This is going to be a great few months for the Patriots, especially when it comes to analyzing and discussing them.
We’re not saying the last 10-plus years haven’t been great during this time of year, but for once there will be actual position battles at the key positions beginning with OTAs this week and continuing into training camp over the summer.
Quarterback hasn’t really been a question mark with Tom Brady on the team and even last year a battle between Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham never really materialized. Wide receiver was pretty much set with Julian Edelman leading the way and then depth pieces filling in behind him. Even tight end hasn’t featured much competition as Rob Gronkowski had that on lockdown.
That will not be the case at all this year.
The No. 1 storyline with the team will be the quarterback position battle and how all that shakes out. After the draft, Bill Belichick declared Cam Newton QB1, but No. 15 overall pick Mac Jones and third-year player Jarrett Stidham will be fighting to earn the top spot.
This is the position everyone will want to know about after each session. Who looked the best? Who took the most reps with the top unit? Who threw the most passes? Who led a private session off to the side during special teams work?
It will go even deeper than that, too.
Who spent the most time with Josh McDaniels? Who walked up the steps with who? Who got the most coaching?
A quarterback battle is one of the more exciting parts of the summer for some NFL teams and the Patriots haven’t had it in well over 20 years.
Although not as exciting as the quarterback position, wide receiver will be an interesting positional battle as it feels like the top spots on depth chart are completely up for grabs with a lot of players in the same boat.
A good number of veterans at the position would be labeled as No. 3 receivers, so it will be totally on the players to see who can earn the top spots and the most playing time.
These players include N’Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. Harry is also worth watching to see how he performs on a day-to-day basis as he’s been very inconsistent during these sessions in the past, which is indicative of him not performing to the level he should as a first-round pick.
A lot of how this position looks come the regular season will be decided over the next few months.
And lastly, the tight end position will be intriguing as well. The names are pretty much locked in — Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene — but no one knows how these four players will look.
Do Henry and Smith fit right in? How are they being used? What about the second-year players — do they look better than a year ago? Can they make an impact?
Post-Gronkowski there haven’t really been any impactful players at the position, but that too will change this year.
While in past years, much of the roster has already been set going into OTAs and training camp, that is far from the case this year -- and that’s a good thing.
It should be an interesting and exciting few months.