Which undrafted free agents have the best shot at making Patriots' 53-man roster?

BOSTON -- The preseason is over and the Patriots will soon turn their attention to Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. But first, Bill Belichick and crew have to make some roster cuts. A lot of roster cuts, actually.

Every team in the NFL has until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to get their roster to the NFL's 53-man limit. The Patriots will be setting 27 players free over the next 24 hours, which is never an easy thing to do for any team.

While most of the attention will be on which players get cut, there is also a pretty impressive streak on the line in New England. An undrafted free agent has made the Patriots' 53-man roster in each of the last 18 years, and there are a handful of candidates to keep that streak alive in 2022.

The Patriots currently have eight UDFAs on the roster, and four of them made a huge push to make the roster in training camp and in the preseason. If Belichick is really feeling it on Tuesday, there may be more than one UDFA to make the team.

LaBryan Ray, DT

Injuries derailed Ray's career at Alabama, but he's made a strong case for a roster spot with a really solid summer for the Patriots. He's lined up all along the defensive line in camp and though he only had four tackles in preseason action, Ray has shown an ability to be disruptive off the line.

DaMarcus Mitchell, LB

Undrafted out of Purdue, Mitchell has made the most of his playing time this summer. He had himself an evening against Carolina, highlighted by Mitchell beating his man around the edge and strip-sacking Panthers QB PJ Walker in the end zone in the fourth quarter. Mitchell has shown that he can apply pressure to quarterbacks. He's also made some plays on special teams, participating in New England's opening kickoff coverage squad.

Kody Russey, OL

Undrafted out of Houston, Russey held his own along the offensive line for the Patriots. He played center during the preseason but also has experience at guard. The 24-year-old could be a solid depth piece for the interior of the New England offensive line, which is a bit shaky heading into the regular season.

Brenden Schooler, S

He got some playing time at safety and even came down with an interception against the Panthers. But the mustachioed Schooler is built for special teams, and he made plays everywhere on that unit in the preseason. If the Patriots feel comfortable adding a special teams-only player to the mix, Schooler could be Belichick's guy from the UDFA market to make the 2022 New England Patriots.

Those are the four realistic candidates out of the undrafted group to make the roster. Safety Brad Hawkins, defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr., linebacker Nate Wieland, and tight end Jalen Wydermyer are the other UDFAs on the roster at the moment, but will likely be free agents come Tuesday evening.