We’re almost a full week into Patriots’ training camp, and along the way, we’ve learned a few things. Here are our top 11 takeaways to this point on the calendar:
1. Trent Brown can play.
The massive left tackle, who is one of the biggest players in recent franchise history, has a really unique skill set. His size is such that it takes a while for guys to simply get around him. (It’s a matter of real estate.) But he also has the fluidity and footwork and technique of someone who might be smaller. Basically, he has the rare combination of size and agility that make him a formidable presence along the line. “He can run, he can bend, he can change directions, he’s long, and he’s strong and he plays with good knee bend,” Bill Belichick said Monday night. “As big as he is, he doesn’t play necessarily 'high.' He can bend and get leverage on guys that aren’t as long as he is.” Unless something unforeseen happens, you should pencil him in as the starter at left tackle this season.
2. Brown’s presence — and that of Isaiah Wynn — could create an interesting situation for the Patriots’ offensive line.
This is a subject we’re going to be reading and talking about going forward. (Credit BSJ commenters for bringing this up in the chat on Monday.) Let’s say that Brown continues on his current ascent at left tackle, and Joe Thuney stays healthy enough to play at his consistent level at left guard going into the season. Would the presence of Wynn — who has played guard before — allow the Patriots to think about trading incumbent right guard Shaq Mason as the Georgia Tech product enters his contract year? Mason is one of the best in the game at his spot, but with salaries for good guards spiraling over the last year, it certainly gives the Patriots some food for thought. (This is the point where I remind you they dealt Logan Mankins in the late summer of 2014.)
3. Nothing really stands out so far when it comes to the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick relationship.
Not sure what folks were expecting there — it’s not like they’re going to start yelling at each other on the practice field. But from this perspective, there doesn’t appear to be much of a change when it comes to the Belichick-Brady dynamic. Belichick has traditionally moved around the training camp field an awful lot, and has done the same this summer. (There’s no real way to measure this, but our guess is he’s spending a little more time with the defense right now.) Brady has always been connected at the hip with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in these sorts of situations, and that’s held true this summer as well. So there’s no way to measure body language. I did think it was interesting that Belichick flashed a smile when NFL Network reporter Omar Ruiz asked him Monday what he was going to get Brady for his birthday this week. “I still have a couple of days to work on that,” he said.
4. If the season started this week, the following defensive core of about 13-15 guys would comprise the base defense.
Obviously, there’s a lot that needs to shake out between now and the start of the regular season. But based on what we’ve seen so far to this point in camp, New England’s base defense is going to consist of a core of about 13-15 players.
DL: Trey Flowers, Danny Shelton, Lawrence Guy, Adrian Clayborn
LB: Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy/Elandon Roberts
In the secondary, if they wanted to go three safeties and two corners, it would look like this:
S: Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, Duron Harmon
CB: Stephon Gilmore, Eric Rowe
If they wanted to go two safeties and three corners, it would look like this:
S: McCourty (deep safety), Chung (box safety)
CB: Gilmore, Rowe, Duke Dawson (slot/nickel)
Again, that would change depending on the situation. (Adam Butler and Deatrich Wise continue to be third-down pass rushers, and Malcom Brown has been mixed in at defensive tackle as well.) And there are some guys who are still on PUP who will be heard from sooner-rather-than-later. (Jonathan Jones will challenge Dawson for the slot role.) But that’s the way things look on defense at this point of the summer.
5. Stephon Gilmore is ready.
Gilmore has looked really good this summer. He’s on the field early, he’s not limited in any way, and he’s registered a number of pass breakups on Brady. Through the first week, he’s been the Patriots best defensive player. We’ll see what happens when the preseason games start, but there’s every reason to think he’s primed for a great season.
6. When it comes to the No. 2 cornerback spot, Eric Rowe is ahead of Jason McCourty.
Initially, when we didn’t see Jason McCourty much this spring, I assumed he was either rehabbing something or simply taking his time getting up to speed with the defense. But over the first week of the summer, we’ve consistently seen Rowe get snaps ahead of McCourty at the second cornerback spot opposite Gilmore. With Rowe getting more snaps on the boundary, some intriguing prospects like Jonathan Jones still rehabbing on PUP, and rookies like J.C. Jackson and Keion Crossen at the back end of the depth chart getting more reps, there’s the potential for some personnel moves there between now and the end of training camp.
7. They have some intriguing plans for Cordarrelle Patterson.
Belichick has lusted after Patterson for many years, and now that he has him on his roster, he’s going to take advantage of just about everything he can do. We’ve seen plenty of gadgety-type stuff from Patterson this summer, as well as some stuff designed to simply get him the ball in space and take advantage of his speed. He won’t be a colossal part of the offense, but the Patriots and McDaniels will push the edges of the playbook a bit in hopes of trying to catch opposing defensive coordinators off-guard. That’s all in addition to his planned work as a kick returner. I’ve spoken with multiple people around the league who believe that with some of the confusion around the new kick return rules, Belichick’s continued emphasis on special teams and Patterson’s crazy speed, it’ll all add up to multiple return touchdowns this year for the former Raider. We shall see about that, but Patterson is certainly shaping up to be a really intriguing piece of the puzzle, regardless of how he thinks he's doing.
8. When it comes to how they’ll replace Julian Edelman for the first four games, it’ll remain a collective. But there are some guys who have distinguished themselves as possibilities for more work.
You already know slotback James White and the versatile Rex Burkhead will be asked to do more over the first four games, but they were likely going to be a big part of things regardless of Edelman’s status. Instead, what we’ve seen over the first week or so of practices is the inclusion of players like Phillip Dorsett (who has taken more snaps in the slot than usual this summer) and Jacob Hollister (who has held up well in the passing game as a second tight end), two guys who will now have more responsibility on their plate with Edelman on the sideline. Both have emerged as a member of Brady’s Circle of Trust, held with some of the higher-level offensive skill position players when the rest of the roster is going through special teams drills. A lot still depends on the health of Malcolm Mitchell and Jordan Matthews going forward. But right now, Dorsett and Hollister are in line to get more work come the first month of the season.
9. Danny Shelton is ahead of Malcom Brown.
We had a lot of reservations about Shelton in the spring for a few reasons, including the fact he wasn’t happy with the fact the team didn’t pick up his fifth-year extension and that he appeared a little cowed by the Patriots’ conditioning process. But Shelton has received the bulk of the reps at defensive tackle so far, and is ahead of Brown on the depth chart. (Brown has frequently been teamed with Vincent Valentine and/or Butler.) Not sure how much of this is about New England trying out some different personnel combinations or a sign they prefer Shelton to Brown going forward. But the Patriots clearly wanted to do something about their early-down run defense, and they believe Shelton could be their man.
10. The punting battle is a dead heat.
Greg has been tracking the hang-time totals (check out the latest totals from our Live Coverage page on Monday night), and it appears rookie Corey Bojorquez has an early lead on veteran Ryan Allen. No surprise, as the New Mexico product has really impressed with a big leg in the early going. (It’s also worth noting New England would be able to save a few bucks of Belichick goes with the first-year player instead of the veteran.) But it’s a different matter when it comes to directional work, which is a huge part of what the Patriots preach. We’ll see how it all shakes out going forward, but this certainly looks like it’ll go down to the wire.
11. They still feel a little thin in a few areas.
The starters are pretty much locked in across the board, but there are a few areas where it feels like we could see some movement between now and the start of the regular season. Maybe one of the rookie linebackers lights it up in the preseason, but they might need another veteran body there. (NaVorro Bowman?) Depending on the health of Mitchell and Britt, they could also be inclined to go out and get a veteran receiver. (Eric Decker could be a short-term addition — he expressed interest in playing in New England earlier this summer. In addition, Jeremy Maclin is still available.)
UPDATE, 4:31 P.M. -- The Patriots have reportedly worked out Decker, according to our pal Field Yates.
Source: veteran WR Eric Decker worked out for the Patriots on Monday. The team is currently dealing with some injury issues at WR (Kenny Britt, Malcolm Mitchell, Jordan Matthews).
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) July 31, 2018
The bottom line? Team-building never stops. The Patriots signed Rob Ninkovich on Aug. 2, 2009, a move that was a transactional afterthought at the time. Eight years later, he retired as one of the better defenders in recent franchise history. They all don’t turn out like Ninkovich, but New England is always looking to tweak the roster. Expect the same thought process this summer.