Sorry, New England Patriots haters, but the Deflategate scandal will be put on hold for a few days.
The Patriots began organized team activities Tuesday, and the media will have their first glimpse at the 2015 squad Friday.
With no contact allowed during the voluntary offseason workout program, OTAs mainly are a passing camp, which means a lot of work for quarterbacks Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo and Garrett Gilbert, while there isn’t much to glean from players in the trenches.
Check out the three areas we’ll be watching closely during OTAs:
CORNERBACKS
Before Deflategate blew up, the Patriots’ lack of starting-caliber cornerbacks was the storyline that dominated social media. Fans rightfully were aggravated the Patriots failed to re-sign Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner and didn’t find high-caliber players in free agency or the draft to replace them.
The Patriots will go into OTAs with Malcolm Butler, Bradley Fletcher, Logan Ryan, Robert McClain, Darryl Roberts, Justin Green, Jimmy Jean, Eric Patterson and Daxton Swanson competing for roster spots and starting roles. Butler and Fletcher likely have the upper hand to play outside, and Ryan and McClain should battle for the nickel role. It will be interesting to see if re-signed free safety Devin McCourty takes any snaps at cornerback this spring. He began his NFL career at the position.
Cornerbacks will be fun to watch in 1-on-1, 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Patriots defensive backs will have their work cut out for them going against receivers Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell and Danny Amendola.
GAROPPOLO’S FIRST-TEAM REPS
With uncertainty swirling around Brady’s four-game suspension, we could see Garoppolo take increased reps with the No. 1 offense. Then again, that would be a waste of time if Brady’s suspension is wiped away.
I suspect the Patriots will wait until training camp to give Garoppolo increased first-team reps. OTAs are about getting new players acclimated, and who better to do that than Brady?
DEPTH CHART
The Patriots have restrictions on what the media can report about practices, including first-team/second-team groupings, so our OTAs observations won’t include how the depth chart is stacking up, but it’s still interesting to see. The Patriots could have depth chart competitions at running back, guard, defensive tackle, cornerback and safety.
How the first-team groupings look to begin OTAs likely won’t be the same at the end of training camp, but it shows which players have the upper hand to start the preseason.
Thumbnail photo via Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports Images
