Despite players wearing pads and officials being on the field for once at the Patriots' in-stadium practice for season ticket holders, the actual on-field product resembled more of a lively walkthrough than a truly intense practice.
But the way the Patriots divided up their teams on Friday might have provided some interesting insights into how this roster will shape up as well as who’s safe (and who’s not) when roster cuts come around.
Unlike past years when there was a mix of starters and backups on both squads, there was a clear “varsity” vs. “JV” feel to Friday’s festivities.
In short, Team Blue, which was led by quarterbacks Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer, was comprised almost completely of starters, like Hunter Henry, Jakobi Meyers, and the whole starting offensive line, and primary backups, like running back Ty Montgomery.
Team White, on the other hand, was made up of rookies like Jack Jones and Tyquan Thornton, backups like Joshuah Bledsoe (who intercepted Mac Jones on a two-point conversion attempt), and roster-bubble/camp-body types like Kody Russey and Myles Bryant. Some notable exceptions to those rules: rookies Marcus Jones and Cole Strange (Team Blue) and Deatrich Wise Jr. (Team White).
One big apparent winner of yesterday's team assignments: linebacker Anfernee Jennings, who saw plenty of snaps on the edge for Team Blue opposite Josh Uche (who got kicked out of practice for fighting with backup lineman Justin Herron) with Matthew Judon missing practice on Friday. The 2020 third-round pick has struggled to find his footing with the Patriots early in his career but might finally have found a home at outside linebacker.
Then, there was some shuffling at right guard that might be more than just coincidence.
James Ferentz, who didn’t make the initial 53-man roster last year but helped fill in on the interior a few games due to injuries/COVID, was on Team Blue and rotated in with Michael Onwenu on occasion. This comes after a Thursday practice that saw former 2020 seventh-round pick Arlington Hambright swapping in with Onwenu during team drills. No other starting lineman, even big Trent Brown, has been getting that many breathers lately.
One possible reason: the Patriots want to see if Ferentz and Hambright can execute the new outside-zone blocking schemes better than the bigger, less-nimble Onwenu can. Though there’s no film review of practices, a quick scan of the offensive line suggests Onwenu might be the worst scheme fit for an outside zone-based rushing attack.
Also, though Deatrich Wise Jr. might have just been on Team White because he's been hurt recently, might he be losing his defensive line rotation spot with Henry Anderson coming on strong of late? Wise just signed an extension last season, so calling him a "roster bubble" player likely isn't accurate, but his role will be an interesting one to monitor going forward, especially with some uncertainty on the edge.
The Patriots are off until Monday, so they used Friday for more of a true dress rehearsal than they typically do. In doing so, they gave us some idea of who will be playing significant parts when the real football starts.
