Patriots depth chart: RB room gets crowded with Ezekiel Elliott signing

Patriots depth chart projection: Off-ball linebackers, defensive backs, specialists

Off-ball linebackers: Ja’Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai, Chris Board, Marte Mapu, Mack Wilson

An area of comfort for the Pats is the off-ball linebacker corps. Big expectations for rookie Mapu to come out of the gate strong; other than that, New England has stalwarts in Bentley and Tavai and may see an uptick in production from newly added weapon Chris Board.

Defensive backs: Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones, Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant, Isaiah Bolden, Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills

Here we have the bread and butter. Some questions linger, like Jack Jones’ unclear availability given his off-field issues. Carrying six corners should give the Pats some leeway there. As for safety, versatility is the name of the game, and both Mills and Phillips may end up getting plugged somewhere on the defensive backfield in a pinch. Joshuah Bledsoe was a tough cut, but the Patriots seem to have enough talent in the safety unit to cope.

Specialists: Matthew Slater, Brenden Schooler, Nick Folk (K), Bryce Baringer (P), Joe Cardona (LS)

The Nick Folk vs. Chad Ryland kicker battle is the most interesting of this unit. Folk has won countless games with his leg, and we are guessing his experience wins him a spot over rookie Ryland. Fellow first-year Baringer does beat out Waitman, though.