Here's the Patriots roster as it stands right now, as the team got down to 53 players today:

Quarterback (2): Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer
The surprise cuts of Andrew Walter and Kevin O'Connell over the last week leave just Brady and undrafted rookie Hoyer at quarterback...for the moment. It may not last.

Running back (5): Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, Laurence Maroney, BenJarvus Green-Ellis
Green-Ellis, out of practice-squad eligibility, was apparently too valuable to let go. Taylor has shown he still has a good amount of pep in his step with 11 seasons under his belt, and Faulk is Mr. Reliable in third-down situations and is still used on punt returns. Morris missed some time with injury, and Maroney will continue to have doubters about his reliability and durability.

Wide receiver (6): Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Joey Galloway, Greg Lewis, Julian Edelman, Sam Aiken
This unit is just as many assumed it would be, though Galloway's visible struggles early in camp led to some questions about whether or not he would stick around. Edelman has been injured recently, but the Pats think they have a find in the former college quarterback. Aiken should be chosen as the special teams captain.

Tight end (3): Chris Baker, Benjamin Watson, Michael Matthews
Baker has supplanted Watson atop the depth chart, but Watson may be the best blocker of the bunch.

Offensive line (9): Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Nick Kaczur, Sebastian Vollmer, Dan Connolly, Rich Ohrnberger, Ryan Wendell
Keeping just three tackles (Light, Kaczur, Vollmer) seems a risky move; Mark LeVoir is on PUP, but he can't re-join the team until after Week 6.

Defensive line (7) : Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, Ty Warren, Jarvis Green, Mike Wright, Ron Brace, Myron Pryor
Still a strong, deep unit, and with the addition of two young players to fortify it. New England showed more 4-3 looks than usual during the preseason, and these players have the versatility to make switching between the 3-4 and 4-3 possible.

Linebackers (8): Adalius Thomas, Jerod Mayo, Pierre Woods, Derrick Burgess, Gary Guyton, Tully Banta-Cain, Eric Alexander, Rob Ninkovich
Banta-Cain and Burgess are more linebacker/defensive end hybrids, but there's no designation for that on the roster. Mayo was impressive as a rookie, but is poised to take things to yet another level.

Defensive backs (10): Leigh Bodden, Shawn Springs, Jonathan Wilhite, Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders, Terrence Wheatley, Brandon McGowan, Darius Butler, Pat Chung, Matthew Slater
Bodden and Springs are the big, physical corners this team has lacked in recent years; Meriweather is fast becoming one of the best at his position in the AFC. Butler was a fortunate pickup at 41st overall in the draft, though Chung seems to be having some difficulties as he transitions to the NFL.

Specialists (3): Stephen Gostkowski, Chris Hanson, Jake Ingram
Gostkowski is coming off a Pro Bowl season and has looked strong this season.