Patriots' Defender Receives Devastating Outlook

The New England Patriots are going to be faced with some very difficult decisions when it comes time to trim the roster down to 53 players thanks to their offseason spending spree.

The Patriots have made a plethora of additions over the last several months, and they paid special attention to their defense in free agency.

As a result, New England is dealing with some logjams at numerous positions, and perhaps one of the Pats' most notable clogs is at safety.

Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers are expected to be the Patriots' two starters at that spot, but behind those two, there is a conglomerate of pieces who won't all be able to make the cut.

Sophie Weller of NESN is projecting New England to carry five safeties: Dugger, Peppers, Marcus Epps, Brenden Schooler and rookie Craig Woodson. That leaves Marte Mapu on the outside looking in despite the fact that he is also capable of playing linebacker.

"The Craig Woodson pick was an interesting one for the Patriots, as the safety room was already fairly full," Weller wrote. "So with that, it makes the competition that much harder. Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, and Brenden Schooler lead that position for the Patriots, and then, of course, a spot for the rookie."

New England's decision to select Woodson in the fourth round of the NFL Draft back in April may have sealed Mapu's fate. Dugger and Peppers are proven veterans, and Schooler is a Pro Bowl/All-Pro special teamer at the position. The Pats really seem to like Woodson, which will likely spell big trouble for Mapu.

Mapu played in 10 games last season, registering 46 tackles, an interception, three forced fumbles and six passes defended, While he definitely flashed potential, missing time due to injury certainly did not help his case, and he was far too inconsistent to cement himself as a definitive piece for the future.

The good news is that the 25-year-old should have some trade value, so perhaps the Patriots can extract a draft pick in exchange for him.