Five Biggest Questions Facing Patriots Offense In Training Camp

School is back in session for the New England Patriots.

After a month-long break from football, Patriots players are back at Gillette Stadium this week. Their first training camp practice is scheduled for Wednesday morning, followed by additional sessions Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Among the top training camp storylines will be New England’s attempt to reinvigorate its Mac Jones-led offense, which slumped to near the bottom of the NFL last season under the misguided direction of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Before the Patriots take the field for the first time this summer, let’s take a closer look at the biggest question facing each offensive position group as they look to engineer this turnaround.

Check back Tuesday for a rundown of the biggest defensive questions.

QUARTERBACK
Can Bill O’Brien revive Mac Jones?

This is the question that could define the Patriots’ season. If Jones can replicate or exceed his 2021 rookie-year production under New England’s new offensive coordinator, the Patriots should be a playoff team. But if he continues to struggle the way he did while Patricia and Judge were running things, there’s a good chance we see Bailey Zappe behind center by season’s end.

O’Brien’s arrival provides hope for the former, as he has a long track record of running successful offenses and developing young quarterbacks, most recently doing so with Deshaun Watson in Houston and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young at Alabama. The veteran OC’s influence was evident in organized team activities and minicamp, with Jones remarking on how “normal” the new offense felt.

Jones looked like the clear starter in those spring practices, but a QB competition between him and his popular backup still could develop if Jones experiences any hiccups in training camp.

WIDE RECEIVER
Will the Patriots regret missing out on DeAndre Hopkins?

Bill Belichick chose not to shell out the money necessary to sign Hopkins, who ultimately landed in Tennessee after being heavily linked to New England for months. Without that star addition, the Patriots now are set to enter the season with a receiving corps of JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton, plus sixth-round rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte and a handful of other young roster hopefuls.

There’s no elite wideout in that group, but it’s still a respectable one, especially when you include receiving-focused tight end Mike Gesicki. But Smith-Schuster, Thornton and Boutte all missed extended time during spring practice, and Parker has a lengthy injury history, as well.

Can Smith-Schuster make up for lost time and replicate the connection Jones had with his predecessor, Jakobi Meyers? Can Thornton break out after his uninspiring rookie season? Can Bourne emerge from the doghouse he resided in for most of 2022? If this position group can’t play to its potential, not closing the deal for Hopkins could look like a major whiff.

TIGHT END
How will O’Brien use Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki?

O’Brien operated a wildly successful two-tight end offense in his last stint as Patriots OC, and it appears he’ll again lean heavily on 12 personnel in his return to Foxboro. Henry and Gesicki frequently shared the field during OTAs and minicamp, with Jones saying the two will “work as a pair” this season. It’s worth noting, though, that the Patriots were shorthanded at receiver in every open spring practice, so we’ve yet to see how this offense will look when everyone is healthy and available.

It’ll be especially fascinating to see how O’Brien deploys Gesicki, who, with his limited blocking ability, is a departure from the type of tight ends New England traditionally targets. Matt Sokol, Scotty Washington, Anthony Firkser and Johnny Lumpkin will battle for the third spot on the depth chart.

RUNNING BACK
Who will step up behind Rhamondre Stevenson?

Stevenson is coming off one of the best seasons ever by a Belichick-era Patriots back, topping 1,000 rushing yards and adding another 421 on 69 receptions. But with no reliable backups to share the load, he wore down in December and January and committed costly errors in two late-season losses (Raiders, Bengals).

Can New England give him a stronger supporting cast this year? With spring signee James Robinson already off the roster, that’ll be up to veteran hybrid Ty Montgomery, 2022 draft picks Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris, and practice squad mainstay J.J. Taylor.

It also wouldn’t be surprising to see the Patriots add another proven commodity at the position. They hosted Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson for free agent visits last week and have been linked to Dalvin Cook.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Is there enough talent at tackle?

Offensive line play was a major issue for the 2022 Patriots. To remedy that, they’ll need to halt the revolving door they had at right tackle (where four different players started games) and get stronger, more consistent play from returning starter Trent Brown.

At his best, Brown is a high-end tackle, but he was plagued by penalties last season and is off to an inauspicious start to 2023. The big-bodied blocker closed out the spring by missing one of the team’s two mandatory minicamp practices and sitting out team drills in the other. It’s not a stretch to call Brown one of the single most important players on New England’s roster, and his spot still could be in jeopardy if he doesn’t steady the ship this summer. Fellow starting candidates Riley Reiff, Calvin Anderson and Conor McDermott also were middle-of-the-road players last season. Reiff is 34, and Anderson and McDermott never have been Week 1 starters in their respective careers.

The Patriots also have a hole to plug at right guard until Mike Onwenu is healthy enough to return from the physically unable to perform list. Rookies Jake Andrews (fourth round) and Atonio Mafi (fifth) both saw ample reps there in the spring, as did longtime practice squadder Bill Murray.