FOXBORO — Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf joked this offseason that he had to apologize to defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington for drafting just one defensive player this spring.
But if that player, cornerback Marcellas Dial, makes the Patriots’ 53-man roster, his biggest impact will likely come on special teams.
Dial has been working across from Brenden Schooler as a top gunner on the punt team, filling in the role left void by retired special-teams captain Matthew Slater.
“In college, I played a little bit of it, but here it’s become a big part of my identity,” Dial said.
Dial said he’s been learning from Schooler, assistant special teams coach Tom Quinn and “especially” Slater, who’s now a special assistant to the head coach on Jerod Mayo’s staff.
Dial is fighting for a roster spot with fellow cornerbacks Alex Austin, Marco Wilson, Isaiah Bolden, Shaun Wade, Azizi Hearn and Mikey Victor behind starters Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones. He knows his role as a gunner will help. He’s also on the team’s top kick return team as a blocker.
“Special teams is a big part of it, especially with me coming into a stacked DB room. So, I just gotta get in where I fit in, and I feel like special teams is a way that I can potentially make this team, make this roster.”
Dial acknowledged he had a “rough game” against the Eagles in Week 2 of the preseason. He let up eight catches on 10 targets for 106 yards while primarily covering bigger receivers and tight ends.
“I look at it as a learning experience, because not every game is going to go how you want it to,” Dial said. “It’s how you come back from it. This game, I’m going to be more locked in and go out there and try to get better at something, no matter what it is.”
Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has already been named the starter, will sit in Sunday’s preseason finale against the Patriots … Mayo would like to restart the Patriots’ streak of having an undrafted free agent make the roster, but said “my job is to put the best player on the field no matter where you drafted them” … The top candidate on the Patriots’ current roster is safety Dell Pettus, who has shown a nose for the ball in training camp practices … Running backs will feature prominently in new coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s offensive scheme. In addition to being a run-heavy squad, Van Pelt also wants the Patriots to be “the best screen (pass) team in the league,” according to reserve back JaMycal Hasty. New England’s longest gain in last week’s preseason game was a 23-yard screen to Hasty.