By John Sarianides

We all know how important Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Dont’a Hightower are to the Patriots success in 2017 but there are other guys that will need to step it up in order for the Patriots to be successful this season. 

Here are five players that must play well in 2017 if the Patriots are going to meet the lofty expectations set for them. 

1. Dwayne Allen, TE: Allen was brought in to complement Rob Gronkowski as the second tight end but he was brought in as an insurance policy in case Gronkowski got hurt again. 

Allen replaces Martellus Bennett who was extremely productive last season as the second tight end. Bennett stepped in when Gronkowski got hurt last season and the Patriots offense didn’t skip a beat. Those are big shoes to fill, especially when you consider that Allen isn’t as big or athletic as Bennett. Despite that, he needs to be as productive as Bennett was last season because the Patriots will be leaning on him both as a blocker and as a receiver. 

2. Kony Ealy, DE: Ealy was brought in to juice up a stale pass rush. The Patriots couldn’t get to opposing quarterbacks last season unless they brought pressure. They need more of a pass rush from their outside linebackers and defensive ends in non pressure situations. That’s why they traded for Ealy and drafted Derek Rivers and Deatrich Wise.

Ealy ran hot and cold in Carolina but there is no doubt he has the explosive pass rush ability the Patriots were looking for when they acquired him. He could be a key contributor this season, especially in sub packages. 

3. Cyrus Jones, CB: Lets face it, Jones has been a bust thus far. Forget about him as a kick returner. His confidence is shot and I wouldn’t chance putting him back there to return kicks. 

The Patriots need Jones to contribute in sub packages as a nickel or dime corner. He will have to compete against Eric Rowe, Jonathan Jones and Justin Coleman but he is talented enough to compete with those guys for playing time. 

4. Mike Gillislee, RB: Gillislee replaces LeGarrette Blount as the Patriots primary ball carrier. We all know that the Patriots like to use their backs in different ways depending on the game plan and situations so Gillislee will be featured more some weeks than others. 

Gillislee is more versatile than Blount was so he could get more touches in the passing game but he will fill the same role as Blount for the most part. Gillislee will get goal line and short yardage carries as well as be the featured back in four minute situations. 

5. Shaq Mason, OG: Mason is undersized which hurts him in terms of securing a starting job. He got run over at times last season and needs to prove he can play against bigger defensive tackles inside, especially three technique defensive tackles with length. If he struggles again, Mason could find himself standing next to Dante Scarnecchia an awful lot this season.