Patriots Training Camp 2024: Position battles to watch this summer
FOXBORO -- The Patriots will hit the field for their first practice of training camp in just one week, kicking off a season of hope and intrigue for the franchise. There are a lot of questions surrounding the team heading into Jerod Mayo's first training camp as head coach, and we should get some answers over the next several weeks.
As is the case with every training camp, there will be battles just about everywhere on the roster. Some players will be jostling for position on the depth chart, while others will be fighting for a spot on the team.
Here's a look at some of the on-field battles that will play out in Foxboro over the several weeks.
The Quarterback battle(s)
Drake Maye is the reason to plant your backside on those metal benches behind Gillette Stadium in the sweltering heat throughout the summer. The rookie is the face of the franchise already, even though he may not even start at all this season, let alone in Week 1.
The Patriots continue to hold firm that veteran Jacoby Brissett is the team's starter, and that could hold true for a number a reasons. New England is implementing a new offense under a new offensive coordinator, and a veteran would be a much better option to get it off the ground and running than a rookie breaking into the league.
But Maye climbed up the depth chart in minicamp, starting as the third-stringer behind Bailey Zappe before overtaking the third-year QB in later sessions, and with a strong summer he could force the Patriots to start him. But even if Maye does outplay Brissett, there are other factors that could lead to him starting his NFL career on the bench, and potentially staying there all season. (Much more of that in just a moment.)
And behind Brissett and Maye, there is a battle between Zappe and rookie Joe Milton for the third QB spot on the roster. Teams rarely keep four quarterbacks, so someone is playing for a job this summer. Zappe has experience and the Pats may not want to roll with a pair of rookies should something happen to Brissett. But Milton has a gigantic arm that has been turning heads in New England ever since the Patriots used a sixth-round pick on the Tennessee product.
A lot to sort out on the New England offensive line
A good reason not to play Maye in 2024 is the state of the New England offensive line. There are just as many question marks about that unit as there was last season.
After last season's debacle along the line, the Patriots didn't really do much to improve that part of the team. Trent Brown leaving may be addition by subtraction from a locker room standpoint, but the Patriots didn't sign an actual left tackle this offseason. Instead, they're going to see if Chukwuma Okorafor is up to the task after spending the majority of his seven NFL seasons at right tackle with the Steelers.
The uncertainty doesn't just sit at left tackle. Outside of David Andrews starting at center and Okorafor entering the season at left tackle, we don't know much else about the offensive line. Mike Onwenu will be starting somewhere, but will it be at guard or tackle? Sidy Sow is also going to start somewhere, and third-round pick Cadeon Wallace (with experience at both right and left tackle) could compete for a starting gig. We just don't know where at the moment.
Atonio Mafi, Calvin Anderson, Jake Andrews, Verderian Lowe, and Nick Leverett will also all be battling for defined roles -- and spots on the depth chart -- this summer.
Which Patriots receivers will emerge from a crowded group?
The Patriots have a lot of bodies at receiver heading into camp. A lot. As in a dozen at the moment.
Only four (maybe five) of them are considered locks to make the team: Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, and rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. You can likely add newcomer K.J Osborn to that list because of the $3.1 million in guaranteed money he received over the offseason.
That means guys like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, and Kayshown Boutte will be fighting for their spots this summer. Smith-Schuster has $7 million in guaranteed money heading his way, but he's fighting for a spot after catching just 29 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown last season. The team could look to trade him (though it's unlikely any other team would want him at that price tag) before potentially cutting Smith-Schuster ahead of the season.
Further down the depth chart, Jalen Reagor will look to remain in the mix (it helps that he returns punts) while Kawaan Baker, David Wallis, and JaQuae Jackson will be fighting for a spot throughout camp.
Bourne may start the season on PUP, which would open the door for another receiver to make the team. But there is a lot to figure out when it comes to the team's pass-catchers, and even when the dust settles, there is a giant question mark in regards to how good the receiving corps will be in 2024.
Who will be the Patriots' No. 2 cornerback?
Christian Gonzalez is returning from his injury to take his spot as the team's top corner. But who is going to play across him?
Will Jonathan Jones stay opposite Gonzalez, or will he move back to the slot after two years on the outside? Whatever happens with Jones will have a ripple effect with the rest of the team's corners.
If Jones moves inside, Alex Austin could find himself lining up opposite Gonzalez after a strong finish to his rookie season. If Jones remains outside, Austin would likely become part of a rotation, and guys like Marcus Jones and Isaiah Bolden will be battling it out to be New England's slot corner.
We'll see how it all shakes out over the next several weeks.
Who will be Patriots' kicker, and who will get the boot?
Chad Ryland probably feels like he's sitting on those metal bleachers, since his seat is HOT right now. He struggled throughout his rookie season after the Patriots drafted him in the fourth round, connecting on just 16 of his 25 field goal attempts. He was just 5-for-10 on his attempts from 40-49 yards. It wasn't a great debut season for Ryland.
It was bad enough that the Patriots signed veteran kicker Joey Slye in the offseason. Sly has connected on 82.3 percent of his field goals over his 6-year NFL career, including 56-for-66 over the last three seasons with the Commanders. He played for Washington, San Francisco, and Houston in 2021, and was 23-for-25 for those three teams.
If Ryland struggles early in camp, the Patriots may rip off the band-aid and move on before his second NFL season.
