Mac Jones received a ton of snaps in the Patriots’ final training camp session of the summer on Wednesday, which makes us wonder how much (if at all) we’ll see the starting QB in Friday’s third and final preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.
Jones could certainly use some more live reps, but he’s had a strong summer, and it might not be worth risking him behind an offensive line still missing key starters due to injuries.
Jones played 41 total preseason snaps last summer (16 in Week 2 and 25 in Week 3). He played 18 snaps in Saturday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
Patriots tight end Hunter Henry and cornerback Christian Gonzalez didn’t finish practice Wednesday after suffering apparent injuries. Henry landed awkwardly after a completion late in practice. It looked like he wanted to head back into the starting lineup but got pulled back. He sat out of the rest of team drills but didn’t get much attention from the training staff.
Gonzalez appeared to injure his left foot or ankle while defending a completion from backup quarterback Bailey Zappe to undrafted rookie wide receiver Thyrick Pitts. Trainers worked on Gonzalez’s foot/ankle until the completion of practice. He did walk off the field but didn’t look completely comfortable doing so.
It doesn’t seem overly smart to put either player on the field Friday. Based entirely on how hurt each player looked in practice, Henry seems more likely to play. But with Mike Gesicki still recovering from his own injury, Henry should be put in bubble wrap until Week 1. The Patriots simply can’t afford to lose him.
Patriots rookie linebacker/safety Marte Mapu shed his red non-contact jersey before Saturday’s preseason game against the Packers but didn’t play in the game. It would be fun to see him in action once before the season starts.
Mapu is listed as a linebacker but warms up with defensive backs. He made a leaping pass breakup in Wednesday’s practice. The young defender lays the lumber as a tackler and regularly makes athletic plays in the defensive backfield.
Ask anyone on the team about Mapu, and they’ll rave. He could wind up playing a big role on the 2023 squad whether that is in the box as a safety/linebacker hybrid or helping the team replace Devin McCourty in a deep role.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder is a unique player even on a squad that already features safety/linebacker hybrids in Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips and Jabrill Peppers.
One of the unfortunate consequences of the Patriots and Packers agreeing to suspend action in Saturday’s preseason game after Isaiah Bolden was carted off the field on a backboard was rookie Malik Cunningham didn’t get into the game as a quarterback. He did play wide receiver, where he was targeted five times without a catch.
Cunningham is still fighting for a roster spot. If he can electrify the offense as he did against the Houston Texans in Week 1 of the preseason, then it would be tough to keep him off of the 53-man roster. But the conversion to wide receiver has not gone smoothly enough to justify a spot on the squad.
Third-stringer Trace McSorley isn’t making the team. We’d like to see Cunningham back up Zappe on Friday against the Titans to get a full look at how he can play quarterback.
The Patriots do need to consider that Cunningham would be valuable to imitate Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts on the scout team in the two weeks leading up to Week 1.
The veteran running back said Wednesday after practice that he’s ready to play. We’ll find out on Friday if head coach Bill Belichick agrees.
Elliott could use some actual live reps before the season starts. He got eight touches in practice Wednesday, but there was no tackling to the ground. It makes sense to rest Rhamondre Stevenson — since he played Saturday — and give Elliott a few series at running back before turning it over to Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor, C.J. Marable and maybe Pierre Strong.
There’s a world in which guards Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu are ready for Week 1, and some of the offensive line concerns are assuaged. But the Patriots are currently putting rookies Atonio Mafi and Sidy Sow in the starting offensive line group, and the results have been mixed, to put it nicely.
Veteran Riley Reiff looks ready to fill in at guard if Strange or Onwenu aren’t ready, but that would leave a hole at his projected position of right tackle. Sow didn’t look ready last week.
Strange has been present at practice but not wearing pads or participating. Onwenu was activated off of the physically unable to perform list Wednesday but hardly did anything in practice. Swing tackle Calvin Anderson remains on the non-football illness list.
By the time the Patriots practice again, they’ll only have two weeks to get ready for the regular season. Unless Mafi and Sow can improve dramatically, the Patriots have to hope Strange and Onwenu can be ready soon.
Don’t expect to see rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas, who’s been limited in practice this week, but fellow rookie wideout Kayshon Boutte is coming on strong … It feels unlikely that the Patriots will keep a third tight end on their initial 53-man roster, but Anthony Firkser has had some moments since Gesicki got injured … It would be nice to see the Patriots’ run defense hold up better and for the front seven to get more pressure on Friday. Neither seems like a major area of concern once the season starts, but both areas were lacking against the Packers … Injuries to Gonzalez, Bolden and Jonathan Jones — plus Jack Jones’ uncertain status — make cornerback a position to watch. Shaun Wade has been a pretty consistent playmaker in camp, and Belichick called rookie Ameer Speed “a developmental player” this week.