Two weeks of practice down, three exhibitions to go.
The pressure of the Patriots’ summer will ratchet up Thursday with their preseason opener against the Texans. Several starters are expected to sit, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty to learn from this game and the two that will follow. Like most teams, the Patriots are seeking answers to major questions about their roster, while enjoying a few pleasant surprises thus far in training camp (hello, Demario Douglas).
As they pivot toward the preseason, here are four of the Pats’ most crucial questions with the regular season less than one month away.
The needs here are as clear as the new scoreboard dominating Gillette Stadium’s north end zone.
After Rhamondre Stevenson, the Pats have three running backs — Kevin Harris, Pierre Strong and J.J. Tayor — who could be casualties on cutdown day. Ty Montgomery’s left leg injury has complicated matters, and maybe he returns soon, but Montgomery hasn’t topped 200 scrimmage yards since 2018. Is a 30-year-old with minimal explosion left in his legs the ideal backup for Stevenson?
Meanwhile, Stevenson’s workload is being managed this summer, which has allowed Harris and Strong to split first-team reps during practices. Neither player has pulled away from the other, though, so the Patriots recently hosted Ezekiel Elliott on a free-agent visit. Will he sign?
Up front, Riley Reiff and Conor McDermott have bookended a disappointing offensive line that allowed 20 sacks in team periods over the last three practices. Of course, the line is down three projected starters, including Trent Brown who only recently rejoined team drills. If the Patriots determine they need to trade for another offensive tackle, will one be available?
Considering every NFL front office is always on the hunt for quality tackles, the sooner the Pats jump into the market, the better off they might be.
Despite drafting a cornerback in the first round, the Patriots defense is still dependent on Jack Jones to realize its full potential. It explains why Jones, who finished last season on the suspended list, got arrested this offseason and walked out of a practice last week, continues to receive reps with the top unit in practice.
The Pats need him to be available to field their three best corners against a litany of elite passing offenses on their schedule. If Jones is eventually suspended for facing 10 counts of felony gun charges relating to his June arrest, it could force the Patriots into bad matchups. After him, incumbent starter Jonathan Jones and first-round rookie Christian Gonzalez, their depth is shaky.
Gonzalez, it seems, is the key. By virtue of his draft status, Gonzalez should be a Week 1 starter. He’s consistently run with the first-team defense in practice, but slowed down recently in training camp.
“Like all the rookies, he has a long way to go, making progress, learning every day,” Bill Belichick said this week. “You know, new calls, new situations. As our offense evolves and does more things, it presents more problems for the defense. As the defense expands their scheme, it creates more problems for the offense. So, there is a lot of new learning and teaching, new situations that come up every day.
“Christian is a smart kid, working hard, getting a lot of reps out here. He’s getting better.”
Behind him, the team has rolled out 5-foot-8 Marcus Jones, whose best home might be in the slot, and late-round rookies Ameer Speed and Isaiah Bolden. Speed and Bolden have seen an increasing number of reps with the second-team defense in recent practices. But game action, even in the preseason, is a totally different story.
Will Marcus Jones, Speed and Bolden hold up against stiffer competition?
Most of the top highlights at Patriots training camp have been authored by the same two players: sixth-round rookie receivers Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte.
Douglas is unbeaten in 1-on-1 receiving drills against the cornerbacks, often racing away from them with his combination of above-average quickness and long speed. Boutte, meanwhile, is making twirling touchdown catches in the back of the end zone during 11-on-11 periods. If either perform consistently enough during the preseason, the front office may view No. 3 receiver Kendrick Bourne as a potential trade chip to help address their other positions of need.
Bourne, who’s been in trade rumors for the better part of the last year, is in a contract year. But his exit would only be precipitated by the arrivals of Douglas and/or Boutte, whose toughest tests are still ahead.
“I always had that mentality of I need to get better,” Douglas said this week. “I need to do something. I believed my weight was a problem (in college). I’d say my height, but I can’t change that. As I was going through my years, I kept gaining and gaining. My coaches at Liberty helped me.”
Patriots extra points: Rookie WR Demario Douglas explains his impressive weight gains
In separate press conferences Tuesday, quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe revealed O'Brien has installed most of his offense already. Roughly 80%, according to Zappe.
According to Jones, not all of those plays and concepts will stay in the playbook. The Patriots are actively tinkering with their new offense, as they learn what works and what won't in practice. The preseason should go a long way to informing those decisions, starting with Thursday night.
"I think we have a lot of stuff in. I think we’re trying to just expand and try things, and keep the things that we like in and take the things out that we don’t like. That’s what practice is all about, and I’ve been very happy with Coach [Bill] O’Brien and all of us have," Jones said. "We’re just trying to raise the standard here and just do it right every day."