The offensive players we'll be watching during Patriots minicamp

FOXBORO -- After a few weeks of OTAs behind Gillette Stadium, the Patriots are on to this week's mandatory minicamp in Foxboro. There are three practices on the docket, and all three are open to the media.

Here are some of the offensive players that the WBZ-TV sports team will be keeping a close eye on throughout the minicamp:

Mac Jones

We'll start at the top with the quarterback, who is looking to bounce back from a difficult second season in the NFL.

We all know what happened last season. The offense was an absolute mess under Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, which led to Jones taking a massive step back from his impressive rookie season. It was frustrating for everyone involved and Mac let that frustration boil over several times.

But now he has a real offensive coordinator by his side in Bill O'Brien. It looked like Jones was surgically attached to Josh McDaniels on the sidelines throughout his rookie season, and his relationship with O'Brien will likely be the same this season. That will make a huge difference for the quarterback as he heads into year three of his NFL career.

Can Jones get back to the level that he played at during his rookie season -- and grow from there? The Patriots better hope so. He's already sounded like a much better and seasoned leader during other offseason workouts, and we'll start to see the work on the field on Monday. 

JuJu Smith-Schuster

We were hoping to get our first look at the new receiver this week after he was absent from the OTAs that were open to the media. ESPN's Mike Reiss reported over the weekend that the Pats are taking a cautious approach with Smith-Schuster due to the knee injury that knocked him out of last season's AFC Championship. Jeff Howe of The Athletic added Monday that Schuster isn't ready to practice, so maybe we won't see Smith-Schuster this week.

But if he does hit the field, it'll be interesting to see how O'Brien integrates Smith-Schuster into the offense, and how Mac works with his new target.

Tyquan Thornton

Elsewhere in the receiving corps, second-year receiver Tyquan Thornton has been turning heads during offseason workouts and it sounds like he's in line for a breakout season. Again, we'll see what O'Brien has in store for this potentially explosive option in the offense.

Thornton is reportedly dealing with a soft tissue injury that caused the Pats to hold him out of the last few OTA sessions. We'll see if he's back out there this week.

Kendrick Bourne

Bourne went from being a key part of the offense in 2021 to an afterthought stuck in the doghouse in 2022. His troubles started in training camp last season, so we'll see if he comes out strong in this year's minicamp.

Along with Mac, Bourne is one of the likeliest candidates to have a bounce-back year for the Patriots in 2023.

Malik Cunningham

The rookie is listed as a quarterback on the Patriots roster, but he lined up as a receiver for the majority of the team's OTA sessions. Bill Belichick said that Cunningham has been able to learn two positions, which always bodes well for undrafted free agents looking to make the team.

Now that things are ramping up in the offseason program, will Cunningham continue to pull double duty or will he focus on one position? We'll be monitoring where he lines up over the next three days.

Rhamondre Stevenson

In the backfield, it's the Rhamondre Stevenson show and.... we aren't quite sure what else. Damien Harris is in Buffalo. James Robinson was brought in via free agency, while Ty Montgomery is back after missing most of last season with a right knee injury. After those two on the depth chart, it's second-year backs Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr., plus maybe some gadget plays from cornerback Marcus Jones if the team is really desperate.

Stevenson handled a heavy workload well last season, and we'll see if he can do it again this year. Really, we'll be watching the entire crop of running backs to see what the Pats have out of the backfield.

The Tight Ends

We'll be keeping our eyes on the two tight-end sets with Hunter Henry and newcomer Mike Gesicki. We know that Henry can be a magnet in the red zone, and now he's got a solid running mate in Gesicki. If those two command a lot of attention over the middle, it could open up some holes down the field.

Tight end Anthony Firkser, whom the Patriots added late in the offseason, is also an interesting addition and a dark horse to have a solid season.

Wtih O'Brien running the show, the New England offense should function a lot better than it did last season. Will it be enough in a tough afc east? Only time will tell.