In the lead-up to 2021 training camp, we're inspecting the Patriots roster position by position. Today, an examination of the safeties.
BUBBLE: Adrian Colbert
IN THE MIX: Joshuah Bledsoe (rookie)
ANALYSIS
One of the unquestioned leaders of the team, let alone the secondary, McCourty is going nowhere… except eventually into the Patriots Hall of Fame. It will be interesting to see how much he'll be aided back there in the secondary by a pair of teammates in their second seasons with the Patriots – veteran Adrian Phillips and "sophomore" Kyle Dugger. Both men, while possessing somewhat different skill sets, are very aggressive, potential playmakers. Coupled with McCourty's vast experience in this Patriots system, Phillips and Dugger could help make this one of the best safety groups New England has seen in a generation.
Davis and Bethel, having inked new contracts this past spring, are locks based on their roles on special teams (see that Snapshot for more details). That leaves the journeyman Colbert, who only joined the club late this spring, facing an uphill battle to find solid roster footing. Bledsoe, a 2021 rookie draft choice, could eventually find his way onto the practice squad, unless he somehow proves worthy of an active roster spot.
