# Zac Ventola: Ventola projects the Patriots' safety and defensive tackle depth charts, naming Kevin Byard III and Craig Woodson as starting safeties, Dell Pettus, Mike Brown and Brenden Schooler as locked-in backups/roster spots, and Milton Williams and Christian Barmore as starting defensive tackles with Cory Durden and Joshua Farmer as top backups. **Claimed:** Aug 7, 2026 **Pundit:** Zac Ventola — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/zac-ventola **Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/sports-illustrated **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi/patriots-reshape-depth-by-signing-s-eric-butler-releasing-dt-david-blay-jr 9 checkable claims — 6 depth chart calls and 3 roster spot calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 10 players and teams, each linked to their own record. 1 of 9 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls. Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one. > Veteran Kevin Byard III and 2025 draft pick Craig Woodson project to be the group's starters. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Dell Pettus to make the roster** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Dell Pettus, New England Patriots - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Joshua Farmer to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Joshua Farmer, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **Kevin Byard to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Kevin Byard, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **Christian Barmore to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Christian Barmore, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **Milton Williams to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Milton Williams, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **Brenden Schooler to make the roster** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Brenden Schooler, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **Cory Durden to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Cory Durden, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **Craig Woodson to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Craig Woodson, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **Mike Brown to make the roster** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Mike Brown, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Dell Pettus — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/dell-pettus - New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/patriots - Joshua Farmer — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/joshua-farmer - Kevin Byard — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/kevin-byard - Christian Barmore — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/christian-barmore - Milton Williams — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/milton-williams - Brenden Schooler — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/brenden-schooler - Cory Durden — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/cory-durden - Craig Woodson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/craig-woodson - Mike Brown — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/mike-brown-9699 ## What others said about the same people - Chris Long on New England Patriots: Previewing Week 2, Long called New England a spot to bounce back against Pittsburgh, projected a 27-14 Patriots win, saw Eagles-Titans as a 23-10 grinder, liked the Rams' spot Monday night against the Giants, and wrote down a Bills 31, Lions 23 final for the Thursday nighter. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ab903e00-9f1b-4862-91a6-96343679649c (scored 100) - Green Light with Chris Long on New England Patriots: A co-host floated Week 2 final scores — a 17-13 Patriots win over Pittsburgh and a 27-10 Rams win over the Giants on Monday night — plus a Bills 34, Lions 26 Thursday night score, and referred to Joey Porter as a soon-to-be New York Giant. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/46e7ae3b-cc96-4521-972c-7090a967e636 (scored 69.05) - Nate Tice on New England Patriots: Tice picked the Bengals over the Texans in a low-scoring game, the Jaguars at Denver, the Bears over the Vikings, the Patriots over the Steelers and the Rams to edge the Giants, and his Hail Mary was the Cowboys scoring 40 on Washington. He also floated Abdul Carter as a possible All-Pro. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b6211c80-3d1c-46b8-8a0c-151fc0ba92de (scored 100) - Chris Broussard on New England Patriots: Broussard picked the Bills to beat the Chargers in a competitive, higher-scoring game, said the Chiefs will rout the Dolphins, and for upset alert parlayed the Patriots over the Jaguars and the Raiders over the Saints. He also restated his Cowboys-versus-Ravens Super Bowl matchup pick. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dee7585c-6da6-4afc-9954-ff32cf8de4e3 (scored 0) - Danny Parkins on New England Patriots: In the winners-only chips segment Parkins backed the Patriots over the Jaguars, the Bengals over the Steelers and the Ravens over the Cowboys in Brazil. He also said New England has a real shot at a top-10 defense and that Kayshon/Romeo Dobbs will be the Patriots' number one target. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/88f60b41-3824-4b00-b0f0-f434c55c539b (scored 0) - Mark Wahlberg on New England Patriots: Wahlberg went game-by-game through the Patriots' schedule and predicted a 14-3 season, with losses only at Buffalo, to the Lions in Germany, and at Kansas City. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/14761919-29fa-4eda-a3d4-ba0f76f399c2 (scored 0) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Garrett Podell on Case Keenum: Podell ranks all 32 current NFL starting quarterbacks entering Week 3 of the 2026 season, with Josh Allen first, Patrick Mahomes second and Case Keenum last. He also expects Kyler Murray and Michael Penix Jr. to return to action in Week 3 and Case Keenum to possibly start for the Bears. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0e92b59e-0dd1-43c3-80c1-6551a8b641ac (scored 100) - Fox Sports on Case Keenum: A roundup of NFC injury news expects Jameis Winston to start for the Giants in any games Jaxson Dart misses, and suggests third-stringer Case Keenum could end up starting for the Bears against the Eagles in Week 3 with both Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent sidelined. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3aff6d9f-b997-480e-b323-740b6a4677ed (scored 100) - Fox Sports on Case Keenum: With Caleb Williams injured and Tyson Bagent in concussion protocol, third-string quarterback Case Keenum is expected to start for the Bears against the Eagles in Week 3. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7726bb2f-b9aa-4c35-aa7b-e0b49990e867 (scored 100) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Jonah Coleman: In his Week 3 waiver column, Fitzmaurice makes several depth-chart calls around injuries: Jonah Coleman leading Denver's backfield, Marcus Mariota taking over in Washington, Michael Penix Jr. starting once healthy, and Malik Washington serving as Miami's top receiver, plus availability expectations for Detroit's injured safeties. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2cbd48f6-15ea-4aa5-84bc-bcc50d94d09a (scored 0) - Fox Sports on Michael Penix Jr.: Fox Sports states that a healthy Tua Tagovailoa will serve as Atlanta's backup quarterback in Week 3, with Michael Penix Jr. handling the starting duties against Green Bay. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a90e69a8-707f-43e9-a63e-cdb3e7bd0829 (scored 100) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Aaron Jones: In previewing the 10 most intriguing fantasy performers of Week 2, Fitzmaurice expects Atlanta's quarterback problems to persist with Tua Tagovailoa unlikely to play and Michael Penix Jr. not ready to return, flags Falcons slot corner Billy Bowman Jr. as a possible Week 2 returnee, and describes Aaron Jones as Minnesota's lead back and Kaelon Black as the clear backup to Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/31adc8bb-8f15-453f-bbcf-cab44e29b8b3 (scored 100) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=zac-ventola