Here’s a second guess at what the Patriots’ 53-man roster will look like when they take the field three weeks from Monday for their regular-season opener against the Dolphins. There are a few changes from our first roster rundown, including at running back, tight end and on the defensive line. In addition, a flurry of personnel moves — the addition of players like Ricky Brown and James Ihedigbo, among them — have caused a few tweaks to who will be making the final 53.

Quarterback (3): Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett.

No changes here, despite Mallett’s occasional struggles Thursday against Tampa.

Offensive line (8): Matt Light, Nate Solder, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Sebastian Vollmer, Dan Connolly, Rich Ohrnberger, Ryan Wendell.

Wendell, who has been injured for the last couple of weeks, could go on PUP. If he does start the season on the sidelines, that could open up a spot elsewhere on the roster for someone like Steve Maneri, Darius Butler or Eric Moore. There’s also the growing possibility that Solder could see time at right guard — he’s spent a lot of time over there in practice over the last couple of weeks. That could also change things when the final 53 is assembled.

Tight end (3): Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Will Yeatman.

Based on what happened in Tampa, we’ve flip-flopped Yeatman with fifth-round pick Lee Smith. Yeatman has come on strong as of late, which would make it highly unlikely that he’d make it through waivers and onto the practice squad. Newly-acquired Garrett Mills has practice squad eligibility left as well. And as we said last week, the possibility remains that Alge Crumpler returns at some point in 2011.

Running back (5): BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead, Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, Sammy Morris.

We’ve added Morris, who brings positional versatility and professionalism. It’s also anticipated that Kevin Faulk will start the year on PUP.

Wide receivers (7): Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Chad Ochocinco, Julian Edelman, Taylor Price, Matthew Slater, Brandon Tate.

Slater continues to catch everything thrown his way, and has showed value as a special teamer. Tate is undoubtedly on the hot seat, but he remains the best option at kick returner at this point.

Special teamers (3): Stephen Gostkowski, Zoltan Mesko, Matt Katula.

The possibility exists that the Patriots could keep Chris Koepplin around for kickoffs — something they’ve done throughout the first two games of the preseason — while having Gostkowski work exclusively on field goals and extra points, but that’s remote at this point.

Defensive end (4): Mark Anderson, Andre Carter, Jermaine Cunningham, Shaun Ellis.

Intriguing spot. On Thursday, Carter showed why you can’t NOT have him on the roster. But what of Cunningham? And now that he’s off PUP, everyone is still waiting to see how much Ellis still has in the tank. Needless to say, this could be a fluid spot going forward.

Defensive tackle (5): Vince Wilfork, Albert Haynesworth, Mike Wright, Gerard Warren, Kyle Love.

Another interesting spot that could see some movement between now and the start of the season. Several big bodies haven’t been in pads for a long time — do players like Ron Brace and Brandon Deaderick start on PUP? Love has certainly shown enough that he deserves a spot.

Linebacker (6): Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes, Dane Fletcher, Rob Ninkovich, Gary Guyton, Ricky Brown.

If the Patriots carry six linebackers, either Brown or special teams ace Tracy White will take the final spot.

Cornerback (4): Devin McCourty, Leigh Bodden, Kyle Arrington, Ras-I Dowling.

Dowling in pads has been a rare sight. If he isn’t ready to go Week One — or if another body starts on PUP — that could open a spot for Darius Butler.

Safety (5): Patrick Chung, James Sanders, Sergio Brown, Brandon Meriweather, James Ihedigbo.

Lots of questions here: Will Sanders be ready to go for the start of the regular season? Can Ihedigbo get up to speed in time for the start of the regular season? And how will Meriweather’s situation play out? Another spot where there will likely be movement between now and the start of the regular season.