If you have tickets to Saturday night’s preseason game at Gillette Stadium and you want to see the starters, get there early - like way early. Say pregame warmups. After two hard days of work with the Eagles, most of the important guys will be spectators, just like you.
But there are a handful of camp battles that are being waged that we’ll have our eyes on.
Quarterback: There’s no battle for the backup job. That’s Tommy DeVito’s. Period. End of story. But rookie Behren Morton could make a case to be on the 53 if he pops off, and he’s certainly about to get a bunch of reps now and again on Thursday in Cleveland. In fact, I could see a scenario in which he gets all of ‘em against the Browns. Can he be good enough that the Pats would choose not to risk him on waivers? Still seems unlikely, but there is no more important position in pro sports so…
Running back: You’ve got Rhamondre, TreVeyon and then who? With Terrell Jennings’ injury, the #3 job is open. Come on down, Hassan Haskins; the job is yours if you want it. Haskins was drafted by Vrabel and company in Tennessee, and while he’s never gotten many touches, he has been a strong special teams contributor. He’s also a hammer. 6’2”, 228 lbs, with good contact balance (he spun off a hit against the Colts). The team has been giving him more opportunities, and unless he falls on his face, I’d say Haskins will edge Lan Larison, who remains a practice squad candidate.
Wide receiver: Just feed Kayson Boutte the ball, then see if you can