New England Patriots 2018 roster breakdown: #74 OG Cole Croston The New England Patriots currently have 89 players on their active
roster. However
Womens Customized New England Patriots Jerseys , only 53 of them will be able to survive the cutdowns on September 1 and ultimately make the team. Over
the course of the offseason, we take a look at the players fighting for those
spots to find out who has the best chances of helping the Patriots recapture the
Vince Lombardi Trophy.Today, the series continues with one of New England’s
offensive linemen.Name: Cole CrostonPosition: Guard / Offensive tackleJersey
number: 74Opening day age: 24Experience: 1Size: 6’5, 310 lbs.2017 review: Coming
off an inconsistent senior year that was dominated by injuries, Cole Croston
went unselected during the 2017 draft. However, it did not long for the Iowa
product to find a home in the NFL as the Patriots signed him to a free agent
contract shortly afterwards. And while he entered New England as a long shot to
make the team, Croston quickly established himself as a player to keep an eye
on.Following a solid training camp, the rookie saw plenty of snaps during
preseason: playing at both guard and offensive tackle, Croston was on the field
for 78.0% of New England’s offensive snaps (223 of 286). He appeared to be back
at full strength while adapting well to life in the pros. And even though he
played primarily against second and third string defenders, Croston did enough
to earn a roster spot.The versatile offensive lineman spent all of 2017 on the
Patriots’ 53-man squad. And even though he saw only limited action – Croston was
active for three games and played a combined eight offensive snaps –, he was
still able keep his roster spot. Furthermore, he also earned practice player of
the week honors twice. All in all, his rookie campaign can therefore be seen as
a successful one.2018 preview: Up until yesterday, Croston was probably on the
outside looking in when it came to roster spot. After all
www.patriotsauthorizedshop.com , he had a rather quiet training camp while the team used equally versatile and
higher-upside first-round rookie Isaiah Wynn as a primary backup option along
the offensive line. With Wynn tearing his Achilles, however, Croston may have
just received a push up the Patriots’ depth chart – and potentially onto the
53-man roster.In order to make the team for a second straight year, however, the
second-year man needs to get back onto the field soon: Croston did not play a
single snap during Thursday’s preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles,
despite no reported injury slowing him down. If the 24-year old does not return
to the lineup quickly with Wynn out, his tenure on New England’s active squad
might soon come to an end.Unless he is indeed dealing with some undisclosed
injury, though, it would be a surprise if Croston did not receive another shot
with Wynn out for the year and starting right tackle Marcus Cannon fighting his
way back from injury. Whether it comes in the form of a roster or practice squad
spot remains to be seen. But as things stand today, the chances of Croston
remaining on New England’s pay roll in some capacity appear to be solid.Patriots
surprise nobody, work out former Jets, Bills wide receiver Jeremy Kerley Despite
consisting of two former first-round draft picks and an established veteran, the
New England Patriots’ wide receiver group has disappointed over the first three
games of the season. Overall, the group caught just 24 passes for 230 yards and
three touchdowns. For comparison
New England Patriots Womens T-Shirt , ex-Patriots Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola combined for 30 receptions worth 436 yards (but no scores).The issues
go beyond the stat sheet, though: the group struggled to consistently gain
separation against man-coverage, which in turn allowed pass defenses to focus on
stopping tight end Rob Gronkowski – the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions
have succeeded by taking this approach. Safe to say, therefore, that the
Patriots need help when it comes to their receiving corps.Some of the problems
should get at least partially fixed once Julian Edelman returns from suspension
and Josh Gordon gets integrated into the mix. However, neither should be counted
on to single-handedly turn around New England’s offensive fortunes. As a result,
it would not be a surprise if the team opted to add more talent at one point in
the future.Enter Jeremy Kerley. According to a report by NFL Network’s Ian
Rapoport, the Patriots brought the veteran in for a free agency workout
yesterday. And while no follow-up move was announced, the workout is still a
noteworthy one. After all, New England has a long history with Kerley, having
played against him a combined eleven times. And there is no team against which
the former New York Jets fifth-round draft pick was as successful as he was
against the Patriots.Over the course of his seven-year career, the TCU product
caught 39 passes when playing the team, for 588 yards and four touchdowns. He
also added 15 punt returns for 98 yards as well as four kickoff runbacks for an
additional 24 yards. In short: New England saw plenty of Kerley throughout the
years, but has not always been able to stop it. Quarterback play
New England Patriots Hats , on the other hand, oftentimes has – at least during his first stint with the Jets.Since getting released by the team during the 2016
offseason, the 29-year old’s career has taken a bad turn: he spent time with
four different teams (one of which the Jets again) and failed to carve out a
role no matter the squad he was on. To make matters even worse, he also was
suspended for four games last season because of a violation against the NFL’s
performance enhancing drugs policy.Before his disastrous last two seasons,
however, Kerley showed plenty of promise as a pass catcher. Playing
predominately from the slot, the 5’9, 190 lbs wideout regularly displayed crisp
route running and fluid hip movement. Furthermore, was able to quickly beat
coverage and get open, something that New England’s current corps of wide
receivers are struggling with so far in 2018.With financial ramifications likely
minimal, Kerley could therefore be a potentially intriguing addition to the
team. As things stand right now, however, it would not be a surprise if New
England opted to wait for how the aforementioned Edelman and Gordon will
(re-)integrate themselves into the team’s offense before making another
transaction at a position that has plenty of bodies as is – even though they
have not yet lived up to their offseason performances.
