FOXBOROUGH - In Mike Sando’s annual Quarterback Tiers (featured in The Athletic), one of the evaluators Sando spoke with pointed out that Patriots QB Mac Jones has “the worst supporting cast of any young quarterback.”
That came on the heels of ESPN’s Bill Barnwell’s WR, TE and RB team rankings that had the Pats 26th, a year after tabbing them 27th. Their best hope, writes Barnwell, is “if [Rhamondre Stevenson] can sustain that efficiency [from a season ago] and Tyquan Thornton can emerge as the deep threat this team has needed since their yearlong dalliance with Brandin Cooks in 2017.”
See? I’m not the only one who thinks that the Pats have done their signal caller a disservice. In fact, I’d argue the last time this organization had good weapons was the last time they won a Super Bowl. Sure, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski weren’t at the height of their powers, but they were in lockstep with the quarterback and proven big-game performers (not to mention James White posting 15 catches in the playoff win over the Chargers). As for this group? JuJu Smith-Schuster has a championship pedigree. The rest of ‘em? Not so much.
And on that note, Thornton has already missed multiple practices here in training camp, just as he did during the spring. Considering he also missed four games in his rookie year, and was running wrong routes to close last season, that’s less than ideal. Thornton needs the reps.
Internally, there is a strong belief that he can pull the safeties with him because of his speed, thereby creating room underneath for Smith-Schuster and Hunter Henry. Good in theory, but we haven’t seen it in practice. We also know DeVante Parker isn’t that type of vertical threat, nor is Kendrick Bourne. So where else will that type of field alterer come from? Perhaps if Mike Gesicki threatens the seams regularly, Bill O’Brien will be able to attack the space that’s created, but to this point, Gesicki has had a nondescript camp. Yes, there is a long way to go, but the early evidence has done nothing to dissuade the aforementioned concerns.
There is one thing that is readily apparent and incredibly positive: O’Brien. The detail we’ve seen from this offense so far is Josh McDaniels-esque. There’s loads of pre-snap movement, the quarterback has definitely been empowered to change plays at the line of scrimmage (so far), and the variety in both formation and route combinations will challenge even the smartest defenses. Will detailed game planning be able to overcome talent deficiencies at the skill positions? I can’t predict that in early August, but there’s undoubtedly a better vibe and more confidence that this scheme will give the Pats offense something they didn’t have on game day a season ago: a fighting chance.
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One last note/observation about the veteran pass catchers: Parker continues to be the most frustrating player in that category. He’s had some moments this summer:
- He split a double team on a post (someone was cheating) only to be overthrown by Jones.
- There was a beautiful sideline grab in which he elevated on a comeback, caught the ball and managed to get his feet down.
But there have also been three - yes, three - 50/50 balls that he’s supposed to win but didn’t in recent days. And in all three cases, he was outfought by significantly smaller corners. There has never been any denying Parker’s talent, but questions about his will/want-to have followed him from college to Miami and now to New England. His yards per game have declined notably since 2019, when he averaged 75 yards and had a career-high 1202 yards receiving. Since then?
2020: 793 yards, 56.6 per game
2021: 515 yards, 51.5 per game
2022: 539 yards, 41.5 per game
As one Patriots source told me a couple of days ago, “When he wants to be involved, it shows. We just gotta figure out what button we need to push to make that happen.”
Finally, let’s address this quote from Smith-Schuster earlier in the week.
“I mean, just because they signed me to a three-year deal and I’m a new receiver doesn’t mean that I’m a No. 1 receiver,” he said. “I think DeVante Parker is a guy who is arguably the No. 1 receiver. I think Kendrick Bourne is a No. 1 receiver. I think I can be a No. 1 receiver.”
For starters, there isn’t a true No. 1 receiver on the roster - or many rosters. We overuse that term. The true No. 1s, in my opinion, are Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf and Travis Kelce (yes, he’s a receiver). There are a bunch of really good ones that I wouldn’t classify as true top dogs: Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins, CeeDee Lamb, Garrett Wilson and Brandon Aiyuk come to mind. But for this Patriots team, it has to be Smith-Schuster commanding attention, targets and catching 5 to 8 balls a week. Otherwise, opposing defensive coordinators with good talent don’t have to alter their secondary’s algebra, and can live with playing the Pats in an aggressive manner. Considering the questions about the offensive line (what a bleep show that’s been so far), and Mac’s ability to handle pressure, that could negate at least some of the advantages that have been created by having an experienced play caller/play designer such as O’Brien in charge.
I was about to say enough about this, but I’ve gotta give a quick update on the rookies. Demario Douglas continues to stack days and has been the team’s most consistent playmaker to this point in camp. In fact, O’Brien is trying him in a number of spots and the rookie hasn’t looked out of place. If he’s a real player, they’ll have quickness out of that slot that they haven’t since Edelman/Amendola 5 or so years ago. As for Kayshon Boutte, he too has started to put some good football out there after looking like he didn’t belong at the start of the camp. Again, just a couple days from Boutte, but his body control stood out on several occasions. He was worth a flyer where the Pats selected him. The rest, they say, is up to him.
Taking a spin around the league
- In Rochester, New York, site of the Bills training camp, first-rounder Dalton Kincaid has, to this point, come as advertised. He is catching everything in sight, building a solid foundation for his relationship with quarterback Josh Allen.
"His instincts are very high, especially for a rookie tight end," Allen said on One Bills Live. "Understanding in zone coverage which way to turn, whether it's inside or outside. His catch radius is pretty big. He's got some grippers on him, and he can move those around and snag the ball out of the air."
Allen mentioned that Kincaid is capable of being a “friendly outlet” for a signal caller, and that’s been something the Buffalo offense has been lacking since Cole Beasley was at his best the first two years of his Bills tenure.
- Staying with the Bills, one assistant coach there told me that Stefon Diggs has been a “beast” and “uncoverable.” Appears that the offseason of his discontent is a memory, although with high-priced wide receivers, you never know when that might rear its ugly head again.
- Tua Tagovailoa has confirmed he will wear a newly approved helmet designed especially for quarterbacks. The Zero2Matrix helmet was given a green light by the league back in April, and it’s designed to help protect QBs against some of the concussions that they generally have suffered in years past.
The studies haven’t shown a dramatic improvement in concussion reduction, but any improvement is worth trying, especially for Tua, who suffered 2 documented head injuries (and another that wasn’t documented) that cost him 5 games total.
“It was like a percentage better than the helmet that I had,” he told reporters earlier this week. “So, you know, everything matters and so I’m going to play the percentage.”
- Have the Chiefs found another diamond in the rough? Justyn Ross, a former Clemson standout, is opening eyes in training camp. The 6’4” wideout showed out with Trevor Lawrence back in 2018, averaging over 20 yards per catch and lighting it up in the college football playoffs.
But neck and back injuries led to Ross being undrafted in 2022, and while the Chiefs signed him, he needed foot surgery last July and ended up on IR for his entire rookie campaign. But this summer, Ross is getting reps with Patrick Mahomes and has impressed.
"Yeah, he's had a good one," said Mahomes (per NFL.com). “You can tell he's been in the offense for a year now. Obviously, making big plays, he's getting more and more involved in those first-team reps, and so a guy that I have a lot of hope for that he can be a really good player in this offense."