The Patriots have certainly been busy this offseason, re-signing Edelman and Hoomanawanui and adding Revis, Browner, and LaFell. Still, there are some soft spots on the roster. It's unlikely they'll have cap room or the draft picks to shore up all these positions, so the question is: what can you live with, and what is flat out unacceptable?
TE - currently rostered: Rob Gronkowski, Michael Hoomanawanui, D.J. Williams. Why status quo is acceptable: When healthy, Gronk is elite, and he figures to be healthy at some point. Hoomanawanui was basically the starting TE last year and knows the system. The WR depth looks adequate for running 3-WR sets, so we won't need a second starting-caliber TE. Why it's unacceptable: Who knows when Gronk will be healthy, and how close to 100% he will be? A dynamic Hernandez-type TE would create matchup problems and improve the offense. Uh Oh and Williams are JAGs.
C/RG - currently rostered: Dan Connolly, Marcus Cannon, Josh Kline, Chris Barker, Braxston Cave. Why it's acceptable: Connolly can shift back to C, where he was fine in 2011. Cannon was a fine fill-in last year at RT and looks ready for a bigger role. Kline did OK when pressed into action last year. Why it's unacceptable: Connolly is long in the tooth and hasn't been very good the past couple seasons. Cannon's an unknown at G, and the second-year guys haven't shown anything.
DT - currently rostered: Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Armond Armstead, Sealver Siliga, Chris Jones, Joe Vellano, Marcus Forster. Why it's acceptable: Wilfork and Kelly have been very good NFL players, and both were hurt early enough that they're likely to be healthy. Siliga and Jones had some spurts of productivity last year. Armstead was highly regarded before missing the season due to illness. Why it's unacceptable: Wilfork may have asked for his release, and neither he nor Kelly are roster locks. Siliga had 6 good games; is he ready for prime time? The other youngsters have been below-average, and Armstead is a total question mark.
SS - currently rostered: Duron Harmon, Adrian Wilson, Tavon Wilson, Nate Ebner, Kanorris Davis. Why it's acceptable: Harmon looked pretty good last year. Adrian Wilson was useful as recently as 2012. The rest of the secondary's so terrific that they don't need a lot of production here. Why it's unacceptable: Adrian Wilson's old and coming off a serious injury. He also looked bad in the preseason. Harmon seems fine but isn't a classic SS-type. Tavon Wilson regressed last year.
DE - currently rostered: Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich, Michael Buchanan, Jake Bequette. Why it's acceptable: Jones and Ninkovich are a productive starting pair. Why it's unacceptable: Bequette's shown nothing in two seasons, and Buchanan was benched pretty much the entire second half of last year. Jones and Ninkovich played a very high number of snaps for DEs.
TE - currently rostered: Rob Gronkowski, Michael Hoomanawanui, D.J. Williams. Why status quo is acceptable: When healthy, Gronk is elite, and he figures to be healthy at some point. Hoomanawanui was basically the starting TE last year and knows the system. The WR depth looks adequate for running 3-WR sets, so we won't need a second starting-caliber TE. Why it's unacceptable: Who knows when Gronk will be healthy, and how close to 100% he will be? A dynamic Hernandez-type TE would create matchup problems and improve the offense. Uh Oh and Williams are JAGs.
C/RG - currently rostered: Dan Connolly, Marcus Cannon, Josh Kline, Chris Barker, Braxston Cave. Why it's acceptable: Connolly can shift back to C, where he was fine in 2011. Cannon was a fine fill-in last year at RT and looks ready for a bigger role. Kline did OK when pressed into action last year. Why it's unacceptable: Connolly is long in the tooth and hasn't been very good the past couple seasons. Cannon's an unknown at G, and the second-year guys haven't shown anything.
DT - currently rostered: Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Armond Armstead, Sealver Siliga, Chris Jones, Joe Vellano, Marcus Forster. Why it's acceptable: Wilfork and Kelly have been very good NFL players, and both were hurt early enough that they're likely to be healthy. Siliga and Jones had some spurts of productivity last year. Armstead was highly regarded before missing the season due to illness. Why it's unacceptable: Wilfork may have asked for his release, and neither he nor Kelly are roster locks. Siliga had 6 good games; is he ready for prime time? The other youngsters have been below-average, and Armstead is a total question mark.
SS - currently rostered: Duron Harmon, Adrian Wilson, Tavon Wilson, Nate Ebner, Kanorris Davis. Why it's acceptable: Harmon looked pretty good last year. Adrian Wilson was useful as recently as 2012. The rest of the secondary's so terrific that they don't need a lot of production here. Why it's unacceptable: Adrian Wilson's old and coming off a serious injury. He also looked bad in the preseason. Harmon seems fine but isn't a classic SS-type. Tavon Wilson regressed last year.
DE - currently rostered: Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich, Michael Buchanan, Jake Bequette. Why it's acceptable: Jones and Ninkovich are a productive starting pair. Why it's unacceptable: Bequette's shown nothing in two seasons, and Buchanan was benched pretty much the entire second half of last year. Jones and Ninkovich played a very high number of snaps for DEs.