{"id":12042,"date":"2017-07-20T06:30:42","date_gmt":"2017-07-20T10:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=12042"},"modified":"2017-07-20T14:24:00","modified_gmt":"2017-07-20T18:24:00","slug":"new-england-patriots-training-camp-primer-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/07\/20\/new-england-patriots-training-camp-primer-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots Training Camp Primer: Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Proven Veteran Leadership, Solid Depth<\/h2>\n

The Patriots head into training camp at the end of next week and there should be no shortage of competition at a number of spots. As a lead-in to the beginning of camp, we\u2019ll break down the positions and give our take on who is a lock, a near lock for the 53-man roster and who is on the bubble. And we\u2019re on to the Safeties.<\/p>\n

Bill Belichick likes to say that the spring\u2019s OTAs and Minicamp is a learning exercise and that the real competition begins in training camp. With a roster of 90 players and no cuts needed before the final 53-man roster cut down, there will be plenty of time for evaluation. And some serious decisions will have to be made to get to the 53-man limit at the end of camp this summer.<\/p>\n

Our earlier evaluations looked at the:
\nRunning Backs<\/a>
\nWide Receivers<\/a>
\nTight Ends<\/a>
\nOffensive Line<\/a>
\nDefensive Line<\/a>
\nLinebackers<\/a>
\nCornerbacks<\/a><\/p>\n

So next up is the Patriots\u2019 safety position. This spring the team had the good fortune and smarts to bring back safety Duron Harmon during free agency. The re-signing of, in essence, the third starter because he plays so many snaps was a win\/win. Harmon has been the team\u2019s third safety in their big nickel package and he\u2019d fill in as the team\u2019s center fielder and many times they\u2019d move McCourty, who used to be a cornerback into the slot.<\/p>\n

McCourty and Chung return and are a savvy pair of veterans. They both should be around for at least 2017 and possibly beyond. The team normally carries a few safeties as special teamers and this year will be no exception.<\/p>\n

So, with that in mind who is locked in and who is on the bubble?<\/p>\n

Roster Locks: Devin McCourty, Pat Chung, Duron Harmon
\n<\/strong>The team is in very good shape at safety to start the season as they have all three starters returning for 2017. McCourty is an excellent free safety and makes all the calls for the secondary as the quarterback back there. He\u2019s a team captain and a leader, on and off the field.<\/p>\n

Not only is he always in the right position but he ensures everyone else is too on the field. He\u2019s like having an extra coach on the field. He\u2019s not a big rah-rah guy but leads by example and makes himself and everyone else accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nPat Chung has been very solid in his second stint in New England. (USA TODAY Images)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Chung has been enjoying a career rejuvenation in his second stint with the Patriots. The coaches use him close to the line of scrimmage in the box where he\u2019s much more effective. He terrific in run support, and like everyone else in the secondary, is a good tackler and is rarely out of position.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s physical and does a pretty good job of covering backs out of the backfield and tight ends close to the line of scrimmage. He\u2019s a solid locker room guy and seems to be a popular teammate while being another quiet leader.<\/p>\n

Bringing back Harmon on what is a pretty team-friendly deal was a great move. He was already essentially a starter with the number of snaps he\u2019s played and he has a tremendous nose for the football. Harmon allows the Patriots to move McCourty around in the big nickel defense. He\u2019s always making big plays at key times and is a very trusted player on the defense.<\/p>\n

If McCourty were to miss any time with an injury, Harmon can be relied on to step in and do the job. Would he be able to make all the calls? That\u2019s a question that we don\u2019t know yet, but he\u2019s another valuable piece of the defense.<\/p>\n

Near Roster Locks: None<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the Bubble: David Jones, Jordan Richards
\n<\/strong>The Patriots signed UDFA safety Jones from Richmond this spring and he may be a player for fans to keep an eye on this summer. He\u2019s got very good size for a strong safety at 6\u20193, 210 pounds to be a backup and eventual replacement for Pat Chung. Playing a very physical position takes a toll and the Patriots need a reliable backup.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Keep an eye on David Jones (#34) this summer, here with the Patriots safeties and coach Steve Belichick. (SBalestrieri photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

Jones is athletic for a big man and returned kicks and punts in college and got some work in the return game during the spring. The more you can do, the more valuable you are to the coaches. Watching him in our limited window this spring, he impressed in coverage against the backup receivers. Now when the pads come on Thursday, will be a big test.<\/p>\n

Richards\u2019 career is at a crossroads in just his third season. After being a high draft pick (2nd<\/sup> Round, 64th<\/sup> overall) in the 2015 NFL Draft, he hasn\u2019t made an impact and was buried on the depth chart in his second season, when Bill Belichick says most players make a big jump in their development.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s looked stiff in the hips and hasn\u2019t been able to stick with receivers. He played just 18 defensive snaps in 2016 and just a third of the special teams\u2019 snaps a year ago. He\u2019s going to have to earn his way on the roster this summer. Right now, and it is very early with a limited view, but I\u2019d put Jones ahead of Richards, especially given his ability to be an impact STs player. This will be a positional battle to watch.<\/p>\n

Outside Looking In\u2026 Long Shots: Damarius Travis, Jason Thompson
\n<\/strong>The Patriots signed Travis as a UDFA and he\u2019s an in-the-box safety. He has decent size at 6\u20192, 210 but he too is a bit stiff in the hips and may be a liability in coverage at the NFL level. He does a very good job against the run and is considered a high character player and person. He has excellent special teams\u2019 ability and led Minnesota with 17 special teams\u2019 tackles.<\/p>\n

Thompson is a long shot to make the roster but if he shows enough of special teams, he could stick or make the Patriots practice squad. He wasn\u2019t a starter in college and switched from QB to safety. He\u2019s got decent size at 6\u20192, 210, and ran a 4.44 in the 40-Yard Dash and logged a very impressive 6.57 time in the 3-Cone Drill which would have been second in the Combine.<\/p>\n

So, before we have everyone reaching for cell phones and keyboards for our snubbing of Nate Ebner<\/strong> and Brandon King<\/strong>\u2026you\u2019ll just have to wait until tomorrow we post our Special Teams primer\u2026<\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This spring the team had the smarts to bring back safety Duron Harmon. The re-signing of the third starter because he plays so many snaps was a win\/win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1533,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,10],"tags":[48,34,849,1466,1465,121,353,1470,23,26,44,70,352,8,848],"class_list":["post-12042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-commentary","category-patriots-news","tag-53-man-roster-projection","tag-bill-belichick","tag-brandon-king","tag-damarius-travis","tag-david-jones","tag-devin-mccourty","tag-duron-harmon","tag-jason-thompson","tag-jordan-richards","tag-nate-ebner","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-pat-chung","tag-patriots","tag-patriots-safeties"],"yoast_head":"\nNew England Patriots Training Camp Primer Safety<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This spring the team had the smarts to bring back safety Duron Harmon. 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