One preseason game down, three to go.
As the New England Patriots continue their march toward cutdown day, let’s check in on where some of the team’s biggest roster battles currently stand.
LEFT TACKLE
Isaiah Wynn took more baby steps toward full participation this week, squaring off against Patriots pass rushers in full-speed 1-on-1s after each of the team’s two fully padded joint practice sessions. The 2018 first-round draft pick still has yet to take part in live team drills, however, as he works his way back from the Achilles tear that wiped out his rookie season 12 months ago.
Wynn is expected to take over starting duties whenever he’s healthy enough to return. In the meantime, New England has relied on Dan Skipper, who’s looked overmatched at times in practice but fared well against Detroit’s reserve D-line in Thursday’s 31-3 Patriots victory. The 6-foot-9 former Lion surrendered just one hurry in 18 pass-block snaps.
Joe Thuney has exclusively played in his usual spot at left guard of late after beginning camp as the team’s fill-in left tackle. New England could consider shifting him back if Wynn hits a setback and Skipper can’t cut it.
TIGHT END
If anything, this competition has even less certainty after Thursday night. Matt LaCosse, the projected Week 1 starter since the spring, suffered an apparent lower leg injury late in the second quarter and did not return to the sideline after halftime.
We’ve yet to hear an update on LaCosse, who caught two passes for 37 yards before going down. If it’s serious, the Patriots might need to add another body to get by until Ben Watson’s suspension expires in Week 5.
The Pats already were dealing with an injury to veteran newcomer Lance Kendricks, who hasn’t practiced since July 28. Stephen Anderson might not be 100 percent, either; he played just three offensive snaps against the Lions, plus another three on special teams.
Ryan Izzo got the most work against Detroit, playing 45 offensive snaps (54 percent). Izzo blocked well but contributed minimally in the passing game, finishing with one catch for 5 yards and dropping what should have been a touchdown pass from quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
Undrafted rookie Andrew Beck played 18 offensive snaps, most of them at fullback.
WIDE RECEIVER
With 11 practices and one game in the books, a clear divide has emerged in the Patriots’ receiving corps: N’Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers, Phillip Dorsett, Braxton Berrios and Maurice Harris in the first tier; Dontrelle Inman, Ryan Davis, Gunner Olszewski, Damoun Patterson and Danny Etling in the second. The members of the latter group all currently sit below the cutline in our eyes, though Inman could make a late push after a surprisingly effective performance against the Lions.
The bigger question is whether the Patriots will opt to keep all five of the first-tier wideouts — plus special teamer Matthew Slater — with Julian Edelman’s return on the horizon and Demaryius Thomas and Josh Gordon potentially joining the fray down the line. Berrios had looked like the low man before this past week, but he performed very well both in joint practices and in the preseason game and received some telling praise Friday from head coach Bill Belichick.
Would the Patriots consider cutting or trading someone like Dorsett, who’s consistently run with the first-team offense in practice but has caught fewer than half of his targets in 11-on-11 drills? Dorsett, the only 2018 holdover currently participating in camp, is probably safe, but the fact he played Thursday night (finishing with one catch on two targets for 11 yards in 12 offensive snaps) suggested his spot might not be totally secure.
CORNERBACK
Slot corner Jonathan Jones, who enjoyed a night off Thursday with the rest of the Patriots’ starters, seems to have sewn up a roster spot after an excellent start to camp. He and second-year pro Keion Crossen both have dramatically outplayed 2018 second-rounder Duke Dawson, whose rough summer continued with two 20-plus-yard gains allowed and three penalties committed against the Lions. Dawson hasn’t been much better on the practice field.
Without significant improvement over the next three weeks, it’s hard to envision New England keeping Dawson unless someone above him on the depth chart is either injured or traded.
PUNTER
Rookie Jake Bailey punted in the first half Thursday and handled all Patriots kickoffs. The Stanford product has an absolute cannon for a leg and has consistently posted better hangtime marks than incumbent Ryan Allen in practice.
