Patriots Roster Prediction #33: FS James Sanders

Player Name: S James Sanders

Experience: 5 Years in the NFL, all with the New England Patriots

Past Role: Sanders was drafted in 2005. He became the starter in the 2007 season and continued to be the starter until the beginning of the 2009 season- but he reclaimed his starting job at the end of the season. Sanders is the epitome of the bend-don't-break defense that the Patriots run, due to his sound tackling. He doesn't give up the big play, but he also won't make the big play. Without a true strong safety like Rodney Harrison, the Patriots were basically fielding two free safeties in the backfield- and the lack of bite showed.

Predicted Role: Sanders will become the back-up to Brandon Meriweather as Pat Chung develops as the starting SS. He'll come on the field for pass happy teams, but he'll mostly be an expensive back-up. However, he's a high character player who has tremendous positive influence on the locker room so he should stick around.

Predicted Season Numbers: 2 Games Started, 16 Games Played, 30 Tackles, 1 INT, 3 Passes Defended

Predicted Depth Chart: #2 FS

Summary: Sanders shouldn't be starting next season, but he's still a fantastic back-up and should be able to provide valuable locker room leadership.