1 – This weekend was a big one on the preseason game field for many rookie NFL QBs. From top picks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels to New England’s own sixth-round popular passer Joe Milton, plenty of notable plays were made by young quarterbacks.
By apparent design, Patriots’ No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye was not in that group. Maye got just one series of work in Thursday night’s exhibition opener against the Panthers, much to the chagrin of fans and media alike.
But business is about to pick up for the former North Carolina star as he gets back on the training camp practice field on Sunday to kick off a week that will include joint practice action with the Eagles before getting extended game reps against Philadelphia on the Gillette Stadium preseason field this Thursday night.
While Maye wasn’t given much chance to create highlights or build youthful hype against Carolina, these next few days should give Patriot Nation a feel for the young quarterback’s development, the possibility of him taking over the starting role in New England sooner rather than later and build on what’s been an up-and-down pro evolution to date.
2 – More than just Maye, this week’s work with and against the Eagles should present a much better measure for where Jerod Mayo’s team is at in this very early point in its development. Sure, it was great to handle its business against a bad Panthers team that rested nearly half of his dismal roster in the opener, but Philly is one of the all-around most talented teams in football. Can New England’s defense dominate against Jalen Hurts, A.J.
Brown and crew the way it did Carolina’s no-name second- and third-stringers? Can Patriots’ wide receivers get open consistently against more competitive coverage? Will the offensive line give its quarterbacks time to go through their progressions without feeling undue pressure? A lot of the way that many will feel about Mayo’s team entering the regular season will be based on how it performs against the Eagles this week, both in Tuesday’s joint practice and Thursday’s preseason action.
“This honestly is a huge week for everyone,” Mayo admitted.
3 – The biggest question on the Patriots roster – maybe even bigger than the who, when and why debate of the starting quarterback spot – is the offensive line. The tackle position in particular has been a rotational display of lackluster options all offseason and summer. There is very much the possibility that the search for any sort of stability at tackle, especially the key left tackle spot, will continue into late August and even into the regular season.
Mayo acknowledged that fact in the wake of the preseason opener.
“They're still under construction, the offensive line, and I've said it since day one, we're going to play the best five, whatever that combination looks like,” Mayo said. “We're always trying to get better. We're bringing in some linemen today for a workout, so we're always trying to get better and improve the front.”
Looking for high-end play at the left tackle spot this season in New England? Probably not gonna happen, which will make the position a top target near the top of next spring’s NFL Draft.
Looking to find some representative stability at the left tackle spot this season in Foxborough, and on the line as a whole?
So are Mayo and offensive line coach Scott Peters. That’s why we’ve seen so many rotational reps on the practice field. It’s also why the team is still working out would-be options up front.
It’s why the line is such a concern, especially for a team that is going to put a rookie QB on the field at some point this fall.
4 – The wide receiver spot got some news over the weekend with the Patriots releasing veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster after one disappointing season in New England. The move came as no surprise, especially with Smith-Schuster buried down the depth chart in terms of training camp practice reps. The release does remove the most proven veteran NFL presence from the roster at receiver – a role that now falls to Kendrick Bourne, who’s on PUP while returning from a knee injury – but doesn’t exactly bring clarity to the wide open position. Receiver remains arguably the most competitive group in New England this summer, with roster spots and roles very much up for grabs with each and every pass.
5 – Fighting has been an issue on the NFL practice field this summer, especially in joint practice action. That’s nothing new, an issue which actually led NFL teams to stop holding joint practices in the early 2000s. The concern for fighting was part of the thinking for Mayo limiting this week’s work with the Eagles to just a single practice session, as animosity and fuel for fights can carry over multiple workouts between franchises. Mayo said he’ll make it quite clear to his team that fighting is not part of the practice plan this week, although keeping tempers from flaring can be easier said than done.
“Just having that one practice because honestly, when the fights start to happen, they see stuff on film that they may not have seen live. That was definitely the thought process,” Mayo said. “Once again, this is an emotional game. Things happen, but you just never want to see a physical fight on the football field. Hopefully, when the Eagles come in here, I'm going to stress to our guys that's not what we're about. We're about being tough in between the whistles. It's not about being tough outside when the whistle is already blown. I will say this, some of those fights, you're going to break your hand. People are throwing these punches, hitting helmets and shoulder pads. I've always thought that these football fights were pretty silly because you can hurt yourself.”
6 – Veteran newcomer Joey Slye hit the only New England field goal attempt in the preseason opener, good from 42 yards. Slye was brought in this offseason to compete with second-year former fourth-round pick Chad Ryland after his rookie season struggles that included missing nine of the 25 field goals he attempted.
The pair has shared reps on the practice field and it doesn’t seem that either has done much to distance himself from the competition, which Mayo made clear is ongoing at this point.
“Slye and Chad, those guys are competing. Once again, the game is a small part, and there's nothing more important than practice. So, we try to put a lot of stress on those kickers. It's still a wide-open competition, and I look forward to seeing who wins that competition.”
7 – While there is certainly a lack of depth at a number of positions in New England – running back, tackle and cornerback come to mind – Mayo had an answer ready when asked which position he felt had the most depth on the roster.
“I would say the safety position is always – I feel like we have good depth there, especially when we get a guy like Marte [Mapu] back in the picture. I like that room,” Mayo said of the group led by Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers.
As Bill Belichick used to say, though, depth in August doesn’t always equate to depth during the regular season. One thing that could help the depth at the safety position – and diversify the skills at the spot – is veteran Jonathan Jones getting lots of reps there this summer. The veteran could offer a true free safety option at the spot, something that’s been lacking since Devin McCourty retired. With Dugger, Peppers and Mapu all built more like linebackers than cover guys, Jones could be a key figure in the deepest part of the defensive backfield. Of course the veteran might also be leaned on as a top cornerback option opposite developing young star Christian Gonzalez.