Eight questions about the Patriots that should be (at least partially) answered after Friday’s preseason game

It’s likely Friday’s preseason game in Detroit will be the last time we’ll see the Patriots’ starters (at least for an extended stretch) until the start of the regular season against the Chiefs on Sept. 7. With that in mind, the contest against the Lions could go a long way toward finding some answers to a few questions the New England braintrust might have about the roster. In no particular order, here are eight that should be (at least partially) answered after Friday’s game.



1. Is Tom Brady on the same page with the new guys? Namely, Brandin Cooks and Dwayne Allen. All three were on the field for relatively the same amount of time last week against the Texans — Allen had 17 snaps (no receptions), while Cooks and Brady had 16 each. (Cooks had one catch via Brady for seven yards.) But a few more reps with the three of them together, all while mixing in the veterans, would provide some additional insight into the state of the New England passing game for the last time this summer before the regular-season opener against the Chiefs.

For that matter, we’re also simply interested in seeing how much Brady plays. We ran it early in the week, but here’s another look at his workload in the third preseason game since 2005.

2016: 3-for-9 for 76 yards, one touchdown, one sack, 16 snaps vs. Panthers
2015: 7-for-13, 84 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, one sack, 27 snaps vs. Panthers
2014: 17-for-21, 204 yards, two touchdowns, 42 snaps vs. Panthers
2013: 16-for-24, 185 yards, one interception, two sacks, 46 snaps vs. Lions
2012: 13-for-20, 127 yards, one touchdown, one interception, two sacks, 45 snaps vs. Bucs
2011: 12-for-22, 145 yards, one touchdown, one interception, two sacks, 37 snaps vs. Lions
2010: 18-for-22, 273 yards, three touchdowns, 30 snaps vs. Rams
2009: 12-for-19 for 150 yards, two touchdowns, one sack, 29 snaps vs. Redskins
2008: DNP
2007: 17-for-22, 167 yards, two touchdowns, 47 snaps vs. Panthers
2006: 17-for-30, 231 yards, one touchdown, 49 snaps vs. Redskins
2005: 12-for-21, 127 yards, one touchdown, one sack, 40 snaps vs. Packers

2. How healthy is Mike Gillislee? The newcomer had his bags packed and appeared to be ready to travel to Detroit, which means we should finally get a look at what he’s capable of achieving in the New England offense in a game situation. Gillislee has been dealing with a nagging hamstring, and so he’s struggled to see the field for a sizable portion of the summer. If he can play a decent portion of snaps (think Rex Burkhead last week) and show he’s capable of being a between-the-tackles presence for the Patriots, that’ll go a long way toward easing any fears people have about whether or not he’s ready to go and capable of being a serious contributor.

3. What’s will the latest chapter in the Cyrus Jones story bring? He struggled in the preseason opener against the Jags, but last week against the Texans, he delivered a couple of dynamic returns, revealing a look at what he’s truly capable of. (Bill Belichick praised his work, saying that on one return, he made “something out of nothing.”) There was also an ill-advised decision to try and make a play on a punt inside his own 10. This week, he talked about not listening to the “fair-weather fans.” Honestly, he’s already far and away the most compelling guy on the 2017 team, and we’re not even at Labor Day yet.

4. Can Harvey Langi play on the outside? The undrafted rookie got plenty of time on the edge against the Texans, and while he wasn’t overwhelming, he appeared to be the sort of young player capable of growing into a larger role as an outside linebacker/defensive end type as the season rolls on. With Deatrich Wise not expected to make the trip, look for him to continue to get more time at that spot Friday. In this same vein, we’re also going to be watching Geneo Grissom (provided he’s healthy enough to go) and Kony Ealy to see what they might be able to show at that spot as well. Ealy appears to be on a positive arc the last week-plus — it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep it going against the Lions.

5. Will Trey Flowers get the “Rob Gronkowski Preseason Treatment” again? (Come to think of it, now that Gronkowski played last week in a preseason game for the first time in five years, maybe we should call it the “Trey Flowers Preseason Treatment”?) The pass rusher out of Arkansas was held out of the Texans game last week, and while he didn’t appear to be injured, it raised some eyebrows: Was it a sign of his overall value, and the team not wanting to risk injury in a preseason contest? Or maybe just a week off for one of the strongest dudes on the team? Regardless, it’s undeniable that with some questions about the depth of the pass rush position, it was interesting to see New England’s best young rushers get the night off. We’ll see if that’s the case again Friday against the Lions.

6. Who has the best shot at being the third tight end? Matt Lengel won’t be traveling, so it’ll be down to Jacob Hollister and James O’Shaughnessy. Hollister got plenty of time in the opener and posted some impressive numbers, but O’Shaughnessy answered with a nice night of his own last week against the Texans. We still need to see more from Lengel, but a good game from one or the other against the Lions could create some separation in one of the only real positional battles left on the roster.

7. Is Cameron Fleming a capable swing tackle? We might be at a point where Fleming is the winner by default. The Stanford product has been uneven over the course of the summer, but at this point, there don’t appear to be many other options on the roster. He was passable last week against the Texans with Nate Solder on the sidelines. With Solder not traveling and La Adrian Waddle and Tony Garcia reportedly still dealing with injuries, Fleming should get plenty of run at tackle again against the Lions.

8. Is there a veteran in danger of being cut? If you’re an older player who hasn’t been dealing with an injury issue but is still playing deep into the second half of the third preseason game, that’s a significant red flag, and something that’ll be worth remembering come cutdown day. Nate Washington and Terrance Knighton were both playing late in the third game of the preseason last year, and both ultimately didn’t make the opening day roster. Keep those binoculars trained on who is out there come the fourth quarter.