Some news and notes on this Monday:<\/p>\n
1) Much was made about Mac Jones’ workout with his fellow receivers down in Florida last week, but it sounds like that workout was essentially old news.<\/p>\n
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Jones had already been hard at work this offseason<\/strong><\/a>, with the quarterback and his teammates already holding a handful of throwing sessions in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n One notable bit of information was the fact that Jonnu Smith was reportedly part of those earlier workouts, with Smith being a key name that some were talking about after he wasn’t spotted with the group that met in Florida<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Coming off a year that saw him struggle to get on the same page with Jones throughout the season, the fact he wasn’t seen was a topic of discussion.\u00a0 However, it sounds like Smith has already quietly been working with Jones locally this offseason.<\/p>\n Last week’s group included Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, J.J. Taylor, with recent acquisition DeVante Parker joining in shortly after the team made a trade<\/strong><\/a> with the Miami Dolphins to bring him to New England.<\/p>\n 2) Greg Bedard took a look at the Patriots current depth chart in his Sunday notes column<\/strong><\/a> and pointed out that despite some of the chatter, the club currently has enough talent to go out there and compete with their current group.<\/p>\n Bedard believes Bill Belichick went out and addressed several positions, leaving them with not a lot of glaring needs heading into the draft.<\/p>\n He breaks it down as the following:<\/p>\n Offense<\/strong><\/p>\n QB<\/strong>: Mac Jones Defense<\/strong><\/p>\n REdge<\/strong>: Matthew Judon Obviously, there are still some big questions still in need of answers, including the following:<\/p>\n a) Offensive line remains a big question mark on the offensive side of the football, with both guard and tackle on the left side still in need of depth.<\/p>\n b) Cornerback is also obviously a question mark, as after being away from football for a year, it’s tough to say where Malcolm Butler will be physically in order to handle the rigors of a now 17 game season and possibly beyond.\u00a0 They have enough depth to field a potential starting roster, but not much beyond that.\u00a0 Jalen Mills was a terrific role player but it feels like a big ask if he has to start covering top targets.\u00a0 Jonathan Jones is in a contract year and was already playing well, but they definitely need to add some youth to this group.<\/p>\n c) Linebacker is the other question.\u00a0 They need speed here, with last year’s 5th round pick, Cameron McGrone, being one of the more interesting names to keep an eye on.\u00a0 Looking back at some of the reports from the draft, McGrone received a lot of praise with some analysts calling him “insanely athletic”, with terrific sideline-to-sideline speed.\u00a0 Newcomer Mack Wilson is also athletic, with Raekwon McMillan being another player who might help them.\u00a0 Still, adding another in the draft would seem to be a priority.<\/p>\n There’s a long way to go and quite a few names still unsigned, which Bedard pointed out will likely change as players will likely try and grab a spot before teams fill them prior to both the draft and OTAs.\u00a0 But as it stands, they’ve got a formidable group.\u00a0 It just happens to be one that still has several important questions still left to answer.<\/p>\n 3) With both Matt Patricia and Joe Judge set to reportedly handle much of the coaching load on offense this year, some have wondered why Belichick hasn’t brought back Bill O’Brien to help in that area given Jones’ familiarity with him at Alabama given that it would be an obvious fit.<\/p>\n Bedard apparently found out the reason, and also talked about it in his notes column.<\/p>\n Finally got to the bottom of the\u00a0Bill O’Brien<\/strong>\u00a0mystery, and why he’s not back here as offensive coordinator. A) O’Brien made a two-year commitment to Saban. B) Belichick just wasn’t going to put Saban, his good friend, in the position of giving his blessing on O’Brien leaving. Sure, you and I can say it shouldn’t be that hard to pick up the phone and say, “Hey Nick, you can just tell me no and I’ll go away … but do you think you could stand to lose Billy?” That seems reasonable and follows the old adage of it never hurts to ask … but Belichick knew that wouldn’t be fair to put Saban in that position, so he didn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole. Now, don’t rule out O’Brien for next season if the\u00a0Matt Patricia-Joe Judge<\/strong>\u00a0plan does not work well.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So it sounds like the possibility isn’t completely off the table, but it just seems like it won’t be something we’ll see happen until at least 2023, depending on how things go this season.<\/p>\n 4) Saturday’s news about Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was shocking to say the least, with the former Ohio State standout losing his life after being hit by a vehicle in Florida.<\/p>\n Haskins was reportedly on hand for workouts with his teammates, with the quarterback trying to compete for a starting role for Pittsburgh following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger this offseason.<\/p>\n News reports have had limited details on the accident, with the latest being that Haskins was struck by a dump truck after exiting his vehicle on a highway in Fort Lauderdale and trying to cross before being struck and killed.<\/p>\n Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson Lt. Indiana Miranda told ESPN that Haskins was pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n “He was attempting to cross the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 when there was oncoming traffic,” Miranda told the network<\/strong> <\/a>in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin released a statement<\/strong><\/a> on the passing of his player, which everyone within the organization is still struggling to process.<\/p>\n “I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins,” wrote Tomlin. “He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community. Dwayne was a great teammate, but even more so a tremendous friend to so many. I am truly heartbroken.”<\/p>\n Haskins was just 24-years old.<\/p>\n 5)\u00a0 We’ll close this out with something a little lighter.\u00a0 Out in the Bay Area, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s future remains questionable but apparently there’s a fan who is doing her best to document his remaining time with the team.<\/p>\n According to a report from ABC Channel 7 out of San Francisco, 49ers fan Rita Oak started a campaign on Twitter where she’s drawing photos every day of the quarterback until he’s traded.<\/p>\n She’s done some fairly humorous ones, including the following:<\/p>\n Drawing Jimmy G every day until he gets traded. Day 66: pic.twitter.com\/RYaRI84JHF<\/a><\/p>\n — Rita Oak (@ritaoak_art) April 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nRB<\/strong>: Damien Harris
\nHB<\/strong>: Jonnu Smith
\nTE<\/strong>: Hunter Henry
\nWR1<\/strong>: DeVante Parker
\nWR2<\/strong>: Nelson Agholor
\nWR3<\/strong>: Kendrick Bourne\/Jakobi Meyers
\nLT<\/strong>: Isaiah Wynn
\nLG<\/strong>: Yasir Durant
\nC<\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0David Andrews
\nRG<\/strong>: Mike Onwenu
\nRT<\/strong>: Trent Brown<\/p>\n
\nRE<\/strong>: Deatrich Wise\/Christian Barmore
\nNT<\/strong>: Davon Godchaux
\nLE<\/strong>: Lawrence Guy
\nLEdge<\/strong>: Josh Uche\/Ronnie Perkins
\nLB<\/strong>: Ja’Whaun Bentley
\nLB<\/strong>: Mack Wilson
\nCB<\/strong>: Malcolm Butler
\nCB<\/strong>: Jalen Mills
\nSCB<\/strong>: Jonathan Jones
\nFS<\/strong>: Devin McCourty
\nSS<\/strong>: Adrian Phillips
\n3S<\/strong>: Kyle Dugger<\/p>\n\n