It’s been almost two weeks since our last 53-man roster projection.

Almost two weeks too long.

Here’s where New England stands this week heading into its second set of joint practices and second preseason game Saturday in Tennessee.

QUARTERBACK (3)

Tom Brady

Brian Hoyer

Jarrett Stidham

Breakdown: Stidham’s emergence has been plenty notable, but not enough to push Hoyer out just yet. Hoyer was sharp and decisive in Thursday’s 31-3 win at Detroit, a far cry from the Checkdown Charlie he’d devolved into during practice. It will take further progress from Stidham and multiple players on the bubble trending upward to send Hoyer packing.

RUNNING BACK (6)

Sony Michel

James White

Rex Burkhead

Brandon Bolden

Damien Harris

James Develin

Breakdown: No surprises or questions here. All five running backs are staying put, barring injury, and Develin remains one of the top fullbacks in the league for a team that uses a fullback almost more than anyone.

WIDE RECEIVER (5)

Julian Edelman

N’Keal Harry

Phillip Dorsett

Maurice Harris

Jakobi Meyers

PUP: Demaryius Thomas

Suspended: Josh Gordon

Breakdown: Through less than three weeks of practice, Meyers is miraculously already nearing roster lock status. Last week, he successfully pushed his way into New England’s starting lineup.

Whether Meyers stays there is another matter. For now, bank on him sticking around with a fellow rookie In Harry, plus the three best veterans wideouts available.

TIGHT END (2)

Matt LaCosse

Ryan Izzo

Suspended: Ben Watson (4 games)

Breakdown: Izzo played almost the entire second half in Detroit, where he clearly demonstrated he is New England’s best blocker of this bunch. That gives him an advantage over little-used Stephen Anderson, who can’t seem to rise above Izzo or UDFA Andrew Beck to join LaCosse and Watson with the first team in practice. The Pats opt to roster just two tight ends here until Watson returns in Week 5.

OFFENSIVE LINE (8)

OT Isaiah Wynn

OG Joe Thuney

C David Andrews

OG Shaq Mason

OT Marcus Cannon

OT Dan Skipper

OG/C Ted Karras

OG/C Hjalte Froholdt

PUP: OT Yodney Cajuste

Breakdown: A third-round rookie on the Non-Football Injury List, Cajuste hasn’t laced up for a single NFL practice yet and may be a week away from ensuring he’ll start the season on PUP or IR. That leaves New England no choice but to roster Skipper, who’s filled in for Wynn during team drills. The other four starters are locks, as is Froholdt, a fourth-round rookie whose chief strength is pass protection. Karras currently holds a decent lead on James Ferentz, the 29-year-old backup who took two penalties against the Lions and has been out-played in practice.

EDGE (5)

Michael Bennett

Deatrich Wise Jr.

John Simon

Chase Winovich

Derek Rivers

Breakdown: Wise is hanging on by a couple threads in this group, which seemingly grows deeper by the week. The Patriots’ depth here is padded by the versatility of their linebackers — chiefly Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy — who often patrol the edge on passing downs and in traditional 3-4 fronts. Wise has been a relative no-show during 1-on-1 pass rush and may prove a tough scheme fit with how New England’s defensive end and outside linebacker positions have suddenly blurred.

Bennett and Winovich are locks, while the steady diet of first-team reps for Simon and Rivers have been encouraging for their chances (Rivers’ more than Simon’s, since the latter signed a new free-agent deal in March).

INTERIOR D-LINE (4)

Lawrence Guy

Mike Pennel

Adam Butler

Danny Shelton

Breakdown: Guy and Pennel aren’t going anywhere. Shelton’s been as solid as any player in camp. Even with Butler off to a disappointing start thus far, he’s been tackling a new position at times in the Pats’ 3-4 packages and was productive enough the past two seasons to warrant more patience this preseason.

LINEBACKER (6)

Dont’a Hightower

Kyle Van Noy

Jamie Collins

Elandon Roberts

Ja’Whaun Bentley

Brandon King

Breakdown: Few players this summer will record 11 more productive snaps than Collins did last Thursday. He looks almost like a new player compared to his time in Cleveland. The only question here pertains to Roberts and Bentley. Are their skill sets too redundant to keep them both, considering also Hightower and Van Noy are capable of playing the middle?

The Patriots didn’t think so last year. Of note: King, a core special teamer, has seen more defensive action in practice this summer than any other camp of his career.

CORNERBACK (6)

Stephon Gilmore

Jason McCourty

J.C. Jackson

Jonathan Jones

Joejuan Williams

Keion Crossen

Breakdown: Crossen cracks the roster after being the 54th man in our last projection. The second-year speedster has been extremely active in practice the last two weeks, racking up pass deflection after pass deflection. And considering New England’s special teams were in the neighborhood of average last year, it won’t want to release a young, rising player of Crossen’s caliber in the kicking game.

The other five corners are locks, while 2018 second-round pick Duke Dawson has not come close to warranting a roster spot with his on-field performance thus far.

SAFETY (4)

Devin McCourty

Pat Chung

Duron Harmon

Terrence Brooks

Breakdown: Brooks edges out Nate Ebner once again for the same reasons we listed in late July: He’s a younger, faster special teams star who’s been handed far more first-team defensive reps than Ebner’s evern seen. Ebner is also still on PUP. Harmon could be a step closer to the bubble given Obi Melifonwu’s recent rise, but he’s still too steady to be in any real danger yet.

SPECIAL TEAMS (4)

K Stephen Gostkowski

P Jake Bailey

LS Joe Cardona

ST Matthew Slater

Breakdown: A few of Bailey’s punts in practice have been lost in orbit. His directional kicking still needs work, but the fifth-round rookie should get there. Particularly with his ability to boom kickoffs, the punter job is quickly becoming his to lose.

TOUGHEST CUTS

S Nate Ebner

S Obi Melifonwu

TE Stephen Anderson

OG James Ferentz

P Ryan Allen

CB Duke Dawson

WR Dontrelle Inman