with their hybrid scheme and 3 linebackers, Pace, Thomas, and Maybin also likely to see time on the defensive line. Those 3 were locks, as were Bart Scott and David Thomas, starters at middle linebacker, and Demario Davis, a 3rd round rookie. The Jets kept 3 others, giving them 9 linebackers, 16 front 7 players in all.

Nick Bellore and Josh Mauga remained on the team as reserve inside linebackers, beating out undrafted rookie Marcus Dowtin, who was added to the practice squad, as Davis will begin the year as their 5th inside linebacker as a developmental prospect. The other decision that needed to be made for the Jets was veteran Garrett McIntyre or project Ricky Sapp on the outside. McIntye won out and will be their 4th rush linebacker, while 2010 5th round pick Sapp, formerly of the Eagles, was added to the practice squad.

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Secondary

Starting cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie were locks, as was 2010 1st round pick Kyle Wilson, a borderline bust who was expected to be their nickel cornerback. At safety, starters Yeremiah Bell and LaRon Landry were locks, as was top backup Eric Smith, with no other real options. The Jets returned Ellis Lankster and Isaiah Trufant at cornerback, both of whom were on the roster last season. Despite their struggles at safety, the Jets opted to keep just 4 and only one of their rookies at safety. 6th rounder Josh Bush beat out 7th rounder Antonio Allen, who was cut to make room for Clyde Gates. Allen could still be added to the practice squad if he clears waivers.

Specialists

Joe McKnight will serve as the primary kick return man, with Jeremy Kerley as the primary punt return man. Kyle Wilson will also backup up both positions. Nick Foles and TJ Conley return at place kicker and punter respectively and will be their only two kickers. Tanner Purdum will also return as the long snapper.

Practice Squad

OT Paul Cornick

MLB Marcus Dowtin

CB Donnie Fletcher

WR Royce Pollard

RLB Ricky Sapp

TE Hayden Smith

WR Jordan White

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New England Patriots Final Roster Analysis

stevenlourie Final Roster Analysis, Patriots

Quarterbacks

Tom Brady was the obvious lock, but Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer were battling throughout the preseason for the primary backup job. Neither fared particularly well as Mallett completed just 49.3% of his passes for 4.5 YPA, 3 touchdowns, and an interception, while Brian Hoyer completed just 46.8% for 4.2 YPA, 1 touchdown, and an interception. Rather than keeping both, as they did last year, the Patriots went back to a roster with just two quarterbacks and made a somewhat surprising cut of Brian Hoyer.

Hoyer, frequently regarded as one of the better backups in the league before this offseason, was popularly thrown into trade talks with quarterback needy teams by members of the media, but it appears that the media was overrated him. He generated no interest in trade talks and, heading into a contract year owed 1.927 million, he was seen as too expensive for a backup by the Patriots. It’s definitely possible that Mallett won this battle because of his draft status (3rd round pick in 2011), age (24 vs. 27), contract length (3 years instead of 1) and salary (Mallett is owed just $509,000 this season).

Hoyer will catch on somewhere either as a primary or a 3rd quarterback and while Belichick is saying that Mallett earned the backup job, he shouldn’t feel confident if Mallett has to see extended playing time in the absence of Brady this season, based on the 2nd year player’s shaky preseason. Julian Edelman, the team’s swiss army knife, will serve as the team’s emergency 3rd quarterback. Edelman, a wide receiver and return man, was a collegiate quarterback and also saw snaps at defensive back last season.

Running backs

Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, and Danny Woodhead were all safe. Ridley and Vereen were 3rd and 2nd round picks respectively last season, though their current standing on the depth chart does not reflect their draft status, while Woodhead will continue to serve in a specialized 3rd down role and contribute on special teams as a return man. The only question here was whether or not the Patriots would keep 4 backs or 3 and the answer was 4 as undrafted free agent Brandon Bolden won a roster spot with strong play on special teams in Training Camp and the preseason.

The Patriots did not cut a single running back, but they did put Jeff Demps on IR with a leg “injury.” It’s very likely that the Patriots just did this so they wouldn’t have to cut him and so they could keep him around for 2013. The undrafted free agent signed very late in the offseason after competing in the Olympics so he doesn’t know the system well, but his athletic gifts were too good for the Patriots to let go.

One thing that does stand out is that the Patriots did not keep a single fullback. Eric Kettani, a 2009 undrafted free agent who spent the last 3 years in the Navy, was the only fullback on the 75 man roster and he was cut as part of final cuts. Bolden, a bigger back at 220 pounds, could play some fullback, as could Aaron Hernandez, who had success late last season as a ball carrier and spent time after practice taking carries from Tom Brady during Training Camp. Hernandez will also see action at wide receiver, in addition to tight end and full back. The Patriots’ depth at tight end (4), makes up for their lack of a true fullback.

Offensive Line

Perhaps the most surprising cut by the Patriots was their release of Dan Koppen. Koppen, their long time starting center, missed all of last season with injury, but had been working as the team’s 1st team center throughout most of the preseason, with Dan Connolly, the incumbent, working at right guard in place of the still MIA Brian Waters. However, it appears that Koppen has been beaten out by Ryan Wendell, who has played very well in limited action over the last 2 seasons. Still, he’s inexperienced and it’s unknown how undrafted free agent would handle full season as a starter.

Dan Koppen’s salary was reasonable for a backup at $850,000, but the Patriots opted to cut him anyway and replace him with Matt Tennant, waived by the Saints as part of final cuts. Tennant is a 2010 4th round pick and will serve as Wendell’s primary backup unless Brian Waters reports and moves Dan Connolly to center.

The Patriots are obviously hoping that Brian Waters reports sometime between now and Wednesday, their first full regular season practice. Not only would they be getting back a deserving 2011 Pro Bowler, but that would allow Connolly to move to center if they wanted him to. Connolly wasn’t great last season, but he obviously has the experience edge. Waters is currently contemplating retirement. The Patriots have left a roster spot open for him. If he doesn’t, center and right guard are major problem areas for the Patriots.

Left guard is more secure with Logan Mankins continuing to start there. Donald Thomas will be his primary backup as Nick McDonald is on the right side. At offensive tackle, the Patriots will start Nate Solder on the left side and Sebastian Vollmer on the right side and Marcus Cannon, a 2011 5th round pick who is healthy following a cancer scare last season, will serve as the swing tackle. The Patriots kept 9 offensive linemen in all.

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Receiving Corps

Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd were the obvious locks, but the Patriots cut just about every other veteran wide receiver with Chad Ochocinco and Anthony Gonzalez getting cut before Training Camp, Donte Stallworth getting cut before final cuts and both Jabar Gaffney and Deion Branch getting cut at final cuts. Gaffney got a signing bonus of $250,000 when he signed earlier this offseason and has familiarity with both Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels, playing for the Patriots from 2006-2008 and the Broncos from 2009-2010.

However, an injury led to his release. He was expressed interest in returning when he’s healthy and his salary will not be fully guaranteed. The soon to be 32 year old was Washington’s leading receiver last year and would probably find work somewhere if the Patriots were not interested in bringing him back. As for Deion Branch, he is heading into his age 33 season and looked to be close to done down the stretch last season. Never a great athlete, Branch’s best attribute was his route running and timing with Tom Brady. If the Patriots, who he was most valuable to, cut him despite a veteran’s minimum salary, he won’t get a lot of looks around the league and may have to retire.

In place of the veteran receivers, the Patriots kept Julian Edelman and Matt Slater, two young receivers, age 26 and 27 respectively, who play special teams and also played on defense last season. Jesse Holley, another young receiver, was let go. The Patriots also traded a 2015 conditional late round pick to the Rams for Greg Salas, who was drafted in the 4th round just last year when Josh McDaniels was with the Rams as offensive coordinator. He’s got some nice upside, but will start the season as the 5th receiver.

At tight end, the Patriots kept 4 which is rare. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez were obvious, but it was believed that Daniel Fells and Visanthe Shiancoe were competing for one spot and that Fells would win because Shiancoe was hurt. However, they kept both and now not only have the most talented top-2 tight ends in the league, but the deepest tight end position. Their depth at tight end will help counteract their lack of depth at fullback and, to a lesser extent, at wide receiver. It’s also possible that the Patriots will cut Fells when Shiancoe is healthy and used the added roster spot elsewhere. They could also do that if Brian Waters does not report.

Defensive Line

On the defensive line, Chandler Jones and Jake Bequette were locks because of their draft status, 1st and 3rd round rookies respectively. Vince Wilfork was a lock for obviously reasons, while the Patriots were very impressed with the progress of Rob Ninkovich converting from linebacker to defensive end. He’ll start opposite Jones. Kyle Love will start opposite Wilfork so he was a lock. Everything else was kind of an unknown here. Brandon Deaderick, an inside/outside guy, looked like he’d probably stay on the roster, as would Trevor Scott, a situational pass rusher that the team likes. Deaderick will serve as the #3 defensive tackle as Scott will be the #3 defensive end ahead of Bequette.

The big question marks were undrafted free agents Marcus Forston and Justin Francis and former 2nd round pick busts Ron Brace (2009) and Jermaine Cunningham (2010). As it turns out, all 4 of them made the final roster as the Patriots will keep 11 defensive lineman. Cunningham and Brace are actually listed as the 4th string defensive end and defensive tackle respectively, so they must have had good Training Camps as both looked like they would not make the roster. Forston and Francis will probably be gameday inactives for most of the season, but the Patriots did not want to cut them and risk someone else picking them up before the Patriots could put them on the practice squad. Bequette, the Patriots’ #5 defensive end, could also be a frequent gameday inactive as a rookie.

Linebackers

While the Patriots kept 11 defensive linemen, they actually only kept 5 linebackers. If Waters does not report or they cut Fells after Shiancoe returns, adding another linebacker would likely be what they do with the open roster spot. Bobby Carpenter was the notable cut here. A former 1st round pick bust of the Dallas Cowboys, Carpenter opened the offseason as the Patriots’ 1st string linebacker. He was pretty quickly beaten out by 1st round rookie Dont’a Hightower, but he was expected to sting around as a reserve. He did not. The Patriots also had to put Dane Fletcher on IR earlier this month with a knee injury. Clearly Niko Koutouvides and Jeff Tarpinian were not good enough because neither of them made the roster despite their lack of depth, though Tarpinian was added to the special squad and could be called up if a roster spot opens up. He saw a little bit of action for them last season when injuries hit.

Hightower, Jerod Mayo, and Brandon Spikes will start for the Patriots at linebacker. Spikes will likely come off the field on passing downs. Hightower also has struggles in coverage, which is why many thought he could move to the defensive line and rush the passer on passing downs, as he did in college. However, without Carpenter and Fletcher, the Patriots don’t have the depth for that kind of move to make sense and it’s not like they need another defensive lineman. Hightower will have to drop into coverage more than maybe he’s comfortable with. Spikes and Mayo also had injury problems last year, so their lack of depth here is concerning. Tracy White and Mike Rivera are the two reserves, listed at outside linebacker and middle linebacker respectively.

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Defensive Backs

Starters Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington were locks at cornerback, as was 2011 2nd round pick Ras-I Dowling, while starter Patrick Chung and 2012 2nd round pick Tavon Wilson were locks at safety. Dowling, who missed most of last season with injury, which he also did his senior year at Virginia in 2010, finally seems to be healthy and will be the nickel back. Tavon Wilson will serve as the backup behind veteran Steve Gregory at safety. Gregory, a free agent acquisition who really struggled last season in San Diego, won that job over incumbent James Ihedigbo.

Ihedigbo didn’t play much better last season and was deemed expendable, even at the veteran’s minimum salary, because of the play of 6th round pick Nate Ebner in the preseason and Training Camp. Ebner won’t see much action at safety this season as the 4th safety, but the special teams and rugby star at Ohio State will contribute heavily on special teams and has upside for the future because of his athleticism. Wilson will begin the season as the 3rd safety and step into the starting lineup if Gregory struggles or Chung gets hurt, both of which have pretty strong probabilities.

At cornerback, Sterling Moore, Alfonzo Dennard, and Marquice Cole all made the playoff roster as the Patriots made the surprising decision to keep 6 cornerbacks. This might have been so they move a cornerback to safety if they need to. They could also cut another cornerback soon to make room for another linebacker, which they need more. Cole would be the most likely to go in that situation. Moore was their postseason hero last year after injuries struck, while Alfonzo Dennard was a 7th round rookie who only fell because of legal troubles.

Specialists

Zoltan Mesko and Sebastian Janikowski will return as the starting punter and place kicker respectively, which is not a surprise. Those are their only two kickers. Danny Aiken will return as the long snapper. Julian Edelman will return punts and be the backup kick returner behind Danny Woodhead. Wes Welker will serve as the 2nd string punt returner and only really come in when they need someone more sure handed for fair catches.

Practice Squad

G Austin Thomas

FB Eric Kettani

WR Sam Kirkland

OT Matt Kopa

TE Alex Silvestro

OLB Jeff Tarpinian

CB Malcolm Williams

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