The New England Patriots currently have 89 players on their active roster. However, only 53 of them will be able to survive the cutdowns over the next two days and ultimately make the team. Over the course of the offseason, we take a look at the players fighting for those spots to find out who has the best chances of helping the Patriots recapture the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Today, the series continues with a player returning from injured reserve.
Name: Geneo Grissom
Position: Defensive edge
Jersey number: 96
Opening day age: 26
Experience: 3
Size: 6’4, 265 lbs.
2017 review: Geneo Grissom’s third year in the NFL started with him getting released during the Patriots’ final roster cutdowns. However, he made it through waivers unclaimed and was subsequently added to New England’s practice squad. The former third-round draft pick was promoted to the 53-man roster after the first two weeks of the regular season and appeared in New England’s next four games as a primary special teamer.
However, the Patriots decided to release Grissom again in early November before re-signing him to their practice squad once more. Not even a month later, he was back on the active roster: New England promoted him ahead of its week 13 game against the Buffalo Bills to serve as depth at the defensive edge and, as usual, in the kicking game. Grissom remained on the active team for the remainder of the season.
Overall, the Oklahoma product appeared in 11 games over the course of the season, playing a combined 202 snaps in the kicking game (of 540; 37.4%) and registering three tackles. Grissom also saw some defensive playing time: he was on the field for a total of 37 snaps – 10 of which coming in the Patriots’ divisional playoff game against the Tennessee Titans, a game during which Grissom registered 2.0 sacks.
All in all, though, the 2017 season can be seen as another rather disappointing one for a player that once was a day two draft pick.
2018 preview: Geneo Grissom’s fourth year in the NFL could start like his third one: with him getting released during the Patriots’ final roster cutdowns. This time around, however, he will not be able to join the team’s practice squad as he is no longer eligible. This means that his tenure in New England could very well come to an end later today – and judging by his summer, this would not be too big of a surprise.
Grissom would not go down without a fight, though. Playing 131 of a possible 284 defensive snaps (46.1%), he registered 10 tackles, a sack,a forced fumble and a recovery that was almost returned for a touchdown. In addition to his contributions on defense, he also was again a regular in the kicking game. Ultimately, however, this may not be enough to make New England’s deep defensive edge rotation.