Monday Patriots Notebook 7/22: News and Notes
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Some Patriots news and notes for this Monday:
Heading into 2024, the Patriots find themselves with five players who are each potentially heading into their final seasons with the team at cornerback, with Marco Wilson, Shaun Wade, Alex Austin, Jonathan Jones, and Azizi Hearn all in the last year of their current deals.
The Patriots have just six players signed beyond 2024, with Marcus Jones (2025), Isaiah Bolden (2026), Kaleb Ford-Dement (2026), Mikey Victor (2026), Christian Gonzalez (2026, with a 5th-year option for 2027) and rookie draft pick Marcellas Dial (2027) among that group. Only two of them are expected starters, with both Marcus Jones and Gonzalez falling into that category. Both Bolden and Dial are guys people are hoping will emerge, especially since the club still has somewhat of a question mark opposite Gonzalez in the secondary.
Veteran Jonathan Jones has stepped in at times, but at 5’10”, 185 pounds, he’s not the type of player you generally prefer to have on the perimeter. He’s best used in the slot, but injuries to this group in recent years have seen him get called on to play on the outside.
Jones has been a reliable player who is just as good of a person off the field as he is on it. The veteran has put in a massive amount of time in the community, often being spotted at various charity events, which has been something he’s remained committed to. He’s been a key piece of their locker room, with teammates often talking about his leadership, and he’s been incredibly valuable during his tenure here.
He’s the oldest of the group at 30 years old, and he’s heading into the final year of his current contract. He’s someone they’d likely prefer to keep around, but he’s also been banged up, so the club really needs someone else to emerge on the outside to take some of the load off.
That’s why it would be nice to see someone like Austin potentially also emerge. The 6’1″, 195-pound second-year player filled in at that role in 2023, with the Patriots signing the former 7th-round selection by Buffalo in early November.
Austin worked his way into the line-up, playing 13 snaps against the Steelers in Week 14, along with 100% of the snaps against the Chiefs the following week. He then finished off the final three weeks appearing in 65% (at Denver), 74% (at Buffalo, including an interception), and 57% in the finale against the Jets.
He’s a player who continues to generate some buzz heading into training camp, provided he can build from where he left off last season. He’s also set to be an exclusive rights free agent next spring.
Meanwhile, Wade, who is also 6’1″, 195 pounds, has seemingly seen his stock drop and is potentially facing a fair amount of pressure. He had some good moments last season, but he was inactive three times last year and played exclusively special teams in three others. As a result, it doesn’t feel like he’s necessarily a lock to make the roster, depending on how this next month goes for him.
Bolden, at 6’2″, 205 pounds, could be someone to keep an eye on. Bolden had a great camp last summer and had appeared to be building some momentum prior to the devastating injury he suffered in preseason, which ended the game against the Packers and ultimately sent him to injured reserve. The good news is that injury is in the rearview, and Bolden has made it clear on social media this offseason that he’s focused on hopefully surprising people in the coming weeks.
Another person who could be a candidate is Dial, who is 6’0″, 190 pounds and someone who has been described as a “sticky” player, with the standout from South Carolina being the lone defensive pick selected this spring. The sixth-round pick is, by all accounts, just a solid player with a knack for being around the football, so it should be fun to see how his development goes.
One additional possibility could include Stephon Gilmore, who continues to be a name that has been mentioned a fair amount. He remains a free agent and he’s been pretty vocal about being a guy who can still contribute.
Gilmore told Josina Anderson last week, “If teams want to win, I think they should sign the best players. I know I’m still a starter in this league. I started games last year, but the season doesn’t start until September, we got a while.”
Whether or not that ends up being New England is another story, but signing him would certainly solidify things.
It’s a unit with some solid depth, but as we saw last season, a couple of injuries could definitely change the dynamic. One would have to hope they’re a little luckier this time around compared to what they dealt with in 2023.
Either way, it remains a key area to watch. Opportunity is definitely knocking. Who will step up and answer the call for them in the coming weeks will absolutely be one of the key storylines of this training camp.
Mike Reiss of ESPN reported on Sunday that the Patriots may be tweaking their uniforms this season. Reiss wrote in his Sunday column that the team has had “internal discussions about possibly wearing silver pants (instead of the standard blue) for a game(s)” but that there’s yet to be any confirmation of when this might happen. Many people have talked about this look, which we’ve seen previously, but it would add some additional contrast in color over the blue pants they’ve also worn in recent years. … The consensus among many seems to still be on seeing the Patriots try to potentially get a deal done with San Francisco to acquire disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but on paper, it just doesn’t seem feasible. The 49ers have already said they don’t intend to move the disgruntled wideout, which is the first hurdle. Add in the fact John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have been notorious for trying to hold players hostage and acquire first-round picks, and it feels even less likely. It’s been mentioned here previously, but many likely remember, at least for anyone who followed the Jimmy Garoppolo saga over the final portion of his tenure there, how stubborn they tend to be. One other factor is that given the uncertainty for the Patriots heading into the 2024 season, the odds may be good that depending on how this season goes – especially given the bear of a schedule the Patriots are up against – that pick could see them picking among the top 10 in 2025. Giving that up when the club still may need a quality offensive tackle or possibly another position next spring just doesn’t make sense. The best they can hope for would be for Aiyuk to hit free agency, but knowing San Francisco, they may still look to franchise and trade him. That would just make things more complicated, which, again, seems to be a thing given how they operate. … Ben Volin of the Boston Globe pointed out in his Sunday football notes that former Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown plans on enjoying life as a cowboy after his playing days are over. Brown reportedly bought a ranch in Bastrop Texas in 2021 and has it well-stocked and it currently includes 90 cattle and about 24 performance horses. “I plan on this being my life after football,” said Brown. “Completely hands-on, full cowboy every day.” For now, he’s preparing to hopefully protect Bengals QB Joe Burrow for this upcoming season after signing with the Bengals earlier this spring. … Speaking of Cincinnati, it sounds like they’re finally doing the right thing by former running back Corey Dillon. He’s set to be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor on September 23. Dillon reportedly got the news directly from Bengals president Mike Brown. “It was a beautiful conversation, man. To be honest with you, it was just like appreciating each other. I deeply appreciated that call from him,” said Dillon. “That meant a lot to me to finally have that conversation. It felt like we put a lot of stuff to rest just with that conversation alone.” Dillon spent seven seasons in Cincinnati, with his final three NFL campaigns coming in New England. His first in 2004 was certainly huge, with the club winning its second-straight title, making it the Patriots third in four seasons.
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Jonathan Jones – yea his best position is slot, but he’s a great athlete and showed he can play outside CB quite cabably. There was also thought to move him to free safety post McCourty departure. . He was the pats fastest player for a number of years. He’s solidly built and he can tackle. He’s of the mold physically where he could be a Roman Phifer type, where he may be able to play well into his mid thirtys. He’s a great person in the clubhouse and off the field as well. Last year, he was hurt most of… Read more »
Aiyuk goes to a team that can win now. The pats don’t even know what they have in-house yet in Tavon Baker, Polk, Boutte, KJ Osborne and if Pop Douglas can hold up given his size. Even Bourne is a variable given the injury. Aiyuk is something you think about in a year. The proverbial ‘icing on the cake’. And that is if the new group at WR has gaps and no true #1. What they do need to channel money into now/short-term is an OT. Preferrably LT. Now that makes sense.