What To Watch For At Patriots Training Camp
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- A drama-filled offseason is finally over for the New England Patriots.
Once again, we can all focus on football.
Sure, there will still be questions about last year. Are Bill Belichick and Tom Brady still in a quarrel behind the scenes? Is there still lingering sadness throughout Gillette Stadium? WHY IN THE HECK DIDN'T MALCOLM BUTLER PLAY IN THE SUPER BOWL?!?!?!?!?!
Of course, none of that will actually be talked about down at Patriot Place. While the questions will be asked, the answers won't come from any players or the head coach. But with training camp practices getting underway Thursday, we can turn our attention to the 2018 season and how the Patriots will bounce back from a disappointing Super Bowl LII loss.
There are questions aplenty surrounding this team, who despite some lofty odds that every Super Bowl-losing team faces the following season, are still expected to be in the mix for a trip to Atlanta in February. Here's a quick breakdown of all the storylines we'll be watching on the football field over the next month.
Who Stays Late With Tom Brady?
Brady is about to learn how to live without Danny Amendola. And Brandin Cooks. And for the first four games of the season, Julian Edelman. So he better get to work getting to know a new crop of receivers.
You may not have heard, but Brady skipped out on all the voluntary practice sessions this offseason, putting him behind in the "Getting To Know You" department with all the newcomers on the depth chart. Chris Hogan is the only player with any real experience with Brady, while Phillip Dorsett and Kenny Britt at least shared the field with him last season. But both of those players have a long way to go with their quarterback, as do newcomers Jordan Matthews, Cordarrelle Patterson, and rookie Braxton Berrios.
Matthews is likely going to take over for Amendola in the slot, but he'll have to earn Brady's trust in order to succeed. Patterson will get most of his run on special teams, but he could be used as a gadget weapon in the offense. That will take lots and lots of work with the guy throwing him the ball.
Brady usually retreats to the smaller practice fields after camp sessions to put in a little extra work with his targets. It will be interesting to see who joins him for those sessions this year. There are a lot of question marks surrounding the Patriots receiving corps, and it certainly doesn't help that they'll be without Edelman for the first quarter of the season.
At least Brady still has a pretty good tight end at his disposal.
Who Is Protecting TB12's Blind Side?
Protecting Brady is fairly important, and even more so with the quarterback set to turn 41 next Friday. But Nate Solder is no longer around to look after No. 12's blind side, as he's now collecting giant paychecks from the New York Giants. So who will be making sure Brady stays upright this season and doesn't suffer too many of those bone-crunching hits that he doesn't see coming?
That is perhaps the biggest question as training camp gets underway, and it appears to be a battle between newcomer Trent Brown and rookie Isaiah Wynn. Brown is a monster, standing at 6-foot-8 and weighing in at 380 pounds, but he spent most of his time with the 49ers on the right side. Wynn, New England's top pick in the draft, is a versatile lineman, but it remains to be seen if he can handle left tackle duties at the NFL level. He played both guard and tackle at Georgia, so he has experience protecting a quarterback's blind side, but he also spent much of his time during spring practices at guard. Where he lines up during training should provide a much clearer picture of what Belichick has planned for the rookie.
LaAdrian Waddle is another candidate, and he has a pretty good grasp of the New England offense. Marcus Cannon could make a move over from right tackle, but he has a pretty good thing going on over on that side of the field.
We'll see how this all shakes out over the next month, but offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia has his work cut out for him this camp.
Battle At Running Back
We're not only talking about who will get the most reps out of the backfield, but which guys at the bottom of the depth chart will make the team.
Rex Burkhead, James White and rookie Sony Michel are locks to make the team, with Burkhead likely being the first guy out on the field. White is going to continue to fill his role as New England's pass-catching back, and Michel could become one of the more dynamic players out of the backfield as the season progresses. If Michel can live up to the hype, Patriots fans may not miss Dion Lewis as much as they initially thought.
Then there is the bottom of the group, with Mike Gillislee and Jeremy Hill battling for the final spot (Brandon Bolden is in that mix too, but will continue to get most of his PT on special teams). Gillislee had a disappointing first season with the Patriots last year, so newcomer Hill should be considered the favorite to make the team.
Who's No. 2?
While Malcolm Butler is happy in Tennessee, the Patriots should be set with Stephon Gilmore taking over as their No. 1 corner. Though he struggled early in his first year as a Patriot, Gilmore turned into one of New England's best defensive players late in the season and in the playoffs. He also gave us a pretty sweet poster to hang on the wall in the AFC Championship Game.
Of course, that was for naught once the Pats lost in the Super Bowl, but there is reason to feel good about the secondary with Gilmore taking over for Butler. Still, we're all left wondering who will play on the other side of the field.
Veteran Jason McCourty and Eric Rowe are the favorites, though McCourty didn't see much action during spring workouts. Elsewhere, rookie Duke Dawson and veteran Jonathan Jones will likely face off for roles in New England's sub packages, making the corner battles extremely intriguing this summer.
Comeback Stories
Malcolm Mitchell's comeback was going to be a great story to monitor during camp. Now it's taken a sad turn with the 25-year-old undergoing another procedure on his injured knee, and the team reportedly looking to trade the third-year wideout.
The same goes for Edelman, who was set to return after missing all of last season. But now we have to wait until Week 5 to see him haul in meaningful passes from Brady again.
The most important comeback though is on the defensive side of the field. Linebacker Dont'a Hightower is a difference-maker on defense, a steady force that makes the unit go. Durability is his biggest issue, so it'll be interesting to see how much he does in training camp. He needs to knock off some rust after missing 11 games last season, but he's much more important to the team in January than he is in July.
And then there is Cyrus Jones. A second-round pick just two years ago, this could be Jones' last shot with the team. He was unimpressive in both the secondary and on specials teams his rookie year, and missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in the final game of the preseason. He's starting training camp on the PUP list, but is expected to be cleared soon. It's imperative for the kid to have a good camp wherever the Patriots plug him in, otherwise he could find himself unemployed when roster cuts begin.
Punt Returns
The Patriots are set for kickoff returns with Cordarrelle Patterson, one of the best in the business in that role. But punts are a different story.
Edelman's days of returning punts should be over, so that job is wide open in camp. Berrios returned 47 punts at Miami, and if he can prove worthy in that department, he has a good shot at making the team. His biggest competition will likely be Riley McCarron, who spent last season on the practice squad and returned 19 punts (including one for a touchdown) while at Iowa.
Cyrus Jones is also an option, but it depends if he's healthy and -- more importantly -- able to hold onto the ball.
PUNTER BATTLE!
Bill Belichick loves himself some special teams, and he loves a good special teams roster battle. In 2013, he brought in undrafted punter Ryan Allen to compete with fan-favorite Zoltan Mesko, a battle Allen obviously won.
Now Allen, who is in the final year of his contract, is in the same situation as Mesko five years ago. He'll be kicking for his job against Corey Bojorquez, a lefty boot man out of New Mexico who brings a booming leg with him.
Nothing says Patriots football like a good special teams battle. Buckle up!
Fight! Fight! Fight!
It's gross outside. Players are going to be miserable hitting the field if this humidity sticks around in New England, and it's going to get even worse when guys start to hit each other. When the pads go on (which is expected to happen Saturday), tempers tend to rise, and that usually leads to some on-field skirmishes between teammates.
It's going to happen at some point. It does every year. And then cooler heads prevail, and players are kind of happy because their little tussle earns them an early trip to the showers. Let's see who throws down this year. Chances are Trent Brown won't be involved, because who would pick a fight with a giant?
The Undrafted Guys
In each of the last 14 seasons, at least one undrafted rookie has made Bill Belichick's initial 53-man roster. It worked out extremely well with Malcolm Butler in 2014, and just last season, four such players made the roster.
Who will it be this year? We've already touched on Bojorquez possibly making the team, but he is not alone. Cornerback J.C. Jackson out of Maryland is a physical player and a solid tackler, fitting the bill for a New England corner (they could have used more of that skillset in their final game last year). Trent Harris was a versatile player at Miami with the ability to play linebacker or defensive end, and we know how much Belichick loves versatile players on defense. Running back Ralph Webb out of Vanderbilt also has a chance, even in a crowded stable of running backs, given his opportunistic game and durability.
