Ruins of Pompeii.

[Soapy]

[Baze]

#thereturn?!

[Soapy]

#thereturn?!

ya motivated me

[Baze]

let's go boss!

[Soapy]

The Patriots wrap up training camp this week before traveling to Seattle for the preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks. It's been a heavy workweek for many of the Patriots veterans, as well as starting quarterback Drake Maye, which could indicate that many of the Patriots regulars might sit out in the finale.

With that being said, expect to see some extensive work on Thursday for a lot of the young guys and veterans that are competing for a major role within the team for the upcoming season as they get ready to kick off the season against the Denver Broncos in two weeks. Here are five questions for the Patriots in the final test ahead of roster cuts.

How comfortable is the coaching staff with the situation at quarterback?
The Patriots were rumored to have been sniffing around the backup quarterback trade market, as early as two weeks ago, and those rumors have only gotten steam with the Patriots working out Derek Carr over the weekend prior to the Houston game. Carr remains a free agent and the Patriots haven't made a move at the position but its clear now that uneasiness would be fair to describe how the coaching staff might feel about the room should Maye not be available.

Joe Milton III has played a lot of football this preseason, some of it good, most of it erratic at best. He showed good composure to bounce back from the pick-six against Houston but in four drives, he only led one touchdown drive.

Michael Pratt showed something last week with the game-winning touchdown drive but was mostly bailed out and aided by receiver Xavier Restrepo, who is top ten in the AFC this preseason in receiving yards.

While Milton's roster spot is generally safe, the big question is if the Patriots will carry three quarterbacks instead of the customary two and if they do, is that third quarterback currently on the roster? The fate of Pratt, and to some extent Milton, likely rests on what the quarterback market looks like once teams go through those initial round of cuts.

The aftermath of Antonio Gibson and Oscar Delp's injury
As previously reported, it doesn't appear that either running back Antonio Gibson or tight end Oscar Delp is headed to IR after suffering injuries that will sideline them for multiple weeks. It's a positive sign that the team also hasn't signed any new players to the roster, although that could very well change once the dominoes start falling from other team's moves.

Initially after the injury, Gavin Sawchuk saw a healthy amount of carries against Houston and was mostly ineffective, averaging 3.3 yards per carry and has yet to showcase the blazing speed that got him drafted. Kyle Monangai didn't fare that much better, averaging 4.1 yards per carry on the ground but did have a 28-yard scamper and has proven production dating back to last season where he rushed for 440 yards on 5.1 yards per carry.

Prior to Gibson's injury, it was unlikely that both Monangai and Sawchuk made the team. They're not safe just yet as at some point, Gibson will be healthy and be back into the rotation with Rhamondre Stevenson and Derrick Henry. Until then, Monangai and Sawchuk need to make a solid impression against Seattle to earn a roster spot not only past this week but beyond Gibson's return.

At tight end, Nyck Harbor seamlessly slides into Delp's role as the team's flex tight end as the Patriots don't utilize Delp in much of a blocking role as it stands. They've tried for a while now to get Delp going as the potential full-time starter over Hunter Henry but that has never worked or stuck with Henry eventually returning to his starter level reps by the end of last year. While Delp is out, Harbor should get plenty of burn with the first team which opens up the backup reps to Jaheim Bell and Orondo Gadsden II who have an outside shot at one of them making the roster now with Delp's injury

Who is the team's starting left guard?
Neither Layden Robinson or Sidy Sow have set the world on fire with their performance in training camp or in the game with the slight edge going to Robinson as he is typically going up against the other team's starting defensive line.

Sow has one year left on his contract while Robinson has two, which could incentivize the Patriots to stick with Robinson, hope he figures it out and have a cap-controlled starting level guard for the next two seasons as opposed to starting Sow, who if he does play well, they'll have to pay him as such.

This is too much of an important season for cost saving measures to take precedence over performance so both players remain in play to be the starter and while for Robinson a roster spot is guaranteed either way, the same can't be said for Sow.

Can the young safeties make enough noise in the finale to shake up the room?
As far as the first team defense has been concerned, which can best be defined and identified as when Christian Gonzalez is on the field, its almost exclusively been Jonathan Jones at free safety with Jabril Peppers at strong safety with an occasional third safety in Marte Mapu in the box.

We haven't seen much of rookies Peyton Bowen and/or Kamari Ramsey on the field when the rest of the starters are there, perhaps an indication that despite the positive vibe throughout the spring and summer about the two rookies.

Jones and Peppers are older players that will likely see limited, if any, action in the finale which is the perfect setting for either of the rookies to make one final push to crack the rotation as they head into the season.

Who are the potential surprise cuts/trades?
Early in the Jerod Mayo era, there haven't been many cut day surprises like there was with his predecessor Bill Belichick. From a salary cap standpoint, the player that made the most sense prior to his injury as Antonio Gibson, who the team could save $3.5 million by cutting if they wanted to perhaps bring in an experienced quarterback. Gibson's injury complicate things and his production in the last two seasons, averaging over 45 yards per game, makes it hard to move on, even with the addition of Derrick Henry. Sidy Sowe, an experienced starter, is another name to watch.

A sneaky one is receiver Javon Baker, who caught the game winning touchdown last week and had six touchdowns last year. Baker has played a lot of snaps this preseason but hasn't gotten the ball, partly due to the quarterback situation when Maye is not on the field. He likely still makes the roster but guys like Jayden Gibson and Tobias Merriweather could be one big game this Thursday away from making a solid case to make the squad as they bring some size to a room that doesn't have much of it.

Defensively, Jahlani Tavai is an interesting one at linebacker. His versatility is a key piece to New England's defense but they've improved the roster at linebacker the past two seasons, adding Tyrel Dodson last offseason and this past offseason, they signed Lavonte David. Marte Mapu plays a lot of snaps at linebacker as well in sub packages so where exactly does Tavai fit in the Patriots' plans as he's likely their fourth option behind David, Dodson and Mapu on passing downs? Is he valuable enough against the run to take snaps at outside linebacker ahead of Chase Young, who they might want to ramp up more in his second season with the team after being primarily a pass-rushing specialist?

[Soapy]

The New England Patriots' flexed their depth in the preseason finale, sitting most of their starters and even some backups in the 35-7 rout of the Seattle Seahawks on the road despite the Seahawks playing most of their starters through the second half.

Joe Milton III got the start at quarterback, completing all four passes including a touchdown to Javon Baker before leaving the game with a lower body injury. He was replaced by Michael Pratt who, aside from an ill advised throw that resulted in an interception, was nearly flawless, completing 11 of 16 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown along with the aforementioned interception, most of it against Seattle's starting defense.

It was an all around impressive performance from the Patriots as they closed out the preseason undefeated and with a big time statement.

A few roster spots were earned on Thursday night
Wide receiver Javon Baker had himself quite the stretch in the first quarter, catching a 13-yard curl route before getting behind the defense for a 38-yard grab that would have been a touchdown with a better throw from Milton. On the very next play, Milton went back to Baker for the touchdown, ending his night on a high note and likely securing a roster spot for the third-year receiver who caught six touchdown passes last year but had been quiet in the preseason.

EDGE DeAngelo Malone had himself a day with three tackles for loss and two sacks, leading the team with six tackles. Far from a pass rushing technician, Malone's effort is what stands out as well as his physicality. He played most of the game against Seattle's starters and got the best of them, including wrangling the elusive Jalen Milroe a few times.

Sidy Sow and Layden Robinson pave the way for an impressive rushing performance
A lot will be made of Gavin Sawchuk's 102-yard performance, and a lot of it deservingly so after Sawchuk came under scrutiny for his poor performance against Houston following Antonio Gibson's injury. Sawchuk could very well be a key piece of the offense until Gibson as a change of pace running back behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Derrick Henry.

The unsung heroes of New England's rushing attack were Sidy Sow and Layden Robinson, who have been competing for the starting left guard spot all camp. With typical starter Michael Onwenu sitting out, Sow got the start at right guard with Robinson starting at left guard and New England ran the ball up the middle all game long to the tune of 252 yards on 34 carries.

What was even more impressive is that typical backup center Jake Andrews was out with an ankle sprain he suffered in practice so Dylan McMahon got the start and the Patriots were still effective, a huge testament to Sow and Robinson who saved their best performance of the preseason for last.

What to make of the workload of several veterans
Not every veteran got an off day with some of them playing and playing extensively, including linebacker Tyler Dotson. Dotson came to New England from Seattle so it very well could be just that as once the Seahawks rested their starters, Dotson came out of the game.

The same can't be said for linebacker Jahlani Tavai who practically played the entire game. What's even more concerning for Tavai is that he wasn't nearly as impactful as Malone or even Curtis Jacobs, who had similar snap counts.

Benjamin St-Juste remained in the game until D.K. Metcalf's day was done, the same with Daylen Everette. Both players took turns covering Metcalf to great success, limiting the star receiver to two catches for 8 yards. Defensively as a whole, it was a shutout performance outside of a play where the two rookie safeties, Peyton Bowen and Kamari Ramsey, had some mental errors with Bowen taking a bad angle and Ramsey falling for a misdirection motion by the tight end, resulting in a 61-yard run from Kenneth Walker III to set up Seattle's only touchdown of the day.

Injury News
Milton and Jake Andrews' injury both appear to be minor ones with the coaching staff indicating after the game that they'll both be available for the opener with the unspoken caveat of if they make the roster. The Pats could choose to IR-stash Andrews, freeing up a roster spot should the numbers become tight but the general consensus seems to be that if it was a regular season game and they needed him out there, he would have played.

Caden Wallace left the game with an injury that could be serious as Jerod Mayo opted to not discuss his injury status, a sign that it could be a long term injury. At this point in his career, Wallace might not be worth taking up a roster spot if he's not available so the IR is a likely option for him.

[Baze]

need some kind of roster update broski.

How's Derrick Henry doing at this age now?

[Soapy]

need some kind of roster update broski.

How's Derrick Henry doing at this age now?

going to do one after final cuts. he's still solid, just lacks change of direction and top end speed

[Captain Canada]

My boy just bringing chises back out of nowhere we back tho

[Soapy]

After making 25 moves over Monday and Tuesday, the New England Patriots have their initial 53-man roster for the 2026 season.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the trade of Jahlani Tavai to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had been a key component of New England's defense since being acquired in 2022. Tavai was traded to the Buccaneers in exchange for a second round pick in the upcoming draft, netting the Patriots now six picks in the first three rounds. In the offseason, the Patriots had signed linebacker Lavonte Davis in free agency, ironically formerly of the Buccaneers, which projected to lessen Tavai's role on the defense.

The Patriots signed defensive end Leonard Williams, who had been released by the Pittsburgh Steelers over the weekend. In the past two years with the Steelers, the former first round pick had recorded at least five sacks in each season with thirteen tackles for loss in that same stretch. They also signed free agent quarterback Taylen Green to their practice squad.

At receiver, Tobias Merriweather made the roster as an undrafted free agent after showing some flashes in the preseason finale, catching two passes for 25 yards. Merriweather made the cut over Kayshon Boutte who has been on the Patriots practice squad for the past three seasons. Other notable cuts include quarterback Michael Pratt and linebacker Curtis Jacobs.

Quarterback
Starter: Drake Maye
Backups: Joe Milton III
Practice Squad: Taylen Green
Cuts: Michael Pratt

Running back/fullback
Starters: Rhamondre Stevenson, FB Reggie Gilliam
Backups: Antonio Gibson, Derrick Henry, Gavin Sawchuk, Kyle Monangai
Practice Squad: Ja'Quinden Jackson
Cuts: None

Wide Receiver
Starters: Christian Watson, Demario Douglas, Barion Brown
Backups: Javon Baker, Xavier Restrepo, Tobias Merriweather
Practice Squad: Jayden Gibson
Cuts: Kayshon Boutte

Tight End
Starter: Hunter Henry
Backups: Oscar Delp, Nyck Harbor, Oronde Gadsden II
Practice Squad: Jaheim Bell
Cuts: None

Offensive Tackles
Starters: Will Campbell, Taylor Moton
Backup: Caedan Wallace, Ryan Van Demark
Practice Squad: Markel Bell, Ty Buchanan
Cuts: None

Guards
Starters: Michael Onwenu, Layden Robinson
Backups: Sidy Sow
Practice Squad: Marcus Tate, Donovan Jennings
Cuts: None

Center
Starter: Drew Dalman
Backup: Jake Andrews
Practice Squad: Dylan McMahon
Cuts: None

EDGE
Starters: Chase Young, Josh Uche
Backup: DeAngelo Malone, Amare Barno
Practice Squad: Gabe Jacas
Cuts: Mikail Kamara, Tyreek Sapp

They all make the roster, including Jamie Sheriff and Eric Watts who made some splash plays. The focus, once the season starts, will be in Chase Young and Josh Uche who signed big deals to come to New England in Young's case and a third extension for Uche who many feel was undeserving of a big extension.

Interior Defensive Line
Starters: Christian Barmore, NT Travis Jones, Keion White
Backups: Jarran Reed, Leonard Williams, Payton Turner, NT Raymond Vohasek
Practice Squad: NT Nazir Stackhouse
Cuts: NT Albert Gertis

Linebacker
Starters: Lavonte David, Tyrel Dodson
Backups: Curtis Jacobs, Kaleb Elarms-Orr
Practice Squad: Bryce Steele
Cuts: None

Cornerback
Starters: Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, Daylen Everett
Backups: Benjamin St-Juste
Practice Squad:
Cuts: Marcellas Dial, Myles Garden

Safety
Starters: Jabril Peppers, Jonathan Jones
Backups: Marte Mapu, Peyton Bowen, Kamari Ramsey
Practice Squad: None
Cuts: Jaylin Hawkins, Sheldrick Redwine, Lewis Cine

Specialist
Starters: K Andres Borregales, P Logan Cooke, LS Joe Cardona