Five Biggest Takeaways From Patriots’ First Block Of Training Camp

The New England Patriots completed their first block of training camp Monday, earning a well-deserved day off Tuesday.

NFL teams can only practice five straight days. The Patriots held sessions Thursday through Monday with padded practices on Saturday and Sunday.

We’ve posted observations after each of those practice sessions, but if you’re looking for condensed thoughts, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the Patriots’ first five practices.

— It’s early, but Maurice Harris looks like he’ll be a Week 1 starter. Julian Edelman isn’t practicing because of a thumb injury, rookie N’Keal Harry is acclimating to the NFL, Demaryius Thomas is still recovering from a torn Achilles, and Josh Gordon is suspended, so this wide receiver group is a little difficult to project. But we would guess the Week 1 starters will be either Edelman, Harris and Phillip Dorsett or possibly Edelman, Harris and Harry.

Harris was very good in the spring, and his strong showing has continued in five training camp practices.

— Isaiah Wynn, the Patriots’ 2018 first-round pick and projected starting left tackle, is still limited in practice. On the first three days of training camp, left guard Joe Thuney was filling in for Wynn at left tackle. Over the last two days, it’s been 6-foot-10 Dan Skipper at left tackle.

We’re penciling Skipper onto the 53-man roster for that reason. It helps Skipper that 2019 third-round pick Yodny Cajuste started camp on the non-football injury list and hasn’t been so much as spotted at practice yet.

We still think Wynn will be the Patriots’ starting left tackle this season. But Skipper could be this year’s version of Cameron Fleming or LaAdrian Waddle as a swing tackle if the Patriots truly believe he can protect the blindside.

— Jarrett Stidham hasn’t been perfect through five days of training camp. But from the way we see it, he’s ahead of where Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett and Danny Etling were at this time as rookies in 2014, 2016 and 2018, respectively. He’s holding onto the ball for too long but largely avoiding mistakes and errant throws.

Belichick had some very nice things to say about Stidham to SiriusXM. It might be time to have a conversation about whether Stidham could serve as quarterback Tom Brady’s backup over Brian Hoyer in 2019.

— Danny Etling is no longer strictly a quarterback. Etling still takes some throwing reps during and after practice, but he’s also taken on responsibilities as a wide receiver and special teamer.

Ultimately, we don’t think it will be enough for Etling to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster, but it could earn him a practice squad role. And if Etling is on the practice squad anyway, then perhaps he could serve as the Patriots’ scout-team quarterback, which is a job Hoyer had last season.

— The Patriots typically run a hybrid defensive front, but we’re seeing more looks with a three-man front so far than we have in past summers. That’s likely due to the fact that Michael Bennett is a bigger-bodied defensive end who can play a more interior role.

This puts an added emphasis on finding pass-rushing 3-4 outside linebackers. Fortunately for the Patriots, they have a lot of them in Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, John Simon, Chase Winovich, Derek Rivers, Trent Harris and Shilique Calhoun.

A switch to more of a three-man front could give a player like Rivers a new lease on life. We wonder how guys like Keionta Davis or Deatrich Wise, both of whom are more traditional 4-3 defensive ends, might fit in, however.