Stock Up, Stock Down After New England Patriots' 2nd Preseason Game

The New England Patriots played their second game of the 2017 preseason on Saturday. Unlike the first game, a number of starters actually took the field. Tight end Rob Gronkowski even made a preseason appearance for the first time since 2012.

Of course, most of the Patriots starters—such as Gronkowski, Tom Brady, Malcolm Butler and Devin McCourty—are pretty well-entrenched. The purpose of the preseason for them isn't to increase stock, it's to get back into game shape and get out of the game healthy.

Obviously, the final score doesn't matter much at all.

Fighting for preseason stock is an exercise for those players who don't have a defined role or a guaranteed roster spot. These are the players whose stock the coaching staff—and the fans—are paying attention to. This group includes young, unestablished players, aging veterans, rookies and newcomers to the team.

With the second of New England's preseason contests in the books, let's take a look at how some of those players are trending.

Stock Up: Dion Lewis

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Running back Dion Lewis came into training camp with some uncertainty surrounding his future. Known more as a utility back/receiver than a traditional runner, he suddenly found himself in the midst of a deep backfield full of similar players.

The Patriots brought in former Cincinnati Bengal Rex Burkhead and former Buffalo Bill Mike Gillislee. The team also gave a three-year, $12 million extension to fellow utility back James White.

Seeing as how Lewis has an extensive injury history, it was fair to wonder if his roster spot was in jeopardy.

Gillislee, Burkhead and White sat out the opening game, though, which gave the 26-year-old an opportunity to show what he could do in a starting role. He responded with 32 yards rushing on seven carries and 23 yards receiving on four catches.

As a runner, Lewis was even more impressive in the 27-23 loss against the Houston Texans in Week 2. He carried the ball seven times for 34 yards. Between the two preseason games, he has averaged 4.7 yards per carry.

Lewis also returned a kickoff 29 yards, showing he still has the speed to be a burner on special teams.

Any questions that existed about his ability to contribute both on offense and on special teams that existed heading into the preseason should now have been quelled. The question for Lewis now is whether he can stay healthy an entire season.

Stock Up: Rex Burkhead

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Burkhead made his preseason debut against the Texans and immediately showed what kind of value he has in Josh McDaniels' offense.

Not only did Burkhead run hard between the tackles—though he averaged just 2.9 yards per carry—he was electrifying as a pass-catcher. He caught three passes for 50 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown reception.

When Brady and the rest of the starting offense were on the field, Burkhead was the star.

Brady didn't complete a pass to Gronkowski, Julian Edelman or Chris Hogan. Three of his six completions, though, went to Burkhead. We know Brady loves to throw to his backs when downfield targets aren't open, and the 27-year-old's versatility allowed him to do exactly that.

"I think that's what makes a good offense—having a lot of versatility," Brady said, per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. "I've said that for a long time, I throw to the guys who are open. If they double someone, everyone else is singled across the board."

Burkhead joins Lewis and James White as backs who have proved they can be effective running and passing in the New England offense. That's important because the Patriots can now do the same versatile things with three different guys in the backfield.

Stock Down: Mike Gillislee

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The Patriots inked Gillislee to a two-year, $6.4 million contract in order to lure him away from the Bills in the offseason.

Between the deal, Gillislee's size (5'11", 219 pounds) and his 2016 production (5.7 yards per carry, eight touchdowns), a lot of signs pointed toward him having a major—perhaps even starting—role.

Unfortunately, Gillislee has been dealing with a hamstring issue and has yet to make a preseason appearance. This has taken a toll on the 26-year-old's stock because other backs have taken advantage of his absence.

We've already talked about Lewis and Burkhead, but they aren't the only standouts in the group. Five-year veteran and regular special teams ace Brandon Bolden has also managed to shine through two preseason contests.

Bolden amassed 33 yards rushing in each preseason game and has averaged 5.1 yards between them. At 5'11" and 220 pounds, Bolden has the size to take over the hard-runner role Gillislee initially appeared to be in line for.

This isn't to suggest Gillislee is in danger of losing his roster spot. However, he could be headed for a smaller role, especially early, if he doesn't find his way back to the playing field sooner rather than later.

Stock Up: Austin Carr

Mary Schwalm/Associated Press

Due to the depth at the receiver position, undrafted rookie Austin Carr came into training camp looking like a long shot to make the final roster. However, he has made a strong case for himself through two weeks of the preseason.

In Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 23-year-old hauled in five passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. Against the Texans, he snagged three more balls for 31 yards. More importantly, perhaps, he did his job more like a veteran Patriot than an inexperienced rookie.

"Carr, guys like that that played a high number of snaps did some very positive things," head coach Bill Belichick said, per Zack Cox of NESN.com. "Like everybody, there are things that could have been better and that they need to work on, but I thought they showed up positively a number of times."

Barring injury, Carr is probably still a bit of a long shot to make the final roster, but his chances appear better than they did a couple weeks ago. At the very least, he should now be a legitimate candidate to spend the practice squad—assuming another team doesn't offer him an opportunity along the way.

Stock Down: Elandon Roberts

Mary Schwalm/Associated Press

The Patriots don't always put rookies into significant roles, but linebacker Elandon Roberts managed to work his way into one last season. He appeared in 13 games with five starts and racked up 45 tackles with a forced fumble.

Heading into the offseason, the 23-year-old seemed like a viable breakout candidate. Unfortunately, he hasn't built on his rookie campaign during the preseason. He hasn't been terrible, but he hasn't been especially consistent either.

ESPN.com's Mike Reiss names him as a player with "notable struggles" in the preseason opener.

Roberts had seven tackles in the preseason opener, at least. He only had one tackle against the Texans. He also got crossed up in coverage and allowed a 12-yard reception by Bruce Ellington on the second play of the game.

What's even more unfortunate for Roberts is the fact he's had to leave each preseason game early due to injury. X-rays came back negative, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, but his Week 2 rib injury could affect his ability to make an impact over the remainder of the preseason.

This is a problem for Roberts, who is competing for a spot as a depth linebacker with the likes of Jonathan Freeny, Kyle Van Noy, Trevor Bates and Harvey Langi.

Stock Up: Harvey Langi

Mary Schwalm/Associated Press

Speaking of Langi, the undrafted rookie out of Brigham Young has managed to make a positive impact throughout training camp and the preseason.

 Belichick said after the Texans game, per Doug Kyed of NESN.com:

"He's learned a lot. He has a lot to learn. He played off the ball and on the ball and played in the kicking game in college. He's done all those things here. He's been more on the ball than off the ball in this camp, but more off the ball than on the ball in the spring. We'll see where we end up on that, and he's done multiple things in the kicking game as well."

Langi amassed four tackles in each of the first two games of the preseason. He started against Houston and played the entire first half.

Sure, the 24-year-old probably only started because several regular starters didn't. Yet, he was still the only rookie starting in that situation.

This is probably a great sign that Langi has increased his stock in the eyes of the guy who matters, Belichick.

Stock Down: Justin Coleman

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Third-year cornerback Justin Coleman finds himself near the bottom end of a deep New England cornerback depth chart.

While starters such as Butler and Stephon Gilmore are essentially guaranteed a roster spot, the 24-year-old is battling with the likes of Jonathan Jones, rookie D.J. Killings and former second-round pick Cyrus Jones for his.

Cyrus Jones struggled in Week 1 of the preseason, both in coverage and as a return specialist. That was good for Coleman. However, Jones was much more impressive this past week, which hurts Coleman's stock.

Jones wasn't especially great in coverage—he did have two tackles—but he did do some good things as a returner. He averaged a solid 14 yards per punt return, including a 33-yarder.

Coleman, on the other hand, gaffed on special teams. He allowed a ball to touch him, which technically counted as a fumble. The Patriots recovered, but no fumbles are good fumbles.

Coleman is strictly a depth corner, so if he can't soon show he has value on special teams, he could be one step closer to the cut pile.