Impact of Tommy Kelly, James Anderson, and Will Smith cuts
As written about earlier today by Mike Saver, the first significant cuts were made by the Patriots. As the team works to get down to 75 players, they followed a typical protocol of releasing some veterans early to allow them to hitch on elsewhere. I'll be brief on the three players, as I want to focus on who is here (in Bill Belichick fashion), but don't be surprised if Kelly or Anderson ends up as Broncos (injuries and FA losses make both spots a semi-need). Will Smith may just not have it anymore, but a team like San Francisco could use a veteran pass rusher on a one year deal. They'd be able to give him the limited reps needed to be effective in the twilight of his career.
As far as the Patriots go, there are several aspects of these moves to consider. The first would be filling the roster voids left by Smith and Kelly missing out. As I said in the comments of Roster Projection 4.0, if Sealver Siliga was on a track to get healthy he may make the roster. Now that Kelly has been cut, I'd be stunned if Siliga didn't make the final 53. As far as the second open spot, Darius Fleming may be given the opportunity to kick his injury history and stick on this roster. I'd say this also solidifies that they want to be deep in the secondary, and may sacrifice depth on the defensive line to do that. While they're sacrificing that depth, the flexibility of several players (Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich especially) allows for them to still keep snap totals reasonable. Joe Vellano, who entered camp unlikely to make the roster in my estimation, continues to be lottery winner lucky. Not only because of these cuts, but because of a dynamic change I believe this is a sign of.
After seeing the skill Chandler Jones showed as an outside linebacker, it's clear that he could be elite at that position, but this would require the team to work essentially out of a 3-4 formation. a basic 3-4 is 3 defensive linemen and 4 linebackers, though you can work variations of this. In order to not be gashed by the run in this type of set, you need to have bigger men along the D-line, who can create penetration and disrupt running lanes. Also, the bigger linemen require double teams and free up that outside linebacker spot. Bodies the size of Wilfork, Chris Jones,and Joe Vellano would thrive on this type of defensive line. Then with a skilled edge setter (cuts off outside runs) like Ninkovich spelling linemen and linebackers alike, it would free up Chandler Jones, Dominique Easley (when healthy) and Jamie Collins to be set loose. Their physical skills may be put to new, more effective, use than ever before. The rotation in the entire front 7 gets deeper without adding a single player, and that's impressive even for Belichick. If this is the plan moving forward, the cuts of Kelly and Smith make more sense than they would sticking to a 4-3 as their "base" defense.
One last thought roster wise, as I can't seem to write an article without mentioning Ryan Mallett. This improves his odds of making the team for sure, but it's by no means a sure thing. I think you should wait to see a cut at safety or of running backs Roy Finch or Tyler Gaffney before you celebrate if you're on Team Mallett. Certainly good news for him regardless.
What do you think of today's cuts? How would you feel about the 3-4 alignment? Let's chat about questions or comments below, or on Twitter @TheFib0624
--Bill Stiles
