In this week’s edition of the NFL Notebook, we get a glimpse of N’Keal Harry’s hidden talent, catch up with a former New England coach at his new gig, and find out the date for this year’s ring ceremony. But first, we tell you why Joe Thuney is on the verge of the biggest year of his career, and what that means for the veteran offensive lineman — and the Patriots.
1. Joe Thuney isn’t the sort of guy who needs to hype his own skills. The soft-spoken offensive lineman is notoriously uncomfortable when it comes to discussing his accomplishments. But his teammates will tell you he was absolutely one of the most important parts of the New England offense in 2018. Last year, the left guard was the one guy on the offense to play every snap. He’s proven himself to be equally adept at run and pass blocking, and was a sizable reason why Aaron Donald had had a bad outing in Super Bowl LIII.
Now, Thuney is heading into 2019 as one of the most compelling — and important — figures on the roster. It’s the last year of his rookie contract, and barring something unforeseen between now and next offseason, he is facing a big payday. Does he deserve the same sort of deal fellow guard Shaq Mason got last year, one that included $23.5 million guaranteed? That’s a possibility. Check out this list of the top deals for left guards across the league for a point of reference when it comes to Thuney.
“I’m just focused on what I can control,” Thuney said earlier this spring when asked about his future. “I’m just focused on being here. I love New England. It’s been awesome here. Just trying to improve, get better and get ready for the season.”
But the sight of him at left tackle during the first open OTA session — and the Patriots’ uncertain status when it comes to tackle depth — got us wondering about the scenario where he could actually get more when it comes to a new deal. Frankly, if he ends up playing significant snaps at left tackle in 2019, that could increase his value even more. Not just from a practical standpoint (tackles are generally rated as more valuable than guards), but from a versatility perspective as well. (We haven’t even mentioned the fact that if Isaiah Wynn is able to go, he would be the fourth different left tackle to line up next to Thuney in four years.) What would the market be for a sturdy, dependable offensive lineman with three Super Bowl rings in the prime of his career like Thuney who can play both guard and tackle? The truth of the matter is Mason’s contract could very well be a starting point for someone like Thuney.
When it comes to the possibility of him agreeing to move at the start of a contract year, it’s worth mentioning we’ve seen guys around here do it before: Trey Flowers did it last season, enjoyed a huge 2018, and cashed in big when it was all said and done. Is Thuney capable of the same sort of leap — and the same sort of payday as a result? We’ll know sooner rather than later. At the very least, he seems well-positioned to quietly head into the biggest year of his professional career secure in the knowledge that as long as he stays healthy, he’s going to get paid by someone.
2. Great to see Pepper Johnson back in professional football. The former New England assistant — who was with the Patriots from 2000 through 2013 — was named the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Los Angeles entry into the XFL. In an interview with Boston Sports Journal last September, Johnson said he was ready to return to the game, and now, he’ll be a part of Winston Moss’ staff in Los Angeles. The latest version of the XFL is set to kick off in eight cities in 2020 — Johnson is the most notable ex-Patriot (player or coach) to land with the new league.
3. Speaking of former New England assistant coaches, we heard from former Patriots’ defensive line coach Brendan Daly for the first time this week in his new role as the run-game coordinator/defensive line coach with the Chiefs. Asked what made the job in Kansas City attractive enough for him to leave New England, Daly said one of the reasons was the opportunity to work with former colleague Steve Spagnuolo.
“This is a great opportunity for me,” he said. “I’ve had a tremendous amount of respect for coach (Andy) Reid for a long period of time. I’ve had the opportunity to work with coach (Steve) Spagnuolo on the defensive side of the ball in St. Louis. ... I obviously competed against this team a couple times in the past, and have a tremendous amount of respect for the organization, for the people on the field, for the players and it’s an exciting opportunity and a challenge for me.”
For what it’s worth, Spagnuolo said it was a no-brainer, especially when it came to the chance to work with someone who worked with Bill Belichick.
“Brendan went up there and learned from one of the best — if not the best — coach in football: Coach Belichick,” Spagnuolo told the press on Thursday. “He’s brought a lot of that here. I pick his brain — you know, ‘What would Bill have done here?’ — so it’s nice to have; a good resource to go to.”
4. One of the big league-wide stories this week was the news NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith sent an e-mail to all player agents to warn them of a potential "work stoppage of at least a year of length" that could occur when the current CBA expires following the 2020 season. Locally, the Patriots sound like they're taking a wait-and-see approach, at least according to Devin McCourty. "Yeah, it’s too early," McCourty told BostonSportsJournal.com when he was asked for his feelings at this stage of the process. "That e-mail wasn’t a big deal to me. We’ve talked about guys saving money for a while now -- to be prepared for anything. We will just have to see how things go."
5. One logistical thing for the defending champions will be checked off this week — a Patriots’ spokesman tells me the ring ceremony is scheduled for the next few days, likely just after the end of mandatory minicamp. No word on who will be able to make it back, but it’s expected that some of the players who departed in free agency will return to New England to get their hardware.
6. Never forget that even though things will start to slow over the next month-plus as we come closer to summer vacation, team-building as a year-round process. With that in mind, the Patriots have never been shy about tweaking their roster at this time of year — last year, New England made 10 transactions between the start of June and the end of July, including signing James Develin and Joe Cardona to extensions and adding wide receiver Paul Turner and free safety Eddie Pleasant. The basic foundational elements of the 2019 roster are in place, but it’s important to remember teams are still making moves, even during the slowest stretch on the NFL calendar.
7. Got a tip from an ASU fan this week on N’Keal Harry, who told me to check out Harry’s passing skills. We were able to dig up a few plays where he delivered some impressive passes. The first was against Utah in 2016, a 46-yard pass play that came after a reverse. An impressive play.
The second video saw him work as the quarterback out of what Arizona State called the "Sparky formation," a modified version of the wildcat, back in 2017. Harry ended the game with three carries, as well as the lone touchdown pass of his career, a 14-yarder to CeeJhay French-Love.
Not suggesting you’re going to see a ton of pass attempts from Harry, but it’s always nice for a receiver to have another tool in his belt if New England wants to surprise an opponent.
8. Three numbers that stood out to me this week:
a) 2 - In the last 15 years, only two teams have had more different running backs leads their team in rushing than the Patriots. (New England had nine, while Denver has had 11 and Cleveland has had 10.)
a) 6
Most consecutive seasons with multiple interceptions (active streaks):
Chris Harris Jr. 7
Stephon Gilmore 6
Janoris Jenkins 5
Darius Slay 5
Micah Hyde 5
Mike Adams 5@Broncos @ChrisHarrisJr https://t.co/XQEpAIzjxZ
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) May 29, 2019
c) 90.5 - The “clutch” grade that ProFootballFocus.com gave to Tom Brady this week as part of the creation of their first “All-Clutch” team. (The total comes from measuring a players’ performance on plays in the fourth quarter of games within seven points.) Rob Gronkowski and Stephon Gilmore both made second-team at their position.
9. Should be an interesting few days in Foxborough, as the Patriots will have three days of minicamp work on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. If reports are accurate, Brady should be in attendance for all three days. The other guy we really want to see? Michael Bennett, who was excused from OTAs.