In a vacuum, the Patriots' offense has been very much a work in progress this camp.
That's actually being kind. It has looked downright ugly at times, especially in the passing game.
Jarrett Stidham started pressing two days in and missed the fifth day of practice with a lower-body injury despite being 24 and never being touched in practice. Cam Newton has often been hesitant with the ball and has taken a lot of checkdowns instead of pressing the ball downfield. Brian Hoyer, despite his problematic tic of patting the ball before throwing, has probably been the most consistent quarterback and, of course, has a better handle on the offense.
As for the receivers, N'Keal Harry has been missing in action (more on that below) the last two days and unimpressive in the other sessions. If you told me Mohamed Sanu wasn't at the last five practices, I wouldn't argue because he's been that invisible. Julian Edelman has been doing his usual camp routine where he's on or off depending on the day, but there are increasing moments he looks 34. There are a bunch of no-names — Devin Ross, Gunner Olszewski, Jakobi Meyers and Damiere Byrd — doing most of the work.
As for the tight ends, Devin Asiasi has been OK but hasn't made many plays. Dalton Keene is either dropping passes or making a mental error. Ryan Izzo is a little better but he still has the limit of a No. 3 TE.
Two running backs (Sony Michel and Lamar Miller) haven't even been on the field yet and the season is three weeks away.
Sounds like we're headed for a disaster with the Patriots' offense, right?
Actually, quite the opposite. If you look closely and put practice events in their proper context, there's some really good stuff brewing for this offense that will be more apparent in the games than they are in these early sessions.
Do the Patriots and their quarterbacks look borderline terrible in 7-on-7s and sessions where they're running 20 straight third downs against a pretty good and deep secondary? Yes. And if Tom Brady was here, you'd understandably be worried about this team's prospects — like we were last summer.
But this is going to be a completely different Patriots offensive approach. It's basically going to be Bully Ball, with the biggest QB bully on the planet — yes the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Newton, not Hoyer — at the center of it.
Here's why, instead of a five-alarm fire, there's a quiet confidence building around the Patriots' offense:
TOUGHNESS AND PHYSICALITY
There's been a lot of passing so far in camp and even during the running periods, it's hard for the media to really tell what's going on without the aid of coaches' film because things are moving so fast. Was it bad defense or good offense? Difficult to discern. It seems like the Patriots are doing some really nice work in the running game, especially Damien Harris and the offensive line, but that's at a quick glance.
However, discussions with those who would know have not only confirmed what we've seen in practice, but are even stronger on it: this is going to be one tough, physical offense that runs through their running game. The 2018 Patriots down the stretch were a gun-run team compared to what the 2020 Patriots might be.
It starts with the offensive line, a unit that is hell-bent on proving their 2019 struggles were an aberration. Isaiah Wynn, Joe Thuney, David Andrews and Shaq Mason have all been terrific so far. I need multiple hands to count the number of times there have been gaping holes for the backs to run through, and they're often not seeing contact for 5-plus yards past the line of scrimmage.
Jermaine Eluemunor has been one of the surprises of camp and has solidified the unit, and just might be an upgrade over Marcus Cannon when things are said and done. He and Mason have had some great double teams at the point of attack, and Eluemunor brings a little more athleticism to the position. I would not bank on Eluemunor for the long-term, however. He's been a player who has been motivationally challenged throughout his career (it's part of the reason why the Ravens were done with him). But Eluemunor saw what Trent Brown did in 2018 and the contract he landed with the Raiders off one good year with the Patriots ... let's just say Eluemunor is working from the same playbook.
It's not even just the starters. Hjalte Froholdt, one of the biggest busts of camp a season ago, looks like a completely different player this year and has basically locked down the backup interior spot and solidified the depth behind Andrews. Sixth-round pick Justin Herron and Korey Cunningham (a nobody a season ago after the trade from the Cardinals) have been so good the Patriots have shown no inclination to bring in a veteran tackle. Mike Onwenu, another sixth-round pick, is going to be a player at guard for this team in time.
In the backfield, Jakob Johnson, if he can stay healthy, has been a revelation and may just be better than James Develin, something he was on his way to proving before a shoulder injury ended his season. Johnson has been TNT blocking in front of the backs — good luck to a linebacker or safety who has to meet him in a hole. You can feel the blocks in the stands 100 yards away. And he can catch, and actually run.
Harris has brought a physicality to the running back position that Sony Michel never did. Harris is listed at 5-11 and 213 pounds, but I'd say he at least plays closer to 225 or 230. He is a physical load and can't be arm-tackled. His vision and cut-back ability is much more natural than Michel. At this point, it would be a big upset if Harris isn't the lead running back for this entire season.
Tight end is a work in progress, but there's a belief Asiasi will come along quick enough to give them what they need as the lead pass catcher. Keene's like a big puppy who's kind of all over the place right now, but if he can settle down at some point, he'll give the Patriots what they need at H-back. Izzo's been better, and he's sort of the catch-all backup to solidify things when needed.
Harry hasn't shown it in camp yet, but people are excited about the physicality he's shown overall. Apparently there was a play in an earlier practice where he was locked up with J.C. Jackson, a really good player, and Harry basically tossed Jackson out of the club on his way to scoring a touchdown. It's that kind of physicality that makes Harry the Newton of receivers: a power forward that needs to use his strengths to be effective. Harry is never going to be Edelman and run those routes. He needs to be more Anquan Boldin and there's a belief he can do that.
Then there's Newton, who may be the most physically imposing quarterback in NFL history. Is he going to win accuracy challenges or be a 7-on-7 king? No. But when you combine his physicality, his escapability, his running vision and moves, with his throwing, then you have an efficient quarterback.
There are zero concerns, right now, about his shoulder health. Those who haven't seen Newton in person or studied him previously ... he's never had a classic motion, has always dropped his throwing elbow, and there's always been a disconnect between his lower body and arm — you'd love to fix it and it would make him better, but it's a little late for that (the below video is from the 2016 season and before his shoulder issues).
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