Patriots News 5-26, What The Patriots Need In OTAs

Good morning. Here are your Patriots news and notes for May 26. The Patriots have upcoming OTAs scheduled for May 29-31, June 3-4, and June 6-7. The team’s mandatory minicamp is slated for June 11-13.

There is a lot of work to do before the Patriots, especially the offense, are close to fielding a decent unit. There is an entirely new offense, new coaches, and many new players all trying to learn and gel together.

Alex Van Pelt’s system relies on running the football using outside zone concepts with some gap runs and some traditional power football in the running game. In the passing game, he likes to move the quarterback in the pocket and use play-action to take shots down the field.

In summary, this offense is very different than what the Patriots ran for the past 24 years. And it is going to take time for the players and coaches to find that level of comfort with what works and what doesn’t with the players on the roster.

But they will continue to build…from the ground up in the next 10 practices, including the team mini-camp before they break until training camp. Before we get to the things they need to accomplish in training camp to prepare for the season, we’ll list some of the things that need to happen in OTAs and minicamp.

Quick Hitters For the Patriots and NFL News:

Javon Baker: The team signed Baker to a contract that is a four-year, $4.836 million deal that features $816,600 in signing bonus proration and consists of a $795,000 base salary, per our salary-cap guru Miguel Benzan, aka @patscap.

Baker is the fourth Patriots 2024 draft class member to sign his rookie contract, joining Jaheim Bell, Joe Milton, and Marcellus Dial. This leaves quarterback Drake Maye, wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, offensive tackle Caedan Wallace, and guard Layden Robinson as the club’s unsigned draft picks. But that should happen before training camp begins.

Matthew Judon: The Patriots’ star pass rusher seemed to quash rumors of his leaving via a trade that was floated about by Bleacher Report earlier this week. In this trade scenario, the Patriots would move Judon back to Baltimore.

Judon responded on Twitter or X or whatever the heck it is called now, using a clip from “The Wolf of Wall Street, ” where Leo DiCaprio says, “I’m Not F*****g Leaving!”

Now, the Patriots and Judon need to come to an agreement to keep him here past the 2024 season.

Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: This past week, we discussed the latest news from Foxboro in our PatsFans.com podcast.

Derek Havens and I had a couple of great guests on the podcast this week. Taylor Kyles from CLNS and Chris Price of the Boston Globe joined us. At the outset of the podcast, Chris mentioned that he still lists being a blogger for Patsfans.com as his first foray into covering the Patriots.

Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t in is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed the game with how teams used the tight end position. This will be discussed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.

Area 51 News: What Needs To Get Done Before TC —

The Patriots have 10 more practice sessions before they break for the rest of June and most of July and then begin training camp. Even though there won’t be any contact allowed on the field, a lot can be accomplished before they break.

So, with that in mind, here are a few things that really should get done in their last 10 sessions before they hit training camp in about two months.

May 11, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Javon Baker (6) makes a catch at the New England Patriots rookie camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

(PHOTO: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)

Pare The Wide Receiver Room Down:

As of right now, the Patriots have 11 WRs on the roster. That’s too many, and it isn’t fair to anyone on the roster. The two rookie draft picks, 2nd rounder Ja’Lynn Polk and 4th rounder Javon Baker, will be leaned on this season, perhaps too much so. But if that is the case, they will need their reps. The veterans Demario Douglas and K.J. Osborn need theirs, too. We’re not sure if Kendrick Bourne will even be ready for camp.

As for the veterans firmly on the bubble (JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton), if they are going to show that they can be counted on, they’ll need to each have outstanding summers (not just okay ones).

In Smith-Schuster’s case, he said that he entered camp last year at just 60 percent, healthwise. He says that he’s now 100 percent healthy. He’ll need to show that the debacle that was 2023 is behind him and he’s closer to the 2022 version of himself (933 yards) rather than what we saw a year ago.

Thornton has supposedly packed on added muscle this season. But his route-running needs to be crisper, and most of all, he needs to stay healthy. In the past two seasons, he began the year on IR. That can’t happen this year, or he’ll be gone.

The Patriots did try to land Calvin Ridley during free agency and made a good offer, but it wasn’t enough. Could they still trade for an established wide receiver before camp begins? Absolutely. I wouldn’t be shocked if they rang some phones during June/July. I like Polk and Baker, but they are completely unknowns right now.

However, they need to cut a few WRs and give them a chance to land elsewhere and compete for a job. There are just too many players on the roster right now.

May 11, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive tackle Caedan Wallace (70) and guard Layden Robinson (63) arrive at practice at the New England Patriots rookie camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

(PHOTO: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)

Don’t Limit The Left Tackle Competition To Two:

All through draft season, we all knew that the three biggest needs for the team were QB, WR, and LT. With the #3 overall pick, the Patriots selected Drake Maye, who they hope will lead the team for the next decade plus.

In Rounds 2 and 4, the team double-dipped at WR, taking Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. The Patriots tried to jump back in Round 1 for WR Xavier Leggette from SC, but the Bills wouldn’t trade with them. They did address their needs there, however. Like Maye, they’ll have to show they can answer the team’s needs.

With their 3rd Round pick, the Patriots selected Caedan Wallace after there was a run on tackles earlier. Most draftniks believe that the team reached for Wallace as he only played right tackle at Penn State.

The team signed former Pittsburgh Steeler right tackle Chukwuma Okafor during free agency. He’s been a long-term starter in the NFL, but only at right tackle. Most have this competition as a choice between the two, but the forgotten man may be Calvin Anderson.

Remember, the Patriots gave Anderson a good contract to come to New England from Denver to play left tackle. Then, just prior to training camp, Anderson caught malaria on a trip to Africa and, at the time of his diagnosis, was only given a 50/50 chance to survive.

Anderson had some starts for Denver at left tackle in 2022. Now fully healthy, he’s ready to compete again. I wouldn’t write off his chances of winning the left tackle job.

Add Some Depth To Running Back, Cornerback, And Safety?

Under Alex Van Pelt’s system, they are going to place a premium on running the football. That means they’ll lean heavily on Rhamondre Stevenson. But Ezekiel Elliot is gone, but they replaced him with Antonio Gibson, who has good size and is a good receiver out of the backfield.

I’d feel a little better if they added another back. They have Kevin Harris, who has played sparingly the past two years. While not a dire need, they should at least see what’s out there.

At cornerback, I would love to see the Patriots bring back Stephon Gilmore and pair him with Christian Gonzalez. That would be a dynamic duo if there ever were one. This would allow Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones to return to the slot. It would make an already good defense even better. Gonzalez would be much better off learning from a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

The Patriots have very good depth at safety, but adding a free safety (Justin Simmons) to the mix for a short-term deal could help the defense become a Top 5 unit this season. Knowing they’ll have to lean on the defense, at least for the early part of the season, until the offense gets things figured out is very doable. The cash is there, but whether either player would come to New England is another story.

Parting Shots:

Jason Kelce was talking to his brother Travis on their podcast when the subject of Tom Brady and Deflategate came up. Kelce left no one questioning where he stood on the subject as he defended Brady.

“I don’t even think Tom should have gotten in trouble for deflating footballs,” Kelce said. “I’m pro deflating footballs. I’ll say it. I’ll say it. I am pro-deflating footballs. He outsmarted people. Why the [expletive] does it matter how much air is in that [expletive]? If you’re throwing it and catching it, who the [expletive] cares?

“We’re all mad because he had the common sense to [expletive] take a little air out so that his receivers could catch the [expletive] thing? Why is that against the rules? Y’all could have taken the air out, too. You guys could have taken the air out, too. You just weren’t smart enough. So why am I getting penalized because you’re [expletive] dummies? It’s a rule. It’s a stupid rule, though.”

Kelce also had a hilarious take on the Harrison Butker flap. He said his wife, Kylie didn’t care for Butker’s comments. “Obviously, my wife — she was, I think, a little bit frustrated by some of the comments,” Jason said on his “New Heights” podcast, but in true Kelce fashion, he then said, “I said, ‘Listen, you’re gonna need to go back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich. [There’s] a game right now.’”

Travis Kelce lost it and buried his face in his ball cap while laughing.

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“Yeah, the thing about Slate [Matthew Slater], he can wear so many different hats. He can help as far as technique and coaching is concerned on special teams. He has always been a spiritual leader in our locker room as well, and then once again, just a confidant not only to me, but also to the players. He knows, 100 percent, that I will never put him in a position where he is kind of losing the trust of the players. I want the players to be able to talk to him, knowing it won’t get back to me, and he understands that as well.”

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo, on what it is like having Matthew Slater back in the fold as a member of the coaching staff.

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“Talent sets the floor; Character sets the ceiling.” Bill Belichick

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

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About Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

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