Patriots 2023 roster breakdown: Diego Fagot trying to prove himself more than a camp body

The New England Patriots are fully “on to 2023.” Training camp and preseason are in full swing, giving players a chance to showcase their talent to the coaching staff and the rest of the league.

At the moment, the Patriots have 90 players on their roster. Only 53 of them will be able to survive roster cutdowns and ultimately make the active team, with others competing for practice squad spots. Over the course of spring and summer, just like we have in years past, we will take an in-depth look at the men fighting for those spots to find out who has the best chances of helping New England rebound from a disappointing 2022 season.

Today, the series continues with second-year linebacker Diego Fagot.

Hard facts

Name: Diego Fagot

Position: Move linebacker/Special teams

Opening day age: 25 (12/30/1997)

Size: 6’3”, 238 lbs

Jersey number: 42

Contract status: Signed through 2023 (2024 UFA)

Experience

A three-sport athlete growing up, Fagot eventually decided to focus on football and as a three-star recruit took his talents to the Naval Academy over offers from Pitt and Central Florida. After playing a rotational role as a true freshman, he became a starting Mike linebacker in Year 2 and never looked back: Fagot ended up starting every game he appeared in between 2019 and 2021 and led the Midshipmen in tackles each of those years.

In total, he ended his college career with 47 in-game appearances with 35 starts. He registered 282 tackles, 9.5 sacks, two interceptions and fumble recoveries each — including two takeaways resulting in touchdowns — and was named to either the first or second All-AAC team in each of his final three years in Annapolis.

His college success did not translate to a lot of NFL success, however. Fagot went undrafted in 2022 and has yet to appear in non-preseason game at the pro level.

2022 review

Stats: N/A

Season recap: Even though he was coming off another productive season at Navy and was invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl, Fagot did not hear his name called in the 2022 NFL Draft. He did generate some free agency interest and was invited to participate in the Baltimore Ravens’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. After receiving permission from the Department of Defense to pursue a career in the NFL, he signed with the organization.

Fagot’s stint in Baltimore was not particularly noteworthy, however. He participated in training camp as an off-the-ball linebacker and special teamer, and saw action in the team’s first two preseason contests.

He registered a pair of tackles in 28 defensive snaps, and three more in 15 kicking game reps. While that latter number was good enough to give him the team-lead in special teams takedowns, it did not prevent him from getting the axe even before the final cutdown deadline: Fagot was released by the Ravens in late August ahead of their third preseason contest.

NFL teams were hesitant to bring him aboard following his cut, but he was ultimately picked 68th overall in the ninth round of the XFL Draft. However, he never played football for the Houston Roughnecks who released him in February before the start of the league’s 2023 season.

2023 preview

What will be his role in 2023? The Patriots have been using Fagot in a two-way role since he joined them ahead of training camp. On the one hand he served in his usual capacity as a linebacker, playing both on and off the ball. Additionally, he has seen extensive action in the kicking game.

What is his growth potential? A physical player with a willingness to initiate contact both on defense — particularly versus the run — and special teams, Fagot offers some skill to work with. That being said, his baseline athleticism does not stand out and he lacks the explosiveness and change-of-direction skills to become a reliable contributor outside of early downs and kicking situations. The best case scenario is that, he develops into an Elandon Roberts type for the Patriots.

Does he have positional versatility? Fagot has shown that he can operate both on and off the line of scrimmage, as well as an inside and outside, but his situational flexibility is limited: he is not particularly suited to drop back into coverage. He can also wear multiple hats on special teams, though, and was used that way in New England’s preseason opener. Playing on all four kickoff and punt teams as well as the extra point blocking squad, he showed good versatility in the game’s third phase.

What is his salary cap situation? Fagot signed a one-year minimum deal when he joined the Patriots in late July. The contract is pretty straight forward in its structure: it contains a $750,000 base salary that simultaneously also functions as the salary cap hit. Given that that number is not enough to qualify for Top-51 status, and that the pact contains no guarantees, Fagot is currently not counting against New England’s books.

How safe is his roster spot? Even though he did see some regular action as an outside linebacker and special teamer in the Patriots’ first preseason game, Fagot is a long shot to make the team. He has not emerged past reserve status so far in training camp, and his ceiling is lower than that of other players on the roster. At best, he will earn a spot on the practice squad but even that is not a given against more experienced players such as Calvin Munson and Joe Giles-Harris.

One-sentence projection: Fagot will neither make the opening 53-man roster nor the first practice squad, but he will remain on the shortlist of potential in-season call-ups should the need arise.

What do you think about Diego Fagot heading into the 2023 season? What is his best-case outlook this year? Does he have a future with the Patriots? Please head down to the comment section to discuss.