1 -- Jerod Mayo’s Patriots will close out the final days of the first-year coach’s first training camp practices this week at Gillette Stadium in workouts that are closed to fans but still open to the media. Heading toward next Sunday’s preseason finale in Washington and with Aug. 27 53-man roster cuts on the horizon, the final week offers the final competition for rosters spots and roles in New England.
That in mind, here’s a look at how the most notable competitions stand with a final few days of training camp practices, one more preseason contest and little more than a week of work remaining before final decisions need to be made.
Quarterback: Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt have openly labeled Jacoby Brissett the starter at quarterback all offseason and summer. But after Drake Maye’s impressive performance last Thursday night against the Eagles – and Brissett’s relatively ugly struggles in two weeks of preseason action – Mayo declared this weekend that, “the competition isn’t over.” It’s worth watching this week to see if Maye can keep his upward developmental trend going and whether he gets reps with the first-unit offensive line and receivers, such as DeMario Douglas. It once seemed a foregone conclusion that Brissett would get the starting nod on opening day in Cincinnati, but there now seems at least a possibility that the No. 3 overall pick Maye could get the call. Elsewhere at quarterback, it would seem that the time is winding down on Bailey Zappe’s career in New England, it feeling more and more likely that he won’t be around after final cuts. Rookie Joe Milton has probably shown enough to earn the No. 3 job, while it never really felt like Zappe was in the running for a roster spot in the Mayo era.
2 – Tackle: Heading into the second week of preseason game action it felt like Vederian Lowe was locking down the job at left tackle and that Chukwuma Okorafor, who’d gotten an early shot at the left tackle spot, was settling in at right tackle. But the line had a tough week against the Eagles and now the tackle jobs once again seem very much up for grabs. Mike Onwenu could slide back into the right tackle spot. Anyone – including someone not currently on the roster – would seem to have a shot to be the left tackle, an issue that clearly feels like it’s going to haunt Patriots’ QBs and the entire offense well into the regular season. The competition is ongoing at the tackle spot for sure, even if the guys in that competition don’t necessarily appear to be up to the task.
3 – Wide receiver: The competition at receiver is certainly more potentially fruitful than the tackle issue. Douglas looks like he’s the No. 1 option and if healthy could a 100-catch kinda guy. After that, plenty of guys have flashed ups and downs during the summer. Ja’Lynn Polk has been relatively impressive as a second-round pick. Newcomer K.J. Osborn has had a somewhat lackluster camp but remains in the starting mix based on preseason reps. Kayshon Boutte has made his share of plays. Tyquan Thornton was much better early in camp prior to missing practice with a soft tissue injury. Fourth-round rookie Javon Baker – who’s most notable play was dropping a perfectly-thrown Maye deep ball against the Eagles – has been very inconsistent and run with the third unit at times. Kendrick Bourne appears poised to open the year on PUP, where he’s been all camp. There are a lot of receiver options with various strength and weaknesses, but only Douglas seems to really have solidified his role at this point, assuming he can stay healthy.
4 – Cornerback: The cornerback spot depth chart very much depends on the health status of Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones in the coming weeks. Both have missed plenty of practice action this August, Marcus more than Jonathan. That has opened the door for a lot of reps for next-tier guys like Marco Wilson and Alex Austin. Veteran Shaun Wade remains in the mix. Youngsters Marcellas Dial Jr., Isaiah Bolden and Azizi Hearn are also in the conversation. Regardless of what he has left to prove in terms of being a true No. 1 cornerback, the only true known at the position is that Christian Gonzalez is the No. 1 guy. The rest is up for grabs, especially if the Joneses remain out of action.
5 – Kicker: Chad Ryland is the second-year incumbent, but it feels like the competition here has trended in the direction of veteran journeyman newcomer Joey Slye. Slye got the better of manufactured pressure situation back-and-forth on the practice field. He then nailed a 51-yarder early against the Eagles. To be clear, both guys have had their share of misses in practice, but Slye probably has the edge right now. Of course it’s also possible the team could still look outside the organization for a kicker elsewhere once rosters shake down across the league.
6 – Tight end: This is another spot where veteran health is the biggest concern. Hunter Henry is the clear and obvious top option, but he’s missed practice time the last week-plus. Austin Hooper is the clear No. 2, but he got a little shaken up on Saturday. Beyond those two – and it would be borderline disastrous if both were hurt – the rest of the tight end position is lackluster at best. Veteran Mitchell Wilcox has been the regular third option in practice, but he struggles to catch the ball at times despite experience with 29 receptions in 48 career games played over three seasons with the Bengals.
Rookie Jaheim Bell missed a bunch of practices and appears to have had his share of mental mistakes when on the field, despite his potential versatility.
7 – Running back: Rhamondre Stevenson is going to be the foundation of this position, the running game and probably the entire offense. He’s one of a handful of the most important players on the team – center David Andrews is probably atop that list! – and will be treated as such. Veteran free agent addition Antonio Gibson has shown impressive burst as a likely change-of-pace back and obvious pass-catching option. After that, the roles are far from clear. Third-year player Kevin Harris has the build to be a workhorse backup and runs hard. JaMycal Hasty has also made plays as a more undersized, athletic backup option. This is another spot where a possible post-cuts veteran addition might make sense, especially if Stevenson has any sort of injury limitations at any point.