1. Following Thursday’s Patriots OTA session, the first open to the media, there was a lot of hype surrounding rookie Mac Jones. One of the major takeaways by many was that he is already the No. 2 quarterback on the roster and primed to give Cam Newton a run for the starting job come September. While that may be true, it’s important to give context to what took place Thursday. There were 12 total competitive passes thrown between all four quarterbacks on the roster combined. In fact, the majority of the reps, both team and individual, were not at full speed. It was primarily a teaching session, which Bill Belichick has stressed for years when it comes to OTAs. As for the No. 2 quarterback takeaway, that was because Jones was with Newton when the quarterbacks broke up into two groups, and he also went right after Newton in a bunch of drills. While that was the case Thursday, we don’t know what things looked like at the first two OTAs. And we don’t know how things will look this coming week at the next OTA that is open to the media. If Jones is grouped with Brian Hoyer and taking the third rep in every drill, will we say he had a bad week and is the No. 3 quarterback? Probably not. Since it was the first chance to see Jones in a Patriots uniform, everyone was looking for a definitive takeaway, but the reality was not much could be taken away from the session and context is important. We’re not knocking Jones by any means, just pointing out that based on what was seen Thursday, it’s hard to make any definitive declarations on the rookie and his fit with the team since it was basically a step above a walkthrough.
2. Julio Jones continues to be a major topic with the Patriots and we continue to believe it may not make sense at this time. Another thing to consider is if the Patriots add Jones, expectations go up and in a big way. No matter who is at quarterback — Jones or Newton — if Julio Jones is on the roster, the Patriots will be expected to be one of the top teams in the AFC. Added pressure doesn’t seem to be a good idea right now relating to the quarterbacks on the roster. The Patriots offense is in fine shape as it is and adding the No. 1 receiver doesn’t make complete sense at this point in time.
3. The first impression of Jones looking small even compared to Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham was not meant to be a negative, nor should it. It’s been proven over the last several years shorter quarterbacks can succeed in the league and Jones has only been a NFL player for a few weeks. He has an entire summer to add a little strength and could look like a different player in a months. Wearing No. 50 also probably didn’t do him any favors from a looks perspective.
4. Like we mentioned, Thursday’s OTA wasn’t very competitive and it would be unfair to make any major declarations, but it did appear wide receiver Nelson Agholor will be able to give the position something it hasn’t had in years — speed. It seems like the veteran will be a major part of the passing game and his ability to stretch the field could be a major boost for the offense, especially when it comes to opening up the field for the tight ends to do damage in the short passing game.
5. One thing that was clear from Thursday’s OTA was that Bill Belichick loves having Matt Patricia back on the staff and the two remain extremely close. The two were by each other’s sides virtually the entire two-hour session. His exact role is still unclear, but it appears he will be heavily involved and is someone Belichick clearly trusts.
6. There were only two running backs on the field Thursday in J.J. Taylor and Tyler Gaffney. The Gaffney signing from a few weeks ago makes a lot sense considering he knows the system well and the Patriots needed a body at the position to conduct a real practice. Sony Michel, James White, Brandon Bolden and Rhamondre Stevenson were not present, while Damien Harris was, but didn’t participate
7. The Patriots will hold three more OTA sessions this coming week at Gillette Stadium with Friday’s session being open to the media. It will be interesting to see how attendance is after roughly a third of the roster was missing at last Thursday’s session. It will also be interesting to see if the competitive level goes up so more takeaways from the quarterback position can be had.
