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Updates from Week 4
Quarterbacks
The Patriots' passing game has looked sloppy, to say the least, throughout training camp. After the preseason finale, CBS Boston’s Matt Geagan said: “The Patriots are out of preseason tune-ups. Unfortunately, the offense looks like they could use a few more.” In that finale, quarterback Mac Jones struggled mightily and wore his frustration on his sleeve. "I've got to do a better job of stepping up and delivering the throws,” Jones said afterward. “Just stepping up in the pocket and getting the ball out instead of running around and putting my line in a bad position.” Of course, coach Bill Belichick offered his own brand of tender support and incisive commentary: “I don’t know. I’m sure everybody has their own emotions.” All told, Jones flashed between serviceable and bad Friday night, building to a truly baffling interception thrown into a sea of Raiders. Geagan has real concerns, pointing to Jones’ lack of comfort and recognition in the pocket, “even when the offensive line was giving him time to operate.” Jones’ preseason woes – which have come mostly with the Patriots’ starters and against opposing backups – simply don’t offer much confidence with the Dolphins’ stout defense up first.
Running Backs
The running back room looks pretty well set, with Damien Harris apparently surviving a preseason full of trade rumors. Harris seems redundant as a one-gear plodder in a versatile group, though, and it’s worth noting the team did trade contract-year plodder Sony Michel in late August of last year. Belichick continues to stress the importance of versatility in his backfield and that pass-catching and protection factor heavily into playing time. That kind of talk makes Rhamondre Stevenson so appealing to fantasy drafters who note his dual-threat ability (3.0 catches a game as a senior at Oklahoma). The concept of Stevenson popping up in James White’s vacated third-down role has been discussed all offseason, and it got a boost last week with Ty Montgomery’s injury. One thing is sure: rookie Pierre Strong won’t be a candidate for early-season touches, according to NBC Boston’s Phil Perry. Despite Strong’s fourth-round draft status, Perry figures he “probably isn’t deserving of a roster spot at the moment.”
Wide Receivers
A pair of underwhelming veterans, left for dead by many, may have turned their fortunes for the better in the final week of the preseason. DeVante Parker, brought in to serve as the team’s nominal No. 1 wideout, left Boston media gushing with a strong week of practices. By most accounts, Parker had flashed that No. 1 ability throughout camp but had characteristically struggled with inconsistency and minor dings. Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian left camp thrilled with his “knack for shooting up as high as needed and making sure he's the one who comes down with the ball in a crowd.” Guregian points to a specific touchdown in joint practices with the Panthers, in which Parker soared over two Carolina starters for a tough end-zone catch, as reason for optimism. “Throughout camp, it wasn’t unusual to see Parker make those kind of plays,” she writes, “which bodes well for the offense going forward.” Down the depth chart, Nelson Agholor may have saved his Patriots jersey with two impressive bounce-back weeks of practice. Guregian called out Agholor as the “most improved” Patriot down the training camp stretch, calling him “a completely different player” than the one that struggled so profoundly last year. The team needs all the dynamism it can find, particularly with explosive rookie Tyquan Thornton out the first two months of the season. Thornton had impressed with his speed and big-play chops, even chiming in with a red-zone touchdown in the preseason opener. His injury should land him on IR and allow the team to keep impressive rookie Tre Nixon, if only for an early-season look. Nixon’s dynamic camp came mostly against the scout team, but “nobody works harder,” according to Belichick.
Tight Ends
The Patriots tend to stockpile tight ends, but this year’s depth chart looks shorter and more streamlined as the position. Co-starters Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith are locked into their roles, even if their week-to-week projections remain anyone’s guess. There’s at least reason to believe one or both can round into consistency, and it was encouraging to see Smith so involved in camp. Once a promising all-around prospect, Devin Asiasi now looks like a shaky bet to survive final cuts. Neither he nor journeyman Matt Sokol has impressed in camp, and the team has already moved former wideout Lil’Jordan Humphrey into the tight end room. That versatility would allow the shrewd Belichick to keep fewer tight ends and stock other positions on gameday.
Defense
Belichick’s defense always depends upon at least one elite coverage man on the boundary, allowing him to push more aggressive tactics up front. In recent years they’ve let studs Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson walk, leaving the No. 1 job to veteran Jalen Mills to enter 2022. And according to Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian, he’s been solidly up to the task. “He’s tenacious, disruptive, and aggressively attacks the football,” she writes while calling Mills “the best player in camp” by the time it wrapped.
Returners
Rookie Marcus Jones will field punts for the Patriots this year, but it’s uncertain whether he’ll also field kickoffs. Ty Montgomery would have been an option, but he’ll open the season on short-term IR. Rookie running back Pierre Strong could take advantage of the opportunity in the meantime.
Updates from Week 3
Quarterbacks
The Panthers game did little to soothe anyone’s fears over Mac Jones or the direction of the offense. Jones and the starters opened the game with a pair of three-and-outs before finally engineering a touchdown against Carolina’s backups. CBS Boston’s Michael Hurley noted a “skittish” Jones and documented a few early misfires, both of which fit the general theme of Jones’ camp. For every high point, there have been several equally low ones. Even so, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe remains optimistic. “I can say with a high degree of certainty the feeling toward Jones is overwhelmingly positive around the league,” Howe reported just last week. “… He made good reads [in last week’s practices] when given time to operate. He clearly sees the whole field, is willing to be patient as receivers work their way through coverages and steps into passes to deliver them with accuracy.”
Running Backs
In the wake of losing team stalwarts James White and Brandon Bolden, the New England backfield is again scrambling to piece itself together. Thankfully, few have been as adept at managing a crowded backfield than coach Bill Belichick. Presumed co-starters Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson got their first snaps of the preseason Friday, and they’re gearing up to dominate the backfield. The prevailing question on Stevenson is whether he can take a sophomore step forward as an all-around back. And if Belichick is to be believed, that’s not a concern at all. “[He’s] done a really good job improving his pass game skills, starting with blitz pickup and protection,” Belichick told reporters last week. “Route running – he’s got good hands, catching the ball’s never really been an issue… He’s way better than he was last year, and he understands that’s an important part of his game.” It’s hard to see journeyman Ty Montgomery, who’s on his fifth NFL roster, locking down a prominent role that blocks the talented Stevenson’s path. Harris won’t merely step aside and cede his top spot; for his part, he outperformed Stevenson against the Panthers. But he’s also an obvious trade candidate as an injury-prone, one-dimensional cog in a deep backfield. Of course, he’ll be harder to deal away if fourth-round rookie Pierre Strong can’t snap out of his funk and provide quality depth. NBC Boston’s Phil Perry named Strong his “invisible man” of Patriots camp, then watched him turn 7 carries into 23 plodding yards against the Panthers. Down the depth chart, Perry also thinks Montgomery has created enough buzz to hold off camp body J.J. Taylor – and that Strong’s draft status should do the same.
Wide Receivers
The Patriots’ wide receiver room is high on quantity, and the hunt is now on for whatever quality is to be found here. And last week was a shaky one for the already-dire depth chart, creating more questions than answers for a head-scratching unit. Staffed mostly with special-teamers and end-of-bench types, the team has high hopes for lightning-fast rookie Tyquan Thornton, only to watch him to go down with an ambiguous shoulder injury against the Panthers. It looks like he'll miss a couple of months with a collarbone injury, and that should securely lock Nelson Agholor onto the roster – even though the team could save $5-10 million by cutting ties. To be fair, Agholor seems to have flipped a switch in camp and made a pair of impressive catches Friday night. Over the past week, he’s been utilized more than any other Patriots receiver, including over the middle and near the goal line. “I don't know if I've seen a receiver who understands football as well as he does, in terms of just general knowledge,” Jones said last week after a particularly sharp session. “He's almost like a quarterback out there.” Slot specialist Jakobi Meyers has spent much of the past two years as the team’s nominal No. 1, but ex-Dolphin DeVante Parker better fits that mold, at least on paper. Parker’s camp showing has been wildly mixed, drawing reviews ranging from “catch-less” and “hot-and-cold” to "a jump-ball vacuum" and “extremely impressive.” Any hint of his downfield and contested-catch chops from his Miami days would be music to Belichick’s ears. The odd man out may be Kendrick Bourne, a pleasant surprise in 2021 but a consensus disappointment in this year’s camp. Bourne has underwhelmed and was kicked out of practice last week; Howe wonders whether impressive rookie Tre Nixon could take his roster spot.
Tight Ends
Both Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith will see ample time in 2022, and both will likely continue to cannibalize each other’s week-to-week fantasy value. Smith’s 2021 usage was so minuscule that he’s the far less predictable name here, but SI.com’s Albert Breer is at least optimistic. Breer thinks Smith looks “more comfortable” even as the offense tumbles through one sea change after another. For his part, Henry missed a practice last week with what Howe called “a minor injury.” Devin Asiasi could be on his last legs, while fellow third-year player Dalton Keene was already released this week.
Defense
The Patriots defense spent most of the start of camp dominating its own offense. Last week, it turned its attention to the Panthers in joint practices – and got roughly the same results. Of course, Belichick’s tightly regimented defense doesn’t work without top-flight cornerback play, and he’s watched both Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson leave town over the past two years. Thankfully, it appears his hunches were good ones and that the team has restocked suitably. The long-underrated Jalen Mills continues to impress, while the team remains high on Jonathan Jones across from him, perhaps with rookie Marcus Jones in the slot.
Offensive Line
Left tackle Trent Brown re-signed with the Patriots this offseason, retaking the spot he manned during their 2018 Super Bowl run. Brown has been injury prone in the past but appears in good shape this season. The problem is at right tackle, where Isaiah Wynn has missed over a week with an undisclosed injury. There's a real chance Yodny Cajuste could win the job from Wynn before Week 1. The Patriots' line is a decent group, but concerns about Wynn could hold down their overall grade.
Updates from Week 2
Quarterbacks
Mac Jones’ shaky offseason didn’t get any rosier this week. The offense as a whole has looked rudderless and mistake-prone, and while Jones has been far from the only problem, he’s regressed from his strong rookie camp. “I’m going to figure it out,” Jones told reporters last Wednesday. “I always have, I always will… When there’s 10 people that look into my eyes, I know they’re going to trust me to do the right thing on game day.” Jones’ confidence, however, isn’t widely shared by Patriots media. The offense was described throughout the week as “broken,” “overwhelmed,” and “distressingly bad.” Last week kicked off with the offense’s “worst practice yet,” according to Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan, who called Jones “flustered” and “far from perfect” as he worked through the unit’s issues. Jones completed just 10 of his 23 throws that day, taking several sacks and struggling to move the offense without shooting its own foot. Jones and company may have bounced back a bit the next day, but onlookers remain concerned. “Baby steps,” Callahan cautions, although “…one decent practice does not erase a week of worry.”
Running Backs
An era of Patriots lore ended Thursday when James White announced his retirement. White had been hampered (and already placed on PUP) by a debilitating hip injury, so the team is at least prepared for life without him. They’ve added pass-game specialist Ty Montgomery to camp; he and holdover J.J. Taylor continue to split reserve snaps on passing downs. But Boston media seems convinced it’ll be Rhamondre Stevenson reaping most of White’s vacated pass-catching role. Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan points out that Stevenson “flashed soft hands” and “became the rare [Patriots] rookie running back to contribute right away” in 2021, and offseason reports on Stevenson were nothing short of glowing. It’s fair to salivate over the idea of the impressive size/speed prospect taking over three-down duties. But Stevenson’s value would shoot into the stratosphere if presumed starter Damien Harris were to be dealt away, as was pondered last week by SI.com’s Albert Breer. Harris is coming off a 15-touchdown season but feels expendable as an injury-prone prodder in such a deep, versatile backfield. Neither saw action in the preseason opener, so it doesn’t appear Harris is actively sitting on the trade block. But the Patriots are never passive, and it would surprise no one to see him follow the Sony Michel route out of town in a contract-year trade. The team used the opener to get a better look at its rookies, Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris, and the results weren’t encouraging. Neither has dazzled in camp, and the pair combined to turn their 14 touches into just 32 yards against the Giants.
Wide Receivers
After literally decades of whiffing on about every receiver they’ve drafted, the team is cautiously optimistic over rookie Tyquan Thornton’s camp. Andrew Callahan gushed last week over Thornton’s dynamism, a trait desperately needed on this ragtag depth chart. “His combination of acceleration and long speed is unique to this roster,” Callahan notes, “something the Pats must maximize if he cracks the top four of their depth charts. He's a big play waiting to happen.” Thornton was the combine’s fastest wideout (4.28), and the light seems to be coming on. He’s impressing veteran teammates and working all over the field (“not just go routes every time,” says cornerback Jalen Mills), likely as the direct backup to presumed No. 1 DeVante Parker. For his part, Parker has had an up-and-down camp, and last week was widely seen as an upswing. For what it’s worth, The Athletic’s Chad Graff thinks practice-squadder Tre Nixon may have the inside track on the final roster spot. That could be in place of veteran Nelson Agholor, whose departure would save the team $5-10 million.
Tight Ends
In their first year together, Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith made more than their share of splash plays but with no consistency whatsoever. Their path to fantasy value hinges on regular playing time, and while both sat the preseason opener, there’s good news coming from camp. Pats Pulpit’s Brian M. Hines notes that the team has utilized Henry and Smith together in 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends) extensively, and while that’s mostly for blocking purposes, it at least keeps them on the field. When they are, their natural talent and dynamism always make them big-play and big-game threats.
Defense
As always, coach Bill Belichick is piecing together a pass rush from whole cloth. Last year’s group wasn’t effective (23rd in pass-rush win rate), but 2022 is looking more optimistic. In his detailed breakdown of the preseason opener, Andrew Callahan raved over the depth of options pushing the pocket, both up front and on the second level. Linebacker Matt Judon is a star, and he’s flanked by an improving group of Josh Uche, Mack Wilson, and others. And the emergence of second-year tackle Christian Barmore should only free up the playmakers more.
Returners
The Patriots had arguably the best punt returner in the NFL in Gunner Olszewski, but Olszewski signed with the Steelers this offseason. In his place, the team will likely turn to rookie Marcus Jones to field punts, though it's notable that Bill Belichick has a long history of cycling through a deep rotation in the absence of a clear standout option of options throughout the season.
Updates from Week 1
Quarterbacks
Even as a run-heavy, defense-oriented team, the Patriots know they need a sophomore step forward from quarterback Mac Jones. The offense was plagued by inconsistency and a lack of playmaking through the first week of camp. On Saturday, NFL Network’s Mike Girardi posted ominous words of concern on Jones’ progress heading into year two. Girardi made a point to clarify that it’s not all Jones’ fault. The offense struggled to support him as well. It’s certainly not the early take you want to see, particularly in an offensive situation as wide-open and full of questions as this one with Matt Patricia pegged as the play caller. Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald called out the need for at least one No. 1-type receiver to create separation and make for an inviting downfield target.
Running Backs
The Patriots don’t seem likely to break from their typical committee-back ways – particularly with coach Bill Belichick taking on a bigger hand in the offense. Luckily, there’s more than enough volume and opportunity to support multiple fantasy assets, so the whole pecking order matters. Damien Harris will continue to start for the time being, but the distance in workload between him and Rhamondre Stevenson is shrinking. Stevenson wows onlookers on a routine basis. “There’s an opening for Stevenson to do more as a pass-catcher,” Perry said as camp opened. “It's only been two days of work, but in that time, he's caught all four passes sent his way in competitive practice periods.” As for Harris, he seems comfortable and spoke of “a little bit of a different role” in the Patriots’ new “simplified, streamlined” offense. It's worth noting that Stevenson was more successful in catching the ball last year than Harris – and in college, too. It would surprise no one to see Harris take the Sony Michel route out the door next year after one Patriots contract. There’s also speedy rookie Pierre Strong (4.37 at the combine), who’s back at practice as of Thursday. He is likely battling versatile journeyman Ty Montgomery for one roster spot.
Wide Receivers
The Patriots again find themselves in dire need of a playmaking receiver to emerge. Seemingly unable to draft or sign a difference-making wideout, they’ll enter the year without consistent playmaking beyond short, sanitized slot routes. Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan took notice, calling out the desperate need for someone to emerge. “DeVante Parker, the team’s projected No. 1, has three catches total this week,” Callahan points out. “That’s four practices, including the team’s first three padded sessions of the summer, where he’s been outpaced by virtually everyone… [Jakobi] Meyers and [Jonnu] Smith gobbled up targets today because they run the safest routes...” Parker boasts above-average size and speed but is not consistent or reliable. He opened camp impressing onlookers without pads on, but reviews turned sour during full-contact work. By last Thursday, SI.com’s Ethan Hurwitz went so far as to call Parker a camp “dud” who’s “been completely fazed out of the offense of late.” Parker wasn’t targeted in Thursday’s practice, and he watched Nelson Agholor, Meyers, and Kendrick Bourne earn more reps in practice. At this point, Meyers is safe to continue serving as the top target. He continues to eat up the middle of the field, find tight windows, and get open. He continues to be a dependable slot target for Jones. If the team can find a dynamic outside option anywhere, Meyers’ value will be even more obvious in the Wes Welker/Julian Edelman role. If nothing else, perhaps rookie Tyquan Thornton can build on an impressive start and win an outside role. Thornton was the combine’s fastest wideout (4.28) and received high praise from receivers coach Ross Douglas. "He's gotten better every single time he's stepped on the field. He truly has a lot of gifts… His development will be key, and we'll get him there."
Tight Ends
It’s nothing new to hear glowing camp reports on Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. Both have been dynamic, productive weapons throughout their careers, and both have long made the fantasy world salivate with high camp usage and big plays downfield. Unfortunately, 2021 clued us in on the fact that there’s still no definitive plan on how to spread the ball to them consistently. Henry likely found his niche as a medium-volume tight end who makes his hay on third downs and near the goal line. But there’s a similar ceiling for Smith, and beat writers are (again) excited about his usage possibilities. Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar is ready to see Smith deployed in more of an H-back role a la Frank Wycheck or Charles Clay, even feeding the dynamic Smith carries on the ground.
Defense
The defense continues to “Dominate” may be a strong word, but they’re consistently winning 11-on-11 and red-zone drills, making life difficult for quarterback Mac Jones and company. Overall, there’s a desperate need for cohesiveness as the secondary prepares for life without shutdown cornerback J.C. Jackson, who left in free agency. If there’s a spot for concern, it may be over the middle, where third-year safety Kyle Dugger continues to struggle a bit in tight-end coverage. Then again, Dugger also showcased his game-breaking abilities by running back a pick-six from Jones from the red zone last week.
