ESPN Pinpoints Patriots’ ‘Biggest’ Training Camp Position Battle

The Patriots’ preparation for the 2023 NFL season is in full swing, with training camp underway and New England’s first preseason game scheduled for Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.

There are plenty of storylines to track, as is customary this time of year, but ESPN.com on Monday published a piece looking at each team’s “biggest” position battle with the regular season roughly one month away.

The stiffest training camp competition in Foxboro, according to ESPN Patriots beat reporter Mike Reiss: right tackle.

“The Patriots didn’t select a tackle until the fourth round of the draft (Sidy Sow) despite the position ranking among the team’s top needs,” Reiss wrote. “Veteran free agent signing Riley Reiff is the likely starter, but former practice-squad player Conor McDermott has rotated in at times. Meanwhile, free agent signee Calvin Anderson has opened training camp on the non-football illness list.”

Solid offensive line play will be of the utmost importance for New England this season, as quarterback Mac Jones is facing a potential make-or-break campaign after an underwhelming 2022 marred by questionable play-calling on that side of the ball.

Not to mention, the Patriots could lean heavily on the run game, with or without the likes of Dalvin Cook or Ezekiel Elliott (two free agent running backs linked to New England this offseason). Rhamondre Stevenson is arguably New England’s most explosive offensive player and should see a heavy workload.

It’ll be fascinating to see how the Patriots’ offense, collectively, functions with Bill O’Brien returning as offensive coordinator. But it all starts in the trenches, where New England must assert itself to compensate for its lack of firepower elsewhere.