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We're officially two weeks away from Patriots training camp, which means it's time for another mailbag.
A reminder: to stay involved, make sure to keep an eye out for my mailbag thread on Twitter @mikekadlick and @WEEI. Don't have Twitter? Email me at michael.kadlick@audacy.com to submit any Patriots related questions you may have.
And away we go:
Q: Thoughts on the current DeAndre Hopkins situation?
A: With ESPN's Mike Reiss reporting on Sunday that the Tennessee Titans have been "more aggressive to this point" in their pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins, many took that as New England being out of the running. I say hold the phone.
Bill Belichick is known to bargain with players on contracts, allow them to test their worth on the open market, and then have them come back to the Patriots to get their “best and final” offer. Given the mutual respect between Hopkins and Belichick, we can presume that this is likely how their conversation ended last month.
There is no rush here. Be patient. New England is far from out of this.
Q: Will the offensive line play regress?
A: Originally I thought New England's offensive line would be just fine this season, figuring that a new coach in Adrian Klemm and some healthy reinforcements in Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson would do the trick.
And then OTAs and minicamp happened.
Not only did Trent Brown miss nearly all of the offseason training program, but Conor McDermott, a used-to-be practice squadder, was once again called upon for all the wrong reasons (i.e. Reiff and Anderson couldn't cut it). Mind you, this was in un-padded OTA practices - and the Patriots could hardly protect Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, and co.
Something has to change fast or we could be in for another long season up front.
jones and mego: What would you rather see, Mac with Jerod Mayo or Belichick with another QB?
Q: Why is Cam Achord still the Patriots special teams coach?
A: While Cam Achord is technically the Patriots' special teams coordinator, Joe Judge was in full control of the unit this Spring. He looks to be in line to take the role over from Achord.
Judge was New England's special teams coordinator from 2015-2019 and his success in the role helped him become an NFL head coach. Giving him this role back, even without the title, will be a massive boost for New England.
Q: Will Mac Jones be benched before the halfway mark of the season?
A: No, he won't.
As many of you know, I am unapologetically #TeamMac when it comes to the Patriots and their quarterback room.
While what Zappe was able to do in limited action last season was admittedly impressive, Jones is an objectively better signal caller. That will become clear once the training camp gets rolling and he and new OC Bill O’Brien begin to click. I don’t expect Jones to be benched this season.
Q: Who is on the roster bubble?
A: From my post-minicamp roster projection, here's who I have on the bubble:
LAST THREE ON: Riley Reiff, Myles Bryant, Malik Cunningham
LAST THREE OFF: Joshuah Bledsoe, Mack Wilson, Anthony Firkser
On Tuesday, Mack Wilson tweeted: "Keep disrespecting me. The world about to see."
Sounds like he's ready to prove some people wrong.
Q: Top five current Patriots, in order?
A: Thank you to Jumbo for the submission! Here goes:
5. JuJu Smith-Schuster
4. Mike Onwenu
3. Rhamondre Stevenson
2. Kyle Dugger
1. Matthew Judon
Q: Who's next up for a contract extension?
A: A few Patriots who are headed into a contract year include, but are not limited to, Josh Uche, Mike Onwenu, Hunter Henry, and Kyle Dugger.
My pick for "next up" in the extension department is Dugger. The 6-foot-2 playmaker is New England's second-best player behind only Matthew Judon, and has racked up 234 total tackles and seven interceptions over his first three seasons. He deserves to be a mainstay in the backend of the Patriots' defense for years to come.
Q: When will Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick part ways?
A: Let's start off with the obvious: Bill Belichick will never be fired from his position as head coach of the New England Patriots.
That being said, a "mutual parting of ways" of some sort could certainly be in the cards, but it would (at least in my opinion) have to be a complete catastrophe of a season, I'm talking like 4-13 or worse, for Kraft to pull this.
Ready for some optimism? My prediction is they go 11-6 and make it back to the postseason. Belichick is safe.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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