The New England Patriots have their first official 53-man roster of the Mike Vrabel era. The Pats said farewell to 21 players Tuesday on the NFL's cutdown day, while a few surprises are sticking around and getting another chance.
It should come as no surprise that preseason star Efton Chism III made the roster. It's a little less of a surprise that Javon Baker made it, considering he now has a role on special teams.
What is surprising is the Patriots are keeping eight receivers to start the season. But chances are this is not the same team the Patriots will bring into their Week 1 matchup with the Raiders on Sept. 7, with a lot of waiver claims and potential trades coming in the next week.
But here's a look at New England's initial 53-man roster for the 2025 NFL season. Rookies have an asterisk after their names, and there are a bunch of them.
Quarterbacks (2): Drake Maye, Joshua Dobbs
The Patriots are Drake Maye's team, and "The Passtronaut" will back him up. Expect the Patriots to add another QB to the mix ahead of Week 1, whether on the roster or the practice squad.
Running Backs (3): Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson*, Antonio Gibson
The Patriots cut both JaMychal Hasty and Terrell Jennings on Tuesday, and will roll with three running backs to start the 2025 season. Stevenson will be the bell cow to start, but expect the rookie Henderson to get plenty of looks -- and make a lot of eclectic plays -- out of the backfield.
Wide Receivers (8): Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams*, Efton Chism III*, Javon Baker, Kendrick Bourne
The Patriots are surprisingly going with eight receivers on their 53-man roster, with Kendrick Bourne the biggest surprise of the bunch. Even more so than Baker making the team, considering Baker can now play gunner on special teams.
Many assumed Bourne would land on IR to start the year, but he's in the mix despite barely practicing due to foot injury he suffered at the beginning of the month.
If the Patriots trade anyone off the current roster -- or have to release someone to pick up another player -- it will likely be a receiver.
Tight Ends (3): Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jack Westover
Henry and Hooper were both solid last season, and will look to be safety nets for Maye again in 2025.
Offensive Linemen (9): Marcus Bryant*, Will Campbell*, Morgan Moses, Vederian Lowe, Garrett Bradbury, Ben Brown, Mike Onwenu, Jared Wilson*, Caedan Wallace
The Patriots haven't announced a starting offensive line yet, but rookies Campbell and Wilson will likely be a part of it.
Defensive Linemen (5): Christian Barmore, Joshua Farmer*, Jeremiah Pharms Jr., Khyiris Tonga, Milton Williams
Barmore and Williams -- the highest-paid Patriots player ever -- will anchor this group and the defense as a whole.
Edge (5): K'Lavon Chaisson, Anfernee Jennings, Harold Landry III, Elijah Ponder*, Keion White
This is the group that will look to make quarterbacks miserable, after the Patriots ranked dead last in the NFL in sacks in 2024. Jennings makes the team after a lot of speculation he could be traded or cut this summer.
Linebackers (4): Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens, Marte Mapu, Robert Spillane
The linebacking corps is a little thin, but should rack up a lot of tackles in 2025. Mapu remains on the team after spending much of the summer on the bubble.
Cornerbacks (5): Alex Austin, Carlton Davis III, Christian Gonzalez, D.J. James, Marcus Jones
Gonzo and Davis will lead the charge in the secondary, though both have dealt with injuries (or load management) during the summer so New England's corner depth could be tested throughout the season.
Safeties (5): Kyle Dugger, Jaylinn Hawkins, Jabrill Peppers, Dell Pettus, Craig Woodson*
After a lot of speculation and trade rumors surrounding Dugger, the veteran safety remained with the team through cutdown day. His big contract was likely a hurdle in trade talks, but the Patriots also aren't very deep at safety heading into the season.
Woodson, who was drafted in the fourth round out of California, is expected to play an important role on special teams too.
Special Teams (4): Julian Ashby* (LS), Bryce Baringer (P), Andres Borregales* (K), Brenden Schooler
Rookie Andy Borregales had some struggles with consistency during the preseason, but he beat out veteran Parker Romo for New England's starting kicker job.
Injured Reserve: Ja'Lynn Polk (WR) and Jahlani Tavai (LB)
Tavai was designated to return, and will have to miss a minimum of four games to start the 2025 season. Polk did not receive that designation, and is done for the 2025 season.
Up next: The Waiver Wire
The Patriots and every other team will now scour the waiver wire, and have until noon on Wednesday to put in a claims. The waiver wire order is the same as the 2025 NFL Draft, so the Patriots are No. 4 in the order.
If New England or any team lands a player off waivers, the player has to be added to the 53-man roster.
Up next: Build out the practice squad
Once the waiver period is over, teams will begin to build out their 16-man practice squad on Wednesday.
