Marcus Cannon Reportedly Has 'Big Day' Against J.J. Watt In Joint Practice
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- By all accounts, the Texans defense made life tougher than usual for Tom Brady and the Patriots offense during the teams' first joint practice. But right tackle Marcus Cannon appears to have been one of the Pats' bright spots - which is striking, because it came against J.J. Watt.
The Boston Herald's Jeff Howe spotlighted Cannon on Tuesday, giving the right tackle glowing reviews in his coverage of the Patriots' joint practice with the Texans at the GreenBrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. He tweeted that Cannon "had a big day" against Watt and that the Texans' All-Pro pass rusher never beat Cannon to get to Brady during drills. He added in his "Observations" column that Cannon consistently "locked up" Watt as a blocker.
It's important not to read too much into training camp or preseason results; nothing outside of injuries is truly newsworthy. But it's certainly encouraging that Cannon, who had by far the best season of his career in 2016, turned in an impressive performance against a player the caliber of Watt. Knowing how supremely talented Watt is and how hard he works, even in practice, it can only mean good things that Cannon mostly had his way with Watt on Tuesday.
You'll have a hard time poking holes in the 2017 Patriots with their depth and lack of glaring weaknesses, but Cannon could have been pointed to as a player with the potential to regress. It's hard to believe he could repeat the performance that earned him second team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus, let alone be any better.
That's why if Cannon can continue to play this well against Watt in real game situations, there's reason to be optimistic that his 2016 breakout can continue into 2017.
Matt Dolloff is a writer/producer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, CBS, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @Dolloff985 and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.