Four Biggest Questions Facing Patriots In Mandatory Minicamp

We’ve reached the home stretch of the New England Patriots’ offseason program.

The Patriots wrapped up voluntary organized team activities last week. Now, all that’s left before the team’s summer break is its three-day mandatory minicamp, which kicks off Monday morning outside Gillette Stadium.

As the name indicates, minicamp practices are the only offseason activities that non-injured players are required to attend. So, they should have higher attendance than some of New England’s OTAs as players who chose to skip some or all the voluntary sessions make their way back to Foxboro, Mass.

Minicamp is closed to the public but open to the media, giving reporters their last look at the Patriots in action until training camp begins in late July. Here are four storylines we’ll be following this week:

1. Where is Trent Brown?
The Patriots’ enormous offensive tackle has yet to practice in front of reporters this spring, with ESPN’s Mike Reiss reporting Sunday that Brown hasn’t been around the team since early in OTAs. Will he be back now that practice is mandatory? And if he is, where will he play? Brown and fellow projected starter Riley Reiff both have experience at both tackle spots (Brown played on the left side in 2022 and on the right in 2021). Reiff was the top-choice right tackle in all three of the open OTAs, with Calvin Anderson starting at left tackle and Conor McDermott working in. So, the most likely setup is Reiff on the right and Brown on the left, but we won’t know for sure until we see the latter on the field. Brown’s play slipped last season, and the Patriots could save $8 million against the salary cap by releasing him or $11 million by trading him, so his status bears monitoring. (UPDATE: The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported Brown is “expected to be at the facility” Monday.)

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2. Which wideouts are participating?
At one practice last week, the Patriots’ available receivers had played a grand total of one regular-season offensive snap at the NFL level. JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton all sat out at least one of New England’s open OTAs. Parker and Bourne were back in action last Friday, but Smith-Schuster and Thornton remained sidelined. Reiss reported the team is being “cautious” with the former, who suffered a knee injury in the AFC Championship Game and has yet to practice in front of reporters since signing in March, and that the latter is dealing with a “soft-tissue-related injury” he sustained this spring. Smith-Schuster has had limited opportunities to catch passes from Mac Jones thus far — not ideal for someone expected to replace Jakobi Meyers as the Patriots’ top passing-game target. Thornton, who starred in the first open OTA, is eyeing a Year 2 breakout after an underwhelming rookie season. (UPDATE: Smith-Schuster is unlikely to practice Monday, per Howe.)

3. Who’s replacing Devin McCourty?
The biggest question facing New England’s well-stocked defense is how it will fill McCourty’s shoes at free safety. With spring practice nearly complete, we still don’t have an answer there. Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers, Joshuah Bledsoe, Jalen Mills and even rookie linebacker/safety Marte Mapu have seen reps at McCourty’s old spot with the first-team defense, with no clear favorite emerging from what defensive play-caller Steve Belichick called an “open competition.” In all likelihood, it’ll take multiple players to replace what the retired captain brought as a coverage player, run defender, defensive communicator and team leader.

4. More progress from the rookies?
At one point in last Friday’s practice, rookie defenders Christian Gonzalez (first round), Keion White (second) and Mapu (third) all were on the field together with the top defensive unit, suggesting New England views all three draft picks as players who can contribute early. Gonzalez, in particular, looks like a Day 1 starter at cornerback, flashing the elite athleticism that made him one of this year’s top prospects at his position. It’s too soon to predict how those first-year pros will perform this season — they’ve yet to even practice in pads, never mind suit up for an NFL game — but the early returns on all three have been positive. As for the Patriots’ Day 3 picks, fifth-rounder Atonio Mafi has seen a lot of action at right guard with Mike Onwenu recovering from offseason surgery, and Demario Douglas seems to be further along than fellow sixth-round wideout Kayshon Boutte.