1 – The biggest question facing the Patriots this August is simple and unfortunately it’s the same question that faced Bill Belichick’s team all offseason and summer: the offensive line.
New England’s lack of combined top talent and depth on the offensive line was a storyline throughout the team-building process this spring. It’s an even bigger storyline now after a miserable summer by the line both on the practice field and in preseason action.
While legendary former Patriots line coach and 2023 Hall of Fame inductee Dante Scarnecchia was always a big believer on continuity and consistency on the line – getting five guys working together as a singular unit – first-year line coach Adrian Klemm is dealing with anything but that ideality these days.
The only certainty in Klemm’s position group right now is center David Andrews heading into his ninth NFL season at the age of 31. He’s the glue and leadership of the unit in the middle. Otherwise, with less than two weeks to go before facing the sack-happy Eagles in the opener, the offensive line is the by far the most dubious position on the roster.
Left tackle Trent Brown should be a stud, but the reality of his career is that he’s never consistently proven he can be counted on to be his mental and physical best from play to play and week to week. Left guard Cole Strange missed the bulk of his second training camp and the entire preseason to an undisclosed leg injury suffered in practice. Mike Onwenu spent all but the final day of training camp practices on PUP recovering from offseason surgery and many wonder when he’s back to speed whether he’ll slot in at right guard or tackle.
And right tackle? Well, no one really knows what’s going on there. Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson were signed for the spot this spring.
But Reiff was getting reps at guard late in the preseason and limped off the preseason finale with a leg injury. Anderson spent the entire summer on NFI. Conor McDermott, who Belichick saw as a savior at the spot late last season, has also been banged up.
All that left young guys like Atonio Mafi, Sidy Sow, Chasen Hines, Jake Andrews, Andrew Stueber and even converted former defensive lineman Bill Murray to get lots of reps this summer. Unfortunately many of those reps were ugly, the kind that derail an offenses’ fluidity on the practice and game fields.
Somehow, some way in the next two weeks Belichick, Klemm and Bill O’Brien need to come up with a plan and a lineup of players up front to face the Eagles. An optimist might say that Strange and Onwenu will round into health, leaving only one spot to be pieced together. And maybe that will be true.
But, until New England proves it can field a five-man line unit that can give Mac Jones time to pass and create room for Rhamondre Stevenson to run, all the other questions and concerns facing the 2023 Patriots very much pale in comparison.
2 – Interestingly, if the offensive front is the biggest question on the Patriots this fall then the opposite is true of the guys they practice against on a daily basis. New England’s defensive front, including both starters and depth pieces, proved itself the most impressive area of the team throughout daily training camp practice and preseason game action. While there were some hiccups stopping the run, the Matthew Judon-led pass rush appears poised to be the foundation of not just the defense, but maybe the entire team. Judon, Josh Uche, Christian Barmore, Deatrich Wise, rookie Keion White and the rest have the versatility and depth to be a thorn in the side of opposing passing attacks, which will be a key to New England’s success facing some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL with regularity this fall.
3 – If the story of the offense is the suspect line and the defense is the potentially-dominant front, the tale of the kicking game in New England this summer is the impressive youthful competition. Already home to second-year All-Pro returner Marcus Jones, Foxborough added fourth-round kicker Chad Ryland and sixth-round punter Bryce Baringer to the mix. Baringer displayed a consistently impressive leg all summer and appeared to easily dismiss veteran Corliss Waitman for the punting job. Ryland also has a strong leg, but has been less consistent in his battle with veteran incumbent Nick Folk.
While there has been some talk of keeping two kickers on the roster, that would be a pretty bold investment. Ryland was deemed worthy of a high pick and has shown plenty to build on this summer. He may work through some rookie ups and downs, but the job should be his for the present and the future if things play out as planned. And if that happens, New England could have one of the best young all-around kicking units in football moving forward. So they have that going for them, which is nice.
4 – Remember all those Zappe chants last fall at Gillette Stadium? Remember when some fans and media tried to pretend as late as this summer and training camp that there was some kind QB competition in New England? Those were crazy times. Because the reality is that Mac Jones has been the Patriots starter all along. The divide between he and second-year backup Bailey Zappe has been obvious to objective eyes on the practice field. It was made glaringly obvious with Zappe’s extended poor playing time last Friday night in the preseason finale in Tennessee. Make no mistake, there are plenty of questions about the quarterback position in New England. Is Jones as a franchise-caliber starter? Is Zappe even a capable backup? But there is no question in terms of the hierarchy of the QB depth chart and there never really was.
5 – While the pass rush may have the potential to hold up its end of the bargain this season against the likes of Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, Josh Allen and the scheduled rest of the opposition this fall, the cornerback spot might best be described as a house of cards. The position certainly has youthful upside. It also has the potential to be a disaster. Top pick Christian Gonzalez had a strong start to the summer but faded at bit as the preseason unfolded. Jack Jones flashes coverage brilliance at times but struggled in the finale against Tennessee. Jonathan Jones missed the last part of camp to injury. Marcus Jones remains a bit of an unknown as a reliable defender. Myles Bryant is consistent if limited. If all play to their strengths and upsides, they could be able to get the job done. If not, or if injuries hit, the position could be an Achilles heel for passing attacks to target. Starting with the rookie starter Gonzalez, the cornerback spot has clear boom-or-bust potential.
6 – Ezekiel Elliott has yet to take a single handoff in game action in a Patriots’ uniform, but he already feels like one of the more valuable members of the team. As preseason played out it became quite clear that Stevenson is the star of the offense and there was virtually no depth behind him prior to Elliott signing. Kevin Harris didn’t have much room to run in the preseason, but also didn’t maximize his chances. Pierre Strong continues to look like a work in progress. Both averaged below 4 yards a carry behind the suspect line. Ty Montgomery dealt with injury yet again. And while J.J. Taylor had another fun, productive summer his regular season upside remains questionable. Stevenson needs to stay healthy and the focal point of the offense. Elliott needs to stay healthy and be a reliable backup, his value more obvious by the day even without him having to do much on the field this August.
7 – While most will be focusing the cuts that Belichick and Matt Groh will make to get New England down to the 53-man roster limit by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, it will be just as notable whether the Patriots can make any roster upgrades through the trade market or waiver wire. Clearly New England would probably love to add proven, veteran depth on the offensive line or at cornerback. Tight end, linebacker and running back are also thin on the back end of the depth chart. The roster might change significantly in the coming days, both in terms of cuts to 53 as well as the many maneuverings that could take place heading toward what will be the opening day roster against Philly.