PHILADELPHIA — The New England Patriots will enjoy a day off Wednesday after squaring off against the Eagles in a pair of spirited joint practices.
Ahead of the teams’ preseason matchup Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field, here are eight things we learned from their two days together on the NovaCare Complex practice fields:
1. There’s still no answer to the quarterback question
Neither Cam Newton nor Mac Jones separated himself in the Patriots’ most important and highly scrutinized roster battle. Jones was the better passer on Day 1, but not by a significant margin. Newton turned in a near-perfect statistical performance the following day, despite some gripes about his checkdowns. Jones opened the second joint practice with a horrid interception but quickly rebounded, completing every one of his passes thereafter. Across the two days, Newton saw the majority of reps with the first-team offensive line and against Philadelphia’s top defense, though Jones received a share of those, as well. Both remain in QB1 contention. But with 15 practices and one preseason game in the books, this race still is too close to call.
2. The tight end group is in rough shape
The Patriots practiced with just one tight end (Devin Asiasi) on Tuesday. That’s almost unheard of at this point in the NFL calendar. Asiasi likely will be the only active tight end Thursday night, too, as Hunter Henry (shoulder), Jonnu Smith (ankle) and Matt LaCosse (undisclosed) recover from injuries. That’s a big opportunity for the 2020 third-round pick, who managed just two catches as a rookie last season and missed the start of training camp after testing positive for COVID-19. The Patriots released roster long shots David Wells and Troy Fumagalli this week.
3. Rotating at running back
The Patriots ditched the first team/second team divide among their running backs this week, giving all six of them (Damien Harris, James White, Sony Michel, Brandon Bolden, Rhamondre Stevenson and J.J. Taylor) reps with the starting offense. Teams rarely carry more than five running backs on a 53-man roster, so one member of this group likely will be gone by Week 1.
4. No surprises in the receiving corps
Kendrick Bourne let it slip over the weekend that the Patriots plan to use him, Nelson Agholor and Jakobi Meyers as their top three receivers to open the season. That’s no surprise. Meyers and Bourne (in that order) have been the Patriots’ most consistent wideouts in camp, and Agholor brings a dangerous vertical element that no other New England receiver can replicate. The expensive ex-Eagle enjoyed his best practice in weeks Monday in his return to Philadelphia, though he had some issues with drops in 1-on-1 drills during both sessions. Bourne appeared to botch a route Monday, leading to a Jones incompletion, but otherwise was involved and productive. Meyers continues to be the team’s most reliable target, with his six catches in 7-on-7s Tuesday nearly equaling all other wideouts’ combined total of eight.
5. A concerning lack of depth at cornerback
When everyone’s healthy, the Patriots have a rock-solid cornerback trio of Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson on the outside and Jonathan Jones in the slot. But the depth behind them is shaky at best. With Gilmore and Jones both out of practice Tuesday, New England’s top three were Jackson and Joejuan Williams on the outside and Jalen Mills in the slot. Mills, who’s probably best-suited for a multipositional Swiss Army knife role, has spent most of the summer filling in for Gilmore on the perimeter. Williams isn’t even a lock to make the roster. It’s still unclear when Gilmore will be back in the mix, assuming he and the Patriots can come to terms on some sort of contract adjustment. The Patriots might want to look for outside reinforcements here before the regular season begins.
6. Matt Judon looks as advertised
The Pro Bowl edge rusher was a major problem for Philadelphia’s offense Monday, finishing with a pick-six, multiple sacks and at least one tackle for loss. He was similarly disruptive in his cameo appearance against Washington in last week’s preseason opener. It’s early, but Judon looks worthy of the $54.5 million investment so far.
7. Christian Barmore should contribute
A nagging foot injury has limited Barmore this summer, but the rookie defensive tackle saw his rep count rise this week with Lawrence Guy sidelined. Barmore should see a fair amount of playing time this season, even if he likely won’t open the campaign as a starter. The big Alabama product has been a pain for opponents to deal with in O-line/D-line 1-on-1s and has more than held his own in full-team settings.
8. The Kristian Wilkerson hype train is slowing
Wilkerson was one of the early risers in training camp, but his hands are threatening to keep him off the 53-man roster. Each joint practice featured one egregious drop by the young wideout, who also had a touchdown pass slip through his hands in last Thursday’s preseason game. Wilkerson has dropped a total of four passes over the Patriots’ last four competitive practices, and he’s struggled to create separation, leading to frequent pass breakups. He could wind up being this season’s version of Maurice Harris, who flamed out after a torrid start to camp in 2019.
