Position battles to watch throughout Patriots training camp
FOXBORO -- There will be 90 players hitting the field for the Patriots on Wednesday for the team's first official practice of training camp. By summer's end, that number will have to be whittled down to 53.
There will be cuts aplenty over the next five weeks, and plenty of position battles that will help Bill Belichick and company make those decisions along the way. While the Patriots don't have any really exciting battles this summer, there are still a handful of intriguing jobs to be won or lost.
Here are the battles we'll be keeping our eyes on during training camp and New England's preseason slate.
Z Receiver: Kendrick Bourne vs. Tyquan Thornton
DeVante Parker will be New England's X receiver while JuJu Smith-Schuster will slide into the slot. While the Pats will likely go with a lot of two-receiver sets thanks to the addition of Mike Gesicki to the tight ends room, they should run some three-receiver plays.
Will it be Bourne getting those looks as he tries to shake off a tough 2022 season, or the promising second-year receiver Thornton? If Thornton can really pop in camp (and the Pats feel confident that he can stay healthy), Bourne may find himself on the outside looking in once again.
Then again, Bourne was Mac Jones' favorite target during the QB's rookie season, and he could become an important piece to the New England puzzle with Bill O'Brien now calling the shots. A strong training camp, something he didn't have last year, will be key for Bourne this year.
Rookie receiver: Demario Douglas vs. Kayshawn Boutte vs. Ed Lee
While they don't have a top-line receiver, the Patriots do have a vast collection of pass-catchers on the roster. There are a trio of rookie receivers that will be battling it out for one of the last roster spots, with a pair of sixth-round picks (Douglas and Boutte) and the undrafted Lee fighting for summer catches.
There's a chance none of them earn a spot on the Week 1 roster, but they could be duking it out for a spot on New England's practice squad. On that front, they'll also be battling with QB-turned-receiver Malik Cunningham.
Right Tackle: Riley Reiff vs. Calvin Anderson vs. Conor McDermott
We think Trent Brown will be the starting left tackle, though he was a late arrival for minicamp and then spent all of one day on the field doing conditioning work. So we'll see if his heart is in it this year, with the Patriots counting on Brown to fill one of the most important positions on the field on offense.
But who plays right tackle remains anyone's guess. Reiff, an 11-year veteran, was signed in the offseason but he's going to have to beat out fellow offseason signee Calvin Anderson, who played in 41 games over his three seasons in Denver. The Pats also brought back Conor McDermott after he helped stabilize the line in the middle of last season.
A right tackle battle isn't as sexy as other position battles, but this one is pretty important for Mac Jones and the New England offense.
Kicker: Nick Folk vs. Chad Ryland
Chances are Ryland is New England's guy going forward, considering they not only drafted him in the fourth round, but traded up to do so. That's a good indication that Bill Belichick really likes the 23-year-old who connected on 19 of his 23 field goals at Maryland last season. Over his last three years in college -- two seasons at Eastern Michigan and one at Maryland -- Ryland split the uprights on 49 of his 58 attempts.
Folk is 38 at the moment and will turn 39 in the middle of the season. He's been extremely solid over his four seasons with the Patriots, but he's getting up there. Add in the fact that he can't do kickoffs, and Ryland has a clear edge over the savvy veteran.
Punter: Bryce Baringer vs. Corliss Waitman
We're spoiled here in New England. Not only is there a kicker battle brewing this summer, but we also get a punter battle. Heck yeah!
The Pats needed a punter after moving on from Jake Bailey, and now they have two of them fighting for booting time. They drafted Baringer and his big leg in the sixth round, after the bespectacled punter set several school and Big Ten records over his four-year career at Michigan State. Baringer averaged 46 yards per punt over his college career.
He'll be kicking it out with Waitman, 27, who averaged 46.6 yards on his 97 punts for the Broncos two seasons ago. He had seven punts over two games for the Steelers last year, giving him a 46.9-yard average on his 103 career punts.
Usually when a team drafts a punter, they're a pretty safe bet to win the job. But a little competition in camp never hurts.
