What Patriots Fans Should Keep Eye On During Pre-Training Camp Break

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots concluded their final day of minicamp, which means an extended break before the start of training camp.

Jerod Mayo had near-perfect attendance for the two days his team participated in mandatory minicamp. The Patriots head coach emphasized this week that there is no formal depth chart and the lack of pads in practice only allows for so many takeaways.

There still are storylines for fans to look forward to before training camp is expected to start late July, so let’s dive into them.

Re-signings
New England had a massive amount of cap space this offseason, but the most significant move it has made is re-signing key players. There still are at least three players who could sign a new contract before training camp: Matthew Judon, Rhamondre Stevenson and Davon Godchaux.

Judon participated in both days of minicamp, and he’s largely been content with how his contract situation played out. He’s expressed a desire to return to the Patriots, and it seems like the pass rusher is trying to work out the fine details with Eliot Wolf and his staff. The executive vice president of player personnel appears to be “pretty close” to an extension with Stevenson, according to the running back himself. The details of this will be interesting given the state of the running back market. What’s even more interesting is that Godchaux wants an extension and did a “hold in” during minicamp where he was limited throughout. The details of this deal shouldn’t be too crazy, but it goes to show how many players the Patriots could be willing to bring back.

Roster upgrades
There still are plenty of veterans available on the market, especially offensive tackles. Mayo didn’t sound too concerned about the unit, but it’s fair for fans to have questions about it since Drake Maye should be allowed to play in front of a solid O-line. New England cycled through Caedan Wallace, Chukwuma Okorafor, Vederian Lowe and Calvin Anderson at tackle in the first and second units. That’s asking a lot out of an unproven group. Adding more depth to training camp certainly wouldn’t hurt, and this is the perfect time. Remember: DeAndre Hopkins and Ezekiel Elliott waited until July and August to sign contracts last season. Veterans are more than willing to wait for the best offer and skip out on these mandatory camps as long as possible.

No days off
Mayo hoped his players would take what they gained during minicamp and bring that with them through the break and learn from it for training camp. He also hoped players recovering from injury also are given time to be ready. Fans will hope those players continue to work into the offseason, which Drake Maye plans on doing since the rookies are expected to stick around Gillette Stadium.

Dishonorable mention
That leads to something fans should try to relax about: Offseason hype videos. We’re about to enter a lull period in the NFL season, and that’s why any kind of content can get fans going and speculate widely. Javon Baker had a quiet minicamp, but his posts on Instagram will definitely get the adrenaline going from fans. This is not meant to single out the rookie wideout since he’s not the only one guilty of this, but fans should manage expectations during this expected quiet period as the players continue to hone their craft and try to get healthy.