Patriots roster breakdown: QB Brian Hoyer."The New England Patriots N'Keal Harry NFL Draft , who are in the middle of their 2019 organized team activities, currently have the maximum of 90 players on their active roster. However, only 53 of them will be able to survive the cutdowns on August 31 and ultimately make the team. Over the course of the summer, we will take a look at the players fighting for those spots to find out who has the best chances of helping the Patriots defend their Super Bowl title.Today, the series starts with the player wearing the lowest-issued jersey number right now: backup quarterback Brian Hoyer.Name: Brian HoyerPosition: QuarterbackJersey number: 2Opening day age: 33Experience: 10Size: 6’2, 215 lbs.2018 review: After fending off rookie competitor Danny Etling over the course of training camp and the preseason, Brian Hoyer earned the top backup quarterback spot behind Tom Brady for another year (the fifth in total). And with the future Hall of Famer having another very good season en route to leading the Patriots to a world championship, there was little playing time for the number two to be had.All in all, Hoyer appeared in just five of New England’s nineteen total games last year and was on the field for a combined 27 snaps. The veteran backup mostly had to do just one thing when he actually entered a contest: kneel down to close it out. Hoyer’s final 2018 stat-line therefore includes 11 rushing attempts for a grand total of -8 yards. He did also attempt a pair of passes, though, one of which was completed for a gain of 7 yards.But despite his quasi non-existent statistical impact, Hoyer’s value to the team cannot be underestimated — and it goes beyond backing up Brady. As New England’s number two quarterback Color Rush Jarrett Stidham Jersey , he also played a key role in running the scout team offense and helping the defense prepare for upcoming opponents. As a result, the 33-year-old was named as one of the practice players of the week a combined four times.2019 preview: With Brady the Patriots’ undisputed starter, Hoyer enters preparations for the 2019 season as the team’s number two quarterback. However, just like last year, his spot on the team is not uncontested. Not only is second-year man Danny Etling again a challenger for practice reps and playing time, the club also added Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham in the fourth-round of the draft.Stidham will be on the team come September due to his draft status, while Etling needs to fight for a roster spot alongside him. However, the number two gig still appears to be Hoyer’s to lose as things stand right now. After all, he offers the experience within the Patriots’ system both youngsters lack and — despite the drop-off in quality — could step in immediately to take over for Brady if the worst case scenario takes place.And while his days on the team seem to be numbered beyond 2019 due to the addition of Stidham earlier this offseason, Hoyer still has value to the team as one of the better depth quarterbacks in the NFL. Furthermore, his salary cap hit of $3.0 million also is reasonable for what he offers: a veteran presence at the game’s most important position that can also help groom Stidham and Etling, as well as the young wide receivers on the team.All in all Youth Jarrett Stidham Jersey , it seems likely that Hoyer will spend another year with the Patriots and one more season sitting behind the greatest quarterback of all time. The only realistic non-injury scenario in which that does not happen is if Stidham picks up the scheme quickly and makes the veteran expendable either through a cut or a trade. While the 2018 NFL champion has yet to be crowned, much of the league is already looking ahead to the 2019 season, and so far the Miami Dolphins are in last place.Las Vegas oddsmakers recently made the Dolphins a 300-1 choice to win the Super Bowl in Miami a year from now, by far the league’s longest odds.And because Brian Flores’ team is headed for the Super Bowl, the Dolphins must wait another two weeks before they can seal a deal with the New England Patriots‘ defensive play-caller to become their coach.The Patriots sent the Dolphins’ wait on Flores into overtime by beating Kansas City in overtime Sunday in the AFC championship game.The Dolphins interviewed Flores on Jan. 4, targeted him as their choice for the job on Jan. 11 and are expected to meet with him this week. But no agreement can become final until after the Patriots play the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl on Feb. 3.More Miami Dolphins newsDolphins DB Minkah Fitzpatrick will play vs. Patriots despite trade requestDolphins will try to regroup for Patriots after drubbing at the hands of RavensDolphins can’t contain Lamar Jackson, lose big at homeDolphins versatile offensive lineman Jesse Davis signs extension through 2022Dolphins trade Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills to Texans for draft picksAlso on hold are the Cincinnati Bengals, the only other team still with a vacancy among the eight NFL teams making coaching changes.The Bengals are interested in Zac Taylor, the Rams’ quarterbacks coach. It has been three weeks since Cincinnati fired Marvin Lewis after his 16th season and third consecutive losing record.Flores has begun work to assemble a staff, and front-runners include former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell as assistant head coach and Packers assistant Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator. Some Dolphins assistants are expected to be retained.But Miami will be without a head coach to help assess prospects this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama Womens Jarrett Stidham Jersey , and his evaluation of the roster in preparation for free agency and the draft will be delayed.Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, a former Patriots scout, said the Dolphins’ wait for Flores will be worth it.“He’s one of my favorite people I’ve ever worked with or ever been around in my life,” Nagy said Monday. “I could go on and on. I love Brian Flores. He’s going to be a great coach. He’s got a great way about him. He connects with all different kinds of people. It’s a slam dunk hire for Miami.”The Dolphins went 7-9 last year under Adam Gase, who was fired after three seasons and then hired as coach of the New York Jets .Flores and Miami general manager Chris Grier both started their NFL careers as Patriots scouts. Flores has spent his entire 11-year coaching career with New England, and he took over defensive play-calling a year ago after the departure of defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.“Obviously he has done a great job,” safety Patrick Chung said last week. “He’s definitely a good coach and he likes to mix things up. It keeps guys off-balance.”The Patriots allowed 5,746 yards during the regular season to rank 21st, but ranked seventh in points allowed. The Dolphins ranked 29th by allowing 6,257 yards, the most in franchise history.Expectations for Miami in 2019 are low partly because owner Stephen Ross has said the franchise will abandon its win-now approach to build with the long term in mind and end a cycle of mediocrity. The Dolphins have finished with six to eight wins nine times in the past decade.