FOXBORO — The Patriots’ young group of defensive backs are making cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino’s job easy right now.
They’re smart, attentive and talented, and Pellegrino is seeing his cornerbacks make significant improvements from offseason workout program in the spring to now, more than two weeks into training camp.
But they’ll make it hard in two weeks when executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo, with assistance from Pellegrino, have to trim the group of cornerbacks from 10 players down to six or seven.
Nine of the Patriots’ 10 cornerbacks are 25 years old or younger. Veteran Jonathan Jones, 30, is the old man of the group and one of the locks to make the roster. Christian Gonzalez, 22, will make it past the Aug. 27 roster cutdown date, as well, as a 2023 first-round pick and prospective future All-Pro.
It gets dicy after that. While many consider the Patriots’ wide receiver group as the tightest battle on the roster, it’s actually at cornerback.
Marcus Jones, 25, should be viewed as a lock, as well, though he has missed 11 straight days with a lingering injury. He was a 2022 third-round pick, and though he’s played just 17 career games through two seasons, has the potential to be a three-phase contributor at cornerback, as a returner on special teams and possibly as a gadget player on offense — a role he filled in 2022.
Then there’s the rest, all of whom have made cases for roster spots this summer. Alex Austin, 23, has prototypical size at 6-foot-1, 191 pounds, played well for the Patriots after signing at midseason and has seen starting reps this summer. Isaiah Bolden, 24, is big, tall and fast. After missing last season with a concussion, Bolden has seen snaps in the slot this summer. Azizi Hearn, 25, makes plays every day in practice and is a favorite of Pellegrino’s. Mikey Victor, 24, an undrafted free agent, is a long shot for the roster but made a pass breakup Monday on a throw from rookie quarterback Drake Maye to Javon Baker. Shaun Wade, 25, is entering his fourth season with the Patriots, started Thursday’s preseason game and bring inside-outside versatility. Marco Wilson, 25, also started the preseason opener and has made plays throughout the summer. And Marcellas Dial, 23, is the Patriots’ lone defensive draft pick as a sixth-round pick. He also impressed in coverage Monday and played well on special teams Thursday.
“I’m not trying to say anything about any other’s class, but perhaps, yeah, perhaps this is the deepest crew we’ve had,” Pellegrino, who’s coached with the Patriots since 2015 and has two Super Bowl titles on his resume, said Monday. “I’m really just impressed with the way that they work. From the spring to where we are right now, everybody I’ve seen get so much better. And as a coach, that’s so exciting. And like, honestly, coming to work every day is easy when that’s happening, right?
“To watch, you know, guys like Azizi grow from spring. I told you, in the spring, I’ve been challenging him (in the slot), and then to watch him grow throughout the training camp is actually great, and his technique and all that stuff, it’s fantastic. And then top to bottom with the rest of the guys.”
Realistically, Hearn is probably a longshot for the roster but only based on the rest of the talent at the position. Pellegrino singled him out again when asked which cornerback has been a pleasant surprise in camp.
But Pellegrino also acknowledged how difficult it will be to whittle down the group of Austin, Bolden, Hearn, Victor, Wade, Wilson and Dial to just three or four spots.
“It’s going to be extremely tough. These guys make my job extremely hard, and as they should, but the way I look at it is, we’re all horses running in a race,” Pellegrino said. “We’re not looking at the guys in our room or in our heat. We’re just trying to get better every day and improve. And look, we’re running fast in our heat. We’re probably running faster than the guys in other heats. So look my job as a coach is to develop these guys and make them great corners. That’s my job. I open the door. They’ve got to walk through it, though.”
Wilson, who began his career with the Cardinals before getting waived and claimed by the Patriots in December, is making a strong case for a roster spot. He regularly finds himself in the top defense at practice and feels like he’s a natural fit for the Patriots’ defense.
“I love the defense. It reminds me of some defenses that I’ve done well in in the past, so I’m excited about that,” Wilson said. “I feel like it just allows me to play to my athletic ability and the coaches trust me to play the techniques the right say, so I appreciate that.”
Wilson also said he likes playing on a team that takes things seriously “inside the building and off the field.” He drew praise from Pellegrino and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington for his work on the field and in meetings.
“I think he’s done a really good job of mixing in his off, his press,” Pellegrino said of Wilson’s coverage. “I’m impressed with his classroom, his ability to provide his opinion from playing in other places, the way he’s done things, and just his hunger to learn something different being in Year 4. So that’s exciting as a coach when you get an older guy that comes in and he’s like, ‘Hey, like, what can you teach me?’ That’s fun.”
“Marco is steady making improvements every day,” Covington added. “So, for us, it’s guys like that — we need Marco to perform well for us. He’s another guys along — I know you asked about Shaun — he’s another guy who can play with a little length to match up with different receivers and use his different techniques whether it’s press or off-man. I’m ready to see what he does tomorrow, even this Thursday. He’s been doing a good job so far, and I’ll give credit to even Alex Austin. He’s done a good job for us too. Both of those guys are working hand in hand and compete.”
It’s too early to call which six or seven players will make the roster, but Wilson and Austin appear to have the upper hand at this point. Dial brings upside as a sixth-round pick, but Wade and Bolden are getting more opportunities with the Patriots’ top defenses.