The Patriots open their three-game preseason slate at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night at 7 p.m., against the Houston Texans.
We’ve seen the Patriots practice against themselves for two weeks of training camp. Here’s what to watch in their first game of the summer.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick wasn’t explicitly clear in Tuesday morning’s press conference when asked about quarterback playing time in Thursday’s preseason opener, but reading the tea leaves, it seems unlikely that Mac Jones will play much, if at all.
Belichick was asked if the Patriots’ lesser experienced players would start and play the majority of the game, and the head coach said, “Just like all the NFL [opening] games, yep.”
When asked about his plan for quarterback snap counts, Belichick said, “Yeah, we’re still working on that, but the players who are least experienced will get the most playing time. I can tell you that.”
Finally, Belichick was asked flat out if starter Mac Jones would play, and he said, “Yeah, I don’t know.”
Jones didn’t play in last year’s preseason opener. He was worked heavily into Tuesday’s fully competitive 11-on-11 drills while backups participated in a walk-through pace earlier in practice.
It feels safe to assume we’ll see some of Bailey Zappe and a lot of Trace McSorley at quarterback against the Texans. The Patriots tossed rookie Malik Cunningham into the mix this week, as well. Cunningham spent most of the first two weeks of training camp at wide receiver and on special teams. Then he surprisingly saw a sizable amount of snaps under center on Monday and Tuesday.
Our best guess is the Patriots wanted to see how it looked in case something happens to McSorley in Thursday’s game. From the media hill, it didn’t look half bad. Cunningham isn’t a traditional quarterback but is uber-athletic and can throw on the run. It would be exciting for him to take reps at wide receiver, on special teams and at quarterback in the preseason.
“We’ll see how it looks in practice, maybe we’ll use it some in the game, I don’t know,” Belichick said about Cunningham at QB.
The Patriots only have five running backs on their 90-man roster. It would be silly to put Rhamondre Stevenson out there in preseason Game 1, and Ty Montgomery is injured. That leaves Kevin Harris, Pierre Strong and J.J. Taylor to carry the load.
The Patriots have shown interest in three veteran free-agent running backs so far this offseason in Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson but have not pulled the trigger on signing any of them yet. Harris has been serving as the Patriots’ top backup early-down runner, while Strong was handled more work in the passing game. Taylor is at the bottom of the depth chart in his fourth offseason with the team.
It still seems to make sense for the Patriots to sign a veteran free-agent running back. Dalvin Cook and Kareem Hunt are also still out there, but perhaps Harris and Strong could perform so well this preseason that they can convince the Patriots another back isn’t needed.
Both players have been fine in training camp, though it’s difficult to fully assess a running back in practice when there’s barely any live tackling to the ground.
The Patriots have loved what they’ve seen from rookie sixth-round pick Demario “Pop” Douglas. That’s why he’s seeing more and more time with starting quarterback — and fellow Jacksonville native — Mac Jones. The Patriots are rewarding him for his performance.
Fellow sixth-round pick Kayshon Boutte has also come on strong in the second half of training camp. There are plays that Boutte makes that show why he was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and regarded as a future first-round pick after his sophomore year of college.
Tyquan Thornton — the Patriots’ 2022 second-round pick — also bears watching. It seems like the team feels Thornton still has a lot to prove, which is why he’s seen more time with Zappe in recent practice sessions since returning from a short absence from practice.
Cunningham should also see time at wide receiver. Tre Nixon, Thyrick Pitts and Raleigh Webb will likely fill out the wide receiver group in Week 1 of the preseason.
Based on recent practice availability, it seems only 10 offensive linemen will be available Thursday: center David Andrews, rookie center/guard Jake Andrews, center/guard James Ferentz, guard Chasen Hines, rookie guard Atonio Mafi, tackle Conor McDermott, tackle Riley Reiff, center/guard Kody Russey, tackle Sidy Sow and tackle Andrew Stueber.
David Andrews seems unlikely to play Thursday. McDermott and Reiff could be held out as well as potential starters this season. That would likely leave a starting offensive line of Stueber at left tackle, Mafi at left guard, Jake Andrews at center, Russey at right guard and Sow at right tackle.
Since starters Trent Brown, Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu currently are out of practice, this is a good audition for the offensive line to prove they can hold up without starters. The Patriots might need to count on those backups given how many injuries they’ve already suffered this summer.
The Patriots’ rookie wide receivers and offensive linemen won’t have all the fun on Thursday. Second-round pick Keion White could make his preseason debut at defensive end. He’s been hard to block in training camp and could give young Texans offensive linemen fits.
It would be a surprise if linebacker/safety Marte Mapu played, since he’s still donning a red non-contact jersey in practice.
Rookie cornerbacks Ameer Speed and Isaiah Bolden should get a long look. Both players are taller than 6-foot-2 and had 40-yard dash times in the 4.3-second range. Speed has seen time at safety, as well.
Watch for undrafted rookie Jourdan Heilig on special teams. It will be interesting to see how the Patriots split up kicking and punting duties between rookies K Chad Ryland and P Bryce Baringer and veterans K Nick Folk and P Corliss Waitman. Neither Ryland nor Baringer have been perfect, but both rookie specialists have impressed so far this summer. They’re favorites for the kicking and punting duties this season.