The Patriots’ preseason schedule is concluded, with the team’s next game slated for the Sept. 10 season opener against the Eagles at Gillette Stadium.
But there’s still a lot of work to be done in Foxborough, with Bill Belichick and his staff already in the process of reducing New England’s roster to 53 players for the regular season.
Here’s our latest roster stock watch following last week’s sessions and preseason finale versus the Titans, as the Patriots’ player-personnel team begins to whittle down the roster.
WR Kayshon Boutte, STOCK UP
Given that he scarcely played against the Titans on Friday, it may be strange to label Boutte as a “rising” stock.
However, given his status as a roster-bubble player for the majority of the preseason, those restricted reps in New England’s last preseason game could indicate that the former LSU wideout has shown enough to Belichick and Co. to justify a roster position.
Boutte has made the most of the reps given to him after a slow start in minicamp and the start of training camp, evolving into a dependable possession receiver with some explosiveness.
On Aug. 19, the former five-star receiver wowed during New England’s preseason practice against the Packers, turning a seemingly innocuous inside slant into a 42-yard score after hitting the gas against Green Bay’s defenders.
He then went on to catch nine passes on nine targets at New England’s workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday, including two red-zone scores off Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe throws.
When questioned about Boutte’s performance throughout camp on Saturday morning, Belichick was favorable.
“As camp progressed, he seemed to get stronger and more productive in practice and games,” Belichick said. “Really in all of the areas that he worked on, which was very encouraging.” When he played, he had an explosive ability.
“He had a good camp.” We’ll look at everything as we put things together here over the weekend and head into the regular season, but Kayshon has had a good camp.”
Calvin Munson, LB
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On Friday night, no player aided Munson’s cause for a spot on the 53-man roster more than he did.
Even though Munson is expected to be a special-teams contributor once the regular season begins, the 28-year-old linebacker was given a lot of reps at the position during the preseason finale.
He made the most of his opportunity, tallying 10 tackles (including a four-yard sack) and intercepting Titans QB Malik Willis.
Munson has a shot to overtake Mack Wilson on the 53-man roster after laboring against the run during his limited preseason drills at linebacker.
Munson, who was already a quality special teams coverage option, demonstrated that he can provide some crucial depth at a linebacker position that gets quite thin behind Ja’Whaun Bentley.
Ronnie Perkins, LB
Perkins’ potential as a pass-rushing asset in the NFL ranks has never been in doubt after being drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma.
However, the 23-year-old linebacker’s ability to stay on the field has been his greatest challenge as he enters his third season in Foxborough.
Perkins was able to earn consistent reps versus Tennessee on Friday after missing extra chunks of this summer’s camp and preseason games due to an unexplained injury.
Throughout the night, he was a force, registering a quarterback hit and collecting four hurries and three stops in New England’s loss. He’ll also be included in New England’s film review after puking shortly before a defensive snap and then making a tackle seconds later.