Patriots News 7-21, Positional Battles To Watch
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Posted Under: Patriots 2024 Training Camp
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Good morning. Here are your Patriots news and notes for July 21. The rookies have already reported to their first training camp. The vets are soon to follow, and camp for the entire team will begin later this week.
It will be an exciting time for the Patriots and the fans in attendance. With a new coaching staff led by new first-time head coach Jerod May and many new players, the camp will be the first in nearly a quarter century without Bill Belichick.
On a personal note, this marks the start of my 13th season writing for Patsfans.com. Time has certainly flown by when you’re having fun. Russ Goldman, Derek Havens, Damien Jarret, and I started our podcast this week 13 years ago.
In this Sunday’s post, we’ll look at the position battles to watch. Last week, we gave you an early look at the 53-man roster with our first projection. You can still find it here.
The Patriots announced the training camp dates that are open to the public, and you can find those on the Patriots website. However, remember that dates and times are subject to change, so check with the site for any updates before making the trek down Route 1.
Rookies On PUP/NFI: The Patriots’ rookies have reported to training camp but two of them are missing some valuable time. Running back Terrell Jennings (PUP) and Jontrey Hunter (NFI) are missing the beginning of training camp.
Jennings, a UDFA from Florida A&M, signed with the team this spring after attending the rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. Hunter, also a UDFA from Georgia State, spent six years there.
Both Jennings and Hunter are eligible to come off of PUP/NFI at any time.
Back To School? The Patriots rookies reported to training camp on Friday, and the team had them hold up small chalkboards signifying the first day of training camp 2024.
It is similar to what kids would do on the first day of the school year. For the rookies, it signifies their first day of the upcoming season as a professional. This was kind of a cool idea by the Patriots. I wonder if the league is doing this as a whole or was it simply a Patriot thing? Either way, “welcome to the party” (Bruce Willis quote).
Patriots Alumni: Patriots alumni are scheduled to appear daily in the fan activities area of the Patriots Training Camp. Here is the list of the alumni and the dates that they are scheduled to appear.
Danny Amendola: The former Patriot is being honored by his alma mater, Texas Tech University, and inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame.
“The fearless attitude of the Red Raider family has been lit inside my bones since the second I walked on campus,” Amendola wrote. “It taught me that the only thing coming to the rescue is the chip we place firmly on our shoulders.
“Such an honor to be inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame. Forever grateful. Forever a Red Raider. GUNS UP.” In his senior year, he caught 109 passes for 1,245 yards and six touchdowns.
He had so many great moments as a Patriot as well. Congratulations, Danny, so well deserved.
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: We returned from our two-week hiatus with a late-night podcast to get us set for training camp. We discussed our best memories from training camp, as he, Russ Goldman, and I would sit together at every session and try to take everything in. There were too many great moments to list them all.
Derek Havens and I discussed some thoughts on contract statuses and my first stab at the 53-man roster. We disagreed on a few selections, but for the most part, we were in lockstep in roster construction. Please check it out.
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.
The Patriots have some positional battles to watch at training camp, and many of those may decide how much improvement the team makes from 2023 to 2024. Of course, getting back Matthew Judon, Christian Gonzalez, and Marcus Jones from injuries will definitely help the defense.
We’re unsure if Kendrick Bourne will be physically ready for camp after his ACL injury last year. Left guard Cole Strange will NOT be ready and will start on PUP. So, let’s get right to it.
This isn’t so much the battle for the #1 quarterback between Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye; we’ll address that below. This is about the competition between Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton for the #3 spot.
I doubt the team will carry four quarterbacks into the season, so one of them must go. Zappe has more experience, but his time with the Patriots has been a roller coaster. The team may not care to carry two rookie quarterbacks into the season.
Milton is a big quarterback with a cannon for an arm. However, he’s more of a project. Would the team risk putting him on waivers to get him on the practice squad? His and Zappe’s play will ultimately decide that.
Drake Maye may push Brissett this summer, which is excellent. That’s what they drafted him for. The evaluation will show where Maye ranks opposite Brissett and set the table for when the team believes he’ll be ready to start.
But it is still in the Patriots’ best interest to start Brissett to begin the season. That’s an even better thing. The roster still has too many question marks to risk Maye at this early juncture.
There are a lot of receivers vying for just a spot or two. Demario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker are locked for the roster. K.J. Osborn has to be considered a near lock. Kendrick Bourne may begin camp on PUP. Otherwise, he’s a lock for the roster as well.
That doesn’t leave much room for Kayshon Boutte, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Reagor, Kawaan Baker, David Wallis, and JaQuae Jackson to compete for possibly only one roster spot. Competition will be fierce.
Questions, questions, questions. A week ago, in my roster projection, I had the starting five of LT Chuks Okarafor, LG Nick Leverett, C David Andrews, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Caedan Wallace. Swing tackle Calvin Anderson, T Layden Robinson, G Sidy Sow, and G/C Jake Andrews are the backups.
But there is considerable room for Vederian Lowe, Atonio Mafi, Tyrone Wheatley, Michael Jordan, Charles Turner, Zuri Henry, and Liam Fornadel to compete. Cole Strange will start the season on PUP or IR.
With Christian Gonzalez back from injury, will the Patriots keep Jonathan Jones at the second boundary corner position or move him back to his familiar slot corner position?
Alex Austin came on late last season and has an excellent chance to become that second outside (boundary) corner in 2024. However, if Jones remains outside, that would free Marcus Jones to man the slot. It is an excellent problem to have. They have their depth back after injuries hampered them a year ago.
Isaiah Bolden, Marcellas Dial, Shaun Wade, Marco Wilson, Azizi Hearn, Mike Victor, and Kaleb Ford-Dement are also competing. Bolden had a great start to camp last year before being injured against the Packers in the preseason.
Victor and Hearn had strong spring practices. Dial has the size, speed, and athleticism to fit right in as a Patriot boundary corner.
The Patriots had issues in the kicking game last year. That’s the PC version of what transpired in 2023. At times, it was downright ugly. Chad Ryland struggled early and carried over to a poor rookie season. To push Ryland, the team brought in veteran Joey Slye this spring.
And Slye was more consistent this spring. But I’d put neither down as anything close to a roster lock. If both show inconsistency this summer, don’t be shocked to see the Patriots bring in another kicker for camp competition. And keep a sharp eye peeled for roster cut-downs at the end of training camp. That could be a very real possibility in early September.
The Patriots are set with a 1-2 punch consisting of Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. Gibson is more of a James White-type back as a passing-down receiver. Or perhaps a Kareem Hunt-type in Alex Van Pelt’s system.
The fourth running back spot will be filled by JaMycal Hasty. He’s an excellent special teamer and a good receiver. In other words, he is a version of Brandon Bolden. But what about the third running back position?
The team needs a reliable big back to ease the onus on Stevenson. Is that player on the roster already? Kevin Harris has flashed in spots thus far in his career. He’d be the favorite to win the job if he flashed more. DeShaun Fenwick and Terrell Jennings will compete as well. It is worth noting that Jennings begins training camp on the PUP list.
But, like the kicker position, keep an eye on the waiver wire. The third running back may still need to be added to the roster. The competition will likewise be fierce with the position. Once the pads come on, we’ll better understand how the position stacks up.
It is sad to see Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor once again running afoul of the law. Taylor was arrested in Florida and charged with failing to report a residence change as a sex offender.
Taylor pleaded guilty to soliciting an underage prostitute who was 16, but Taylor said she told him she was 19 at the time. He turned himself in to the Broward County Sherrif’s Office on Wednesday and was bailed out on Thursday. His lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, said there was a misunderstanding, and his client plans to plead not guilty.
“As with the previous incident involving the same allegations, Mr. Taylor did not knowingly commit any criminal offense. This situation is a significant misunderstanding,” he said.
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com listed five teams that Brandon Aiyuk would fit perfectly on, including the Patriots. Along with New England, Brooks listed Washington, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and the New York Giants.
Brooks pointed to Drake Maye’s red-shirt freshman season, during which he and Josh Downs had great chemistry because of Downs’ savvy route-running and outstanding ball skills.
“As an experienced playmaker with exceptional routes and running skills himself, Aiyuk is the perfect receiver to feature in an offense directed by a rookie starter. The versatile wideout can win on intricate vertical routes or catch-and-run concepts, which would enable the Patriots to maximize the WR1’s usage while keeping the actual playbook small and concise for a young passer,” Brooks wrote.
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“He digested it fast, which is good,” Zolak said. “That’s quick because that’s a lot of terminology at this level.”
Former Patriots quarterback and now colorman for the Patriots games Scott Zolak said on his show that it was difficult for QB Drake Maye to digest what was happening in his whiteboard test with Brian Daboll on “Hard Knocks.” And that what he did was impressive.
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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]
Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on Apple and YouTube as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens, and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.
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Maye could slightly outplay Brissett in summer, and he’s not starting week1. Summer camp is NOT on par with the regular season where game planning comes into play and a veteran will outshine a rookie QB that would get exposed. But the Boston press will not consider that difference in the mix. They didn’t with Mac Jones and they’ve already published their own depth chart moving Maye over Zappe based on OTAs (really?). There is drama story to be had and “milked daily”, if/where it’s a close competition in summer. Bringing in the reality of regular season play douses that… Read more »
I agree with you, but more than anything else, there are so many questions about his supporting cast (OL, WR) that they don’t want to throw him to the wolves. If those groups get a little momentum and chemistry going, then I think that they slide Maye in around mid-season. As to moving him up to #2 over Zappe, they have to do that, to get him reps and further his development. He’ll get much fewer reps as the #3.Thanks for the comments
Kicker/Ryland. At one point late last season, I heard Ryland was making his kicks in practice and then continuing to miss in real games. Head issues I assume? You give a rookie a second chance to hit the reset button and redeem himself this year, but to me, if you had “the jitters” for a whole season, that’s likely to be unfixable. And if he starts to make kicks that he should in make regular season, what happens when the stakes go up and you need a game winner kick to make the playoffs or win/lose a wild card game?… Read more »
I had high hopes for Ryland and thought he would be an excellent kicker. But his early season struggles did get into his head (IMO). He’ll get the chance to turn things around this summer, but as you said, it might be unfixable. We’ll see, he didn’t have a great spring. Thanks again