Class is back in session at Gillette Stadium.
This week, the New England Patriots will reconvene for training camp, hitting the practice field Wednesday morning for the first time since early June.
As camp commences, we spotlighted 10 of the biggest questions facing this Patriots squad, which is looking to improve on last season’s 10-win campaign and first-round playoff exit.
1. Who is calling plays?
The Patriots will operate without an official coordinator on either side of the ball this season, and it remains unclear who will be calling plays for their Mac Jones-led offense. Quarterbacks coach Joe Judge and offensive line coach Matt Patricia appeared to share those duties during spring practice, with head coach Bill Belichick also devoting more of his attention to New England’s offense than usual. Belichick has yet to reveal who will handle that responsibility full-time this season, but either Patricia or Judge would be an unorthodox choice given their relative lack of offensive coaching experience. The Patriots’ play-caller will play an integral role in the development of Jones, who thrived under former OC Josh McDaniels’ tutelage as a rookie.
2. What will the offense look like?
Belichick used the word “streamlined” to describe his team’s post-McDaniels offense, with players adjusting to tweaks in terminology and verbiage aimed at simplifying a notoriously complex system. The on-field product likely won’t look drastically different, but the Patriots did abandon one of their favorite personnel packages this offseason when they eliminated the traditional fullback from their roster. For a team that ranked second in the NFL in 21 personnel usage (two backs, one tight end) in 2021, that was a significant development. We could see the 2022 Patriots lean more heavily on two-tight end sets, which they seldom utilized last season despite signing Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith to big-money contracts. Smith, it’s worth noting, enjoyed an encouraging spring after a dismal debut season in New England.
3. Can Mac Jones take a Year 2 leap?
While the Patriots’ offensive coaching setup remains a major question mark, Jones has provided plenty of reasons for optimism since his promising rookie year concluded. He’s improved his diet and conditioning, garnered rave reviews for his command of the offense and more active leadership style, and showed off an improved deep ball this spring, delivering seven tight-window completions on eight deep attempts across two minicamp practices. With a largely unchanged supporting cast of skill players — save for the arrivals of veteran receiver DeVante Parker and a few rookies — the Patriots are banking on growth from Jones to elevate their offense this season.
4. Who starts at linebacker?
No Patriots position group saw more offseason turnover than the linebacking corps, which no longer features Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins or Chase Winovich. That quartet combined to play more than 1,700 defensive snaps last season — including 810 by Van Noy and 634 by Hightower — and New England will be relying on a crop of less experienced, more athletic ‘backers to replace them. Raekwon McMillan, Mack Wilson and 2021 fifth-round pick Cameron McGrone — an intriguing prospect who redshirted last season but has received high praise from coaches — will jockey for one starting inside linebacker spot alongside the returning Ja’Whaun Bentley. On the edge, Josh Uche currently looks like the favorite to start opposite Pro Bowler Matthew Judon, with Anfernee Jennings and 2021 third-rounder Ronnie Perkins also in the mix.
5. Who starts at cornerback?
After watching J.C. Jackson join the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, the Patriots are preparing to enter a season without a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback on their roster for the first time in a decade. Their plan: replace Jackson with some combination of Malcolm Butler, Terrance Mitchell and fourth-round rookie Jack Jones. All three saw first-team reps during spring practice, as did returning starter Jalen Mills, setting the stage for what should be a highly entertaining training camp competition. Jones was a minicamp standout, turning heads with his sticky coverage and ball skills. Can the undersized Arizona State product push for a Week 1 starting job? We’ll find out.
6. Is Cole Strange the real deal?
Speaking of instant starters, Stange has been firmly entrenched as the Patriots’ top option at left guard since the day he arrived in Foxboro. The Chattanooga alum’s selection at No. 29 overall in this year’s draft was met with widespread skepticism, but value questions aside, most viewed Strange as a great fit for New England’s O-line. His athleticism and competitive streak already were evident in non-contact spring practices, and he’ll be one of the top players to watch once the pads come on. A seamless transition to the NFL game — no easy feat for a player coming from Division I’s lower level — would silence many of Strange’s draft-night doubters. We’re also interested to see who lines up next to Strange, as Isaiah Wynn’s move from left to right tackle was one of the top storylines of minicamp.
7. Can James White keep his roster spot?
A key cog in New England’s offense for years, White has yet to fully recover from the hip injury that ended his 2021 season last September. The veteran third-down back was highly limited during the spring and enters camp on the physically unable to perform list (along with McMillan, cornerback Jonathan Jones, safety Jabrill Peppers and center David Andrews), raising the question of whether he’ll be healthy in time for the season. If he’s not or lacks his usual playmaking ability after such an arduous rehab process, the Patriots could turn to understudy J.J. Taylor or fleet-footed fourth-round rookie Pierre Strong to fill White’s void in the passing game. Rhamondre Stevenson also worked to improve his route-running this offseason and could absorb some of White’s responsibilities in Year 2 of his promising pro career.
8. Does Tre Nixon have a legitimate roster shot?
No player boosted his stock more in mandatory minicamp than Nixon, the 2021 practice squadder who lit up New England’s secondary with several deep-ball receptions from Mac Jones. But we’ve seen many Patriots wideouts flash in the spring before fading in training camp, and Nixon is part of a deep position group that features four established veterans (Parker, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor), plus roster-lock rookie Tyquan Thornton and receiver/running back hybrid Ty Montgomery. Ernie Adams’ final Patriots draft pick will need to maintain his minicamp momentum to have any chance of nabbing a surprise roster spot.
9. Who returns kicks and punts?
Gunner Olszewski, the Patriots’ top return man for the last two seasons, now is in Pittsburgh, creating a sizable hole on special teams. A handful of players tried their hand at kick and/or punt returning during spring practice, but we’ve yet to see the most exciting contender for those roles: third-round rookie cornerback Marcus Jones, who was limited in OTAs and minicamp as he recovered from double shoulder surgery. Jones returned two punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns last season and tied an NCAA record with nine career special teams scores. Jack Jones also repped at punt returner this spring along with Bourne, Nixon, Kyle Dugger and Myles Bryant, and Strong and Montgomery returned kicks.
10. Will the UDFA streak continue?
At least one undrafted rookie has made the Patriots’ Week 1 roster in each of the last 18 seasons. Top candidates to prolong that streak? We have our eye on Brenden Schooler, an athletic special teams prospect who worked closely with aging kicking game stalwarts Matthew Slater and Cody Davis this spring. Kody Russey, who started 60 games at center in college, also could push for a roster spot as Andrews’ backup, and defensive lineman LaBryan Ray is a talented former five-star recruit whose Alabama career was derailed by injuries. Edge rusher DaMarcus Mitchell and punter Jake Julien round out New England’s UDFA class.
