Pregame for Friday night's preseason matchup between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers by enjoying a nice, cold Patriots mailbag.
First question:
@thisryanjackson
can you be a voice of reason for the people as to why agholor should not be traded
I get the motivation for wanting to trade Nelson Agholor. Totally. He'll almost certainly have a smaller role this season with DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton now aboard, and he's making a hefty $9 million. If the Patriots can find a trade partner willing to take on Agholor's full salary, they'd create close to $10 million in additional salary cap space. That's enticing.
But on the flip side, Agholor has been one of the Patriots' most consistently productive receivers in training camp this summer. Bill Belichick said he's made a "big jump" from his lackluster debut season in New England. Even if his snap count drops, there's reason to believe he can be a more impactful player in Year 2.
There are external factors at play here, too. Parker has No. 1 receiver potential and has been on the field every day this summer, but he's missed games due to injury in six of his first seven NFL seasons. Thornton, even with the promise he's shown thus far, might not be ready for a major role as a rookie. And Kendrick Bourne, viewed as a starting candidate entering camp, has been largely invisible over these last few weeks.
Unless Thornton blows the Patriots away over the final two weeks of the preseason, I'd recommend keeping Agholor.
@PatriarchTree
What's up with Isaiah Wynn?
Still unclear. Wynn now has been held out of drills in the last five practices and has been outright absent from the last four. I spotted him working out on the side rehab field on Monday, which seemed to suggest whatever he's dealing with is not serious. But there have been no reports on the nature or severity of his injury.
The Patriots initially slid Justin Herron into Wynn's right tackle spot, but they abandoned that after one ugly practice. Since then, Yodny Cajuste has been the first-team right tackle and -- surprisingly, given his uninspiring NFL career to date -- has looked solid in that role.
Since Wynn, a career left tackle who's never played on the right side in the NFL or college, already was struggling before his absence, Cajuste's play has raised the question of whether the Patriots could stick with him as a starter even after Wynn gets healthy.
It's worth noting the Patriots can wipe out Wynn's entire $10.4 million salary by trading him.
@_JakeTHamilton
Given the choice between LaBryan Ray and Sam Roberts, who do you think the Patriots will keep? Is there a chance they could both find themselves on the roster/practice squad?
At this point, I'd say Ray.
Roberts was excellent in the first preseason game, but that's really the only time he's flashed all summer. Ray has been consistently disruptive in practice, notching a pressure, run stuff or batted pass on a near-daily basis. We've seen the undrafted Alabama product mix in some with the first-team defense, too.
The Patriots also could choose to keep both. That's what I had them doing in my latest 53-man roster projection, with Henry Anderson getting the ax as a surprise veteran cut. If Roberts and/or Ray is released, I'd expect the Patriots to attempt to keep them around on the practice squad.
@BidenTroll
What do you make of Myles Bryant repping over Marcus Jones at CB3? Does Bryant look worthy of having a significant role on defense this year?
The slot cornerback battle has been very interesting to follow.
A week ago, it looked like Jones was putting the clamps on that job, consistently running with the first-team defense and sitting out the preseason opener along with most of New England's starters. The third-round rookie had another strong week this week, but Bryant got first ups in the slot in all three practices and had an interception and a pass breakup on Wednesday.
The Patriots seemingly drafted Jones to be a more athletic, higher-upside version of Bryant, who really struggled in man coverage against faster slot receivers last season. Jones has been arguably their top rookie performer in camp and has made more plays on the ball than Bryant. But it's hard to call him the clear favorite at this point after watching this week's rep distribution.
This slot competition opened up after the Patriots shifted Jonathan Jones to outside cornerback. An inside player throughout his career, Jones has spent the last week-plus lined up opposite No. 1 corner Jalen Mills in most of New England's team drills. We'll see if that setup sticks come Week 1.
Marcus Jones and Bryant also are the top two contenders for Gunner Olszewski's old punt returner role. Bryant hadn't returned punts since high school but impressed there in the preseason opener, earning him some extremely high praise from Belichick. We'll see if Jones, a record-setting return man in college, gets a crack there Friday night.
@fastinred89
your best guess James White replacement. i'm going with Ty Montgomery
Montgomery is my pick, too. He's seen a ton of first-team reps in training camp, and the Patriots used him in the White role during their two-minute drills this week.
I don't think it'll be a one-man show the way it was with White, though. I fully expect Rhamondre Stevenson to take on a more significant role in the passing game in Year 2, especially after hearing Belichick rave about his improvements there this week.
"He's way better than he was last year, and he understands that's an important part of his game," the head coach said. "It's not just carrying the ball, it's all things that go with the passing game. He's done a great job."
Rookie Pierre Strong has the skill set to contribute in a White-esque role, too, but he hasn't seen any reps with Mac Jones and is a clear tier below Damien Harris, Stevenson and Montgomery at this stage. A virtual lock to make the roster, we'll see if the speedy South Dakota State product can play his way onto the field as the season progresses.
@proudblackmatt
Which roster longshot is most likely to get claimed off waivers before they can get to the Pats practice squad?
I could see any of Tre Nixon, Kristian Wilkerson and Lil'Jordan Humphrey getting claimed, depending on where Wilkerson is health-wise after a concussion knocked him out of Wednesday's joint practice. The Patriots have any elite receivers, but they have a ton of depth at the position. Nixon, Wilkerson and Humphrey all are NFL-caliber players.
Another team also could take a shot on Shaun Wade if he can't crack the Patriots' cornerback group. He's been around the ball a lot this summer.
@jaronaames
Hunter Henry status please?
Doesn't sound like his injury will sideline him for long. The Atheltic's Jeff Howe reported it's a "minor" ailment and that he "should return soon."
The Patriots could look to lighten Henry's workload in the final few weeks before the regular season, though. They added some extra tight end depth Thursday by signing undrafted rookie Jalen Wydermyer to join Henry, Jonnu Smith, Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene and Matt Sokol.
Wydermyer, a Texas A&M product, initially signed with Buffalo after the draft. The Bills cut him earlier this week.
@m_oneill77
Heard that Hightower's locker is still empty. Would the Pats bring him back?
No update on a potential Dont'a Hightower reunion, but it is true that his usual locker was vacant as of last Thursday night. Josh Uche said earlier in camp that Hightower still is working out. Until he signs with a new team or officially retires, a return remains possible.
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