The New England Patriots will be back practicing beginning on July 24th for the first of thirteen public Training Camp dates. Fans may attend and watch practice in addition to having chances at player interactions afterwards. Each practice will begin at 11:00 AM, a difference from the typical 9:30 start-time under former head coach Bill Belichick.
With a largely new coaching staff now running ship, Training Camp is the most important time for players to show their potential and fight for a roster spot through success in competitive drills. Here are my five position groups with the highest stakes on the line for fans to watch during camp.
5. Cornerbacks
The Patriots have a few questions to be answered with their cornerback depth in a room that is largely made up of less experienced players. Two of the team's top-three cornerbacks - Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones - have looked the part early in their careers; however, both had their season end within the first few games of the year due to injuries. With Gonzalez expected to carry the workload of guarding some of the league's top receivers, and Jones likely having a greater role than he has ever previously had, will they be able to keep up during Training Camp?
If health is not an issue, a cornerback group led by Jonathan Jones, Christian Gonzalez, and Marcus Jones should have success. However, the depth behind those three names will all be important to watch throughout late July and early August. The departures of Myles Bryant, J.C. Jackson, and Jack Jones within the last year should open up sports for younger players to get a larger role on the defense.
The roster battle between these potential backups will be one of the most important throughout camp. The most likely candidates to earn sports include rookie sixth-round draft selection Marcellas Dial Jr., sophomores Alex Austin and Isaiah Bolden, or fourth-year Marco Wilson.
Dial is an impressive athlete but is likely to need time to adjust and develop in the NFL. After being acquired by the Patriots, Austin had an impressive end to last season, deflecting two passes and intercepting a throw within his final two games. Bolden had a promising preseason last year before suffering a concussion against the Packers, which held him out for the entirety of the regular season. Wilson, a former fourth-round pick, started his first eleven games with the Arizona Cardinals last season before being benched and eventually released from the team: despite this, he still 52 total tackles in his eleven games started in addition to four passes deflected, but only registered one tackle as a Patriot.
Other players at this position group include Shaun Wade, Azizi Hearn, and Kaleb Ford-Dement, but they all will have a more difficult road to making their way on the Patriots 53-man roster.
4. Offensive Line
The Patriots O-Line is full of unknowns outside of David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, and Sidy Sow. Andrews and Onwenu were both rewarded with new contracts this past off-season, with Onwenu signing a new three-year deal and Andrews inking a one-year extension. These anchors on the line were joined last season by then-rookie Sidy Sow, who will look to build off of an impressive 2023 campaign. Whether Onwenu stays at right-tackle (where he played the latter half of last season at) or moves back to guard (where he spent time practicing during the spring), these three should be more than capable of starting for the Patriots.
However, beyond those three names, the Patriots have many questions marks across the offensive line. Despite not playing on the left-side since college, will Chukwuma Okorafor be able to hold down the blind-side tackle position? Where will rookies Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson step in? Is there a spot on this roster for 2022 first round pick Cole Strange, who is expected to miss the beginning of the season? With projected starters including Andrews, Onwenu, Sow, and Okorafor, who else will get the nod as a starter?
Patriots lineman Mike Onwenu. (Winslow Townson/AP Images).
In addition to the two rookie draft picks, some potential starters include Nick Leverett, Calvin Anderson, Jake Andrews, and Atonio Mafi. Additionally, players such as Vederian Lowe, Zuri Henry, Liam Fornadel, Michael Jordan, Charles Turner III, and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. Will all be fighting for a roster spot inside of a crowded offensive-line room.
During practices, watch to see where Mike Onwenu takes a majority of his reps, and who else is getting the most playing time with the first-team offense. Additionally, take note of which potential bench players get significant practice reps.
3. Kickers
Ah yes, the seemingly annual tradition of a Training Camp kicker battle. Sophomore kicker Chad Ryland struggled as a rookie, making just 64% of his attempted field goals (16/25). In comes Joey Slye, the former Washington Commander who connected on 79.2% of his kicks last season.
Both kickers took it relatively easy during spring practice, mostly kicking from within
50-yards. Slye, who was signed by the Patriots in early May, took an early lead on the competition, consistently making his kicks while Ryland was less successful.
If this continues, it is most likely that Slye will win the job, leaving Ryland as a potential candidate for the practice squad. However, a late push from Ryland could absolutely land him the starting job and a spot on the 53-man roster. Watch to see which kicker is more consistent throughout specialist periods.
2. Quarterbacks
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye, whom the Patriots drafted with the third overall pick in April, already has taken over the job from Bailey Zappe as the team's QB2. Despite the notion and expectation that Maye would be a developmental player who would be unable to start at the beginning of the season, the possibility remains that he could end up as the Patriots Week 1 starter if he outperforms veteran Jacoby Brissett.
In addition to the expected battle for the starting job, take note of how Zappe performs in comparison to sixth-round rookie Joe Milton III: it is likely that the Patriots opt to carry three quarterbacks on this year's 53-man roster, so whichever quarterback is outperformed could be on their way out.
While Brissett was the starter in Spring over Maye, and Zappe took more reps than Milton, the Patriots could opt to prioritize youth and athleticism and head into Week 1 with Drake Maye as the starter, with Brissett and Milton backing him up.
1. Wide Receivers
The Patriots will likely keep six receivers on their 53-man roster: five of those spots are already virtual locks. Veteran Kendrick Bourne signed a three-year deal this past off-season, DeMario Douglas led the team in receiving last season, K.J. Osborn signed with the Patriots in free agency and had more receiving yards than every Patriots receiver other than Douglas. In addition, New England used two draft selections on the position group, bringing in Ja'Lynn Polk with the 37th overall pick and Javon Baker with the 110th. Among these top receivers, watch to see who gets reps early and if there is a clear odd-man-out.
For the Patriots sixth receiver, there are many avenues to go down. JuJu Smith-Schuster, who signed a three-year deal with the Patriots prior to the 2023-24 season, could be the answer for New England as a veteran who - at his peak - can be a receiving threat. Unfortunately, Smith-Schuster has dealt with significant injuries and is no longer the same player who caught 111 passes for 1,426 yards in 2018. Another veteran who could make the team is former first round pick Jalen Reagor, who brings value as a kick returner in addition to as a receiver. Reagor returned a kickoff for a touchdown late last season against the Buffalo Bills, and could provide as an important piece for the Patriots with the new kickoff rules incentivizing players return the ball out of the end zone.
Other options in the wide receiver room are Tyquan Thornton and Kayshon Boutte. Thornton, a 2022 second-round pick, has shown some flashes in New England with his elite speed, but has proven to be injury-prone and is yet to make the impact expected from a top-50 draft selection. Boutte, who was drafted in the sixth-round of the 2023 draft, spent last year on the Patriots practice squad despite impressing in the final few Training Camp practices. This year, he had another solid set of days in the spring and could make a roster push if he builds upon this momentum into the summer. While Boutte's availability could potentially be in jeopardy due to legal troubles involving gambling in college, he is still with the Patriots for the time being and could be a legitimate weapon for the team.
The Patriots final three receivers, David Wallis, JaQuae Jackson, and Kawaan Baker all could be candidates for the team's practice squad following roster-cuts. While watching the receivers, pay attention to who outperforms the rest as the team's sixth receiver.
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