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#90 DT Malcom Brown The New England Patriots currently have 86 players on their active roster. However White Ja'Whaun Bentley Jersey , only 53 of them will be able to survive the cutdowns on September 1 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 one of New England’s defensive tackles.Name: Malcom BrownPosition: Defensive tackleJersey number: 90Opening day age: 24Experience: 3Size: 6’2, 320 lbs.2017 review: While he will not be confused with the NFL’s elite interior penetrators like Aaron Donald or Gerald McCoy, Malcom Brown still does a good job for the Patriots – and 2017 was no different from the first two years of his career: the former first-round draft selection continued to be one of the league’s best run stoppers and a reliable and productive presence along New England’s defensive line.Brown appeared in 13 of the Patriots’ 16 regular season games last year and despite missing three contests because of an ankle injury still played 50.7% of New England’s defensive snaps (537 of 1,060) – second among the team’s defensive tackles behind only Lawrence Guy. During the playoffs, Brown’s playing time percentage increased to 69.0% (149 of 216) as he was on the field in all three of New England’s games.Throughout the season, the Texas product was primarily used as an early-down defender. This played to his strengths when it came to stuffing the run – and Brown did that very well last year. Showing tremendous discipline and vision as a two-gap interior defensive tackle, he finished the regular season with the fourth-best run-stop percentage among the NFL’s 4-3 defensive tackles (via Pro Football Focus).All in all, Brown registered seven stuffed runs and 42 tackles versus the rush, and also consistently created space against double teams and one-on-one blocks for the second-level defenders to attack. But while he was his usual productive self against the run, Brown only saw irregular playing time versus the pass and finished the season with 2.5 sacks as well as four quarterback hits and six hurries.While the numbers per se are not bad considering his primary usage as a run stopper, they show that the 32nd overall pick of the 2015 draft is still a rather one-dimensional defender – and one the Patriots do not yet feel comfortable using more in the passing game. Consequently, Brown’s third year in the NFL can be seen as follows: it was a successfuloverall campaign for him, but one that did not see him grow a lot further as a defensive tackle.2018 preview: Given his usage as a primary early-down defender over the past three years Cordarrelle Patterson Jersey , it was not that big of a surprise to see the Patriots not pick up the fifth-year option of Brown’s rookie deal. 2018 will therefore be a contract year for the defensive tackle, who will try to prove his value to New England and the rest of the league. The success of this venture will largely depend on his contributions in the passing game.It could certainly be possible that Brown is given more playing time against the pass or in specific longer-distance situations, but with players like Adam Butler, Trey Flowers and Derek Rivers all options to rush the passer from the interior, Brown will likely again be primarily used against the run. That being said, he will likely remain one of the league’s better run stuffers – even if this hurts his outlook heading towards free agency.Brown’s 2018 campaign should therefore be expected to look very much like his last two seasons. If healthy, he will once again appear in every one of the Patriots’ games and play around 60.0% of defensive snaps while also being employed as a part-time special teamer. This role and usage has suited him well in the past and it would be a surprise if the Patriots’ coaching staff altered it in a substantial way.New England Patriots 2018 roster breakdown: #75 OC Ted Karras The New England Patriots currently have 89 players on their active roster. However, only 53 of them will be able to survive the cutdowns on September 1 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 one of New England’s offensive linemen.Name: Ted KarrasPosition: Center / GuardJersey number: 75Opening day age: 25Experience: 2Size: 6’4, 305 lbs.2017 review: Ted Karras’ second year in the NFL looked similar to his first one: he served as a backup option along the Patriots’ offensive line and as such played extensively in two games, but otherwise saw only limited opportunities. Overall, the former sixth-round draft selection played a combined 151 offensive snaps (of 1,139; 13.3%) during the regular season before adding three more in the first round of the playoffs.The Illinois product saw his most action in weeks 11 and 12, when he replaced injured starter David Andrews at the center position. Karras was a solid fill-in and gave up only one quarterback hit in the process. When Andrews was back at full health Authentic Jeremy Hill Jersey , however, he was relegated to a backup role again and played only 15 more snaps as a rotational option at center and guard for the remainder of the season.While his offensive contributions were rather limited, Karras, who spent the first week of the season on New England’s practice squad, was a regular on special teams: he saw action in all 19 games and played a combined 105 of a possible 540 kicking game snaps (19.4%) as a blocker on field goal and extra point attempts. All in all, Karras’ sophomore campaign was therefore a continuation of his rookie season.2018 preview: While only the Patriots’ five starters are roster locks among the team’s current 15 offensive linemen, Karras’ chances of joining them appear to be rather solid — especially with first-round rookie Isaiah Wynn headed towards season-ending injured reserve. As things stand right now, after all, the 25-year old again is New England’s top backup option along the interior line.If he keeps that role through the rest of preseason and — unlike last season — roster cuts, Karras’ 2018 campaign should look similar to his first two in the NFL: as a rotational player, he will see only irregular snaps but be the first man up in case one of the three interior starters gets injured. Furthermore, he should be used in the kicking game on a fairly regular basis.Of course, Karras needs to earn a spot on the team first and show that he is a valuable option as a backup lineman despite his relatively low grow potential.