No Rob Gronkowski means plenty of opportunity." Patriots AnalysisPatriots Player ProfilesPatriots Offseason CoverageNew England Patriots 2019 roster breakdown: #80 TE Stephen AndersonNew White Marcus Cannon Jerseys ,4commentsNo Rob Gronkowski means plenty of opportunity.EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:New England Patriots 2019 roster breakdown: #80 TE Stephen AndersonTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe New England Patriots, who are currently in their middle of their 2019 preseason, have 90 players on their active roster at the moment. However, only 53 of them will be able to survive the cutdowns on August 31 and ultimately make the team. Over the course of the summer, we will take a look at the players fighting for those spots to find out who has the best chances of helping the Patriots defend their Super Bowl title.Today, the series continues with a member of New England’s tight end group.Name: Stephen AndersonPosition: Tight endJersey number: 80Opening day age: 26Experience: 3Size: 6’3, 230 lbs.2018 review: Despite coming off a rather successful second season with the Houston Texans — appearing in fifteen games and catching 25 passes for 342 yards and a touchdown — Stephen Anderson failed to convince the team to keep him around as a backup tight end during the summer of 2018. The former undrafted rookie was let go during roster cutdowns in favor of rookies Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas.The preseason was already a sign of thing to come. Anderson appeared only in the first two of the Texans’ exhibition games, being on the field for 27 of a possible 128 offensive snaps (21.1%) and catching a pair of passes for a combined 26 yards. His release was inevitable Marcus Cannon Jerseys 2019 , but it ultimately helped the Cal product earn his first Super Bowl ring: he was signed to the Patriots’ practice squad in early September and spent the entire regular season there.Anderson earned three ‘practice player of the week’ honors while on New England’s practice squad, and laid the foundation to being promoted to the 53-man squad behind the scenes. In early January, ahead of the Patriots’ playoff opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, the move happened: the team elevated Anderson to its active roster to fill the spot vacated when fellow tight end Jacob Hollister was placed on injured reserve.While the first-year Patriot did not make the game-day roster during his team’s run towards a championship, he again played a valuable role in practice — and continued to build on his blocking alongside two of the NFL’s best in this area, Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen. 2018 can therefore be considered a success for Anderson, even though he did not play even a single snap during the regular season or the playoffs.2019 preview: Of the four tight ends to spend time on New England’s active roster in 2018, Anderson is the only one to remain with the club entering 2019: Gronkowski retired White Brandon Bolden Jerseys , Allen was released, and Hollister was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. However, that does still not make the 26-year-old a lock to make the team this year — Anderson, like the other five tight ends on the roster, will have to earn his spot.So far in the process, he appears to be on the outside looking in: Benjamin Watson and Matt LaCosse seem to have established themselves as the frontrunners, despite Anderson looking good at times as a pass catcher. The chances to showcase his talents are limited, though Brandon Bolden Jerseys 2019 , and preseason was an example of that: he played only three snaps during the first exhibition game against the Detroit Lions, effectively being the fifth option in terms of playing time.Of course, that does not mean Anderson’s chances of making the team are nonexistent: there is still plenty of time, and injuries — like the one suffered by LaCosse — could alter the picture drastically. The same goes for Watson’s four-game suspension to open the regular season. So while Anderson’s playing time suggests otherwise, there could still be a solid chance he ends up on the team if he continues to improve his blocking and make plays as a pass catcher. There’s no better place for the second-round pick."WhitePatriots News Opinion and Analysis Contribute! FanPostsFanShotsAbout the Site List of Patriots Twitter AccountsWrite For Pats Pulpit!New User Welcome and Commenting GuideCommunity GuidelinesMastheadTopics Patriots Off-Season CoveragePatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots NewsPatriots Draft CoverageSportfolio ManagementNFL DraftPatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots 2019 NFL Draft CoveragePatriots rookie cornerback Joejuan Williams landed with the perfect teamNew,11commentsRelated: Ex-NFL GM calls Patriots rookie N’Keal Harry a ‘poor man’s Randy Moss’ EDTShareTweetShareSharePatriots rookie cornerback Joejuan Williams landed with the perfect teamBrian Spurlock-USA TODAY SportsThe New England Patriots covered all bases with their 2019 NFL draft selections: the team added day-one starting potential, picked high-upside developmental options, and bolstered its depth both in the short and the long term. One player to fall into all of those categories is cornerback Joejuan Williams White Ryan Allen Jerseys , who was chosen by the world champions in the second round when the Patriots made him the draft’s 45th overall selection.Williams joined a cornerback group that even before the draft was arguably the deepest in the NFL: All-Pro Stephon Gilmore was the clear-cut number one, with veteran Jason McCourty and 2018 breakout player J.C. Jackson the next two down the depth chart. Former second-round pick Duke Dawson and versatile slot cornerback Jonathan Jones added more depth to the group — and now Williams does as well.But despite joining a crowded room, the Vanderbilt product landed in an ideal situation for his development. Given his unique size in combination with the depth the Patriots already have at cornerback, the team can start Williams’ career by not necessarily pushing him into a starting spot. Instead, he is projected to see the field based on packages and in a specific role covering taller receivers on the perimeter or going against tight ends.Former NFL defensive back and current ESPN analyst Matt Bowen sees it the same way. “Williams [...] has the coverage traits that Bill Belichick wants in his defensive backs,” Bowen wrote in a recent breakdown of the 2019 draft picks that landed in the ideal environment in his estimation. Williams is one of his fifteen picks given his very particular set of skills and the defense New England likes to run from a coverage perspective.“The Pats are a heavy man-coverage defense. Put a safety over the top and challenge routes,” writes Bowen about the Patriots’ secondary. “That’s a fit for Williams, a cornerback with a monster 6-foot-4 frame who can match up to big-bodied NFL receivers Ryan Allen Jerseys 2019 , impact the release and then play the ball at the point of attack.”Williams does need to clean up his tackling and jamming technique at the next level, but he should become a serviceable option against taller receivers nevertheless. It will therefore be interesting to see how the Patriots employ the rookie in 2019. One thing is certain, tough, he landed in the one place in the NFL that is not afraid to alter its approach in order to have it reflect its players strengths.In Williams’ case, it is his size and physicality. New England will find a way to harness those two this season and beyond — the club seemingly always does — and not try to fit the square peg he is in a round hole within the defensive concepts. With regards to Williams’ unique build and the abilities it brings, nothing better could have happened to him than hearing the Patriots call his name on draft day.