These Patriots Players Won’t Play Vs. Titans In Preseason Finale

A year ago, the Patriots played their starters in the final week of the preseason.

This time, Bill Belichick is taking a different approach.

New England will not play most of its first-teamers Friday night when it closes out the preseason against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium, according to multiple reports.

That means no Mac Jones, no Rhamondre Stevenson, no Matthew Judon, no Kyle Dugger, etc. Those players did dress for the game, however, as they did when they all sat out New England’s preseason opener against Houston.

The following Patriots players were not in uniform Friday night, according to Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar:

CB Isaiah Bolden
WR Tyquan Thornton
WR/RB Ty Montgomery
ST Matthew Slater
CB Jonathan Jones
LB Chris Board
OL Kody Russey
OL Atonio Mafi
OL Cole Strange
OL Mike Onwenu
OL Conor McDermott
WR Demario Douglas
TE Hunter Henry
TE Mike Gesicki
DE Trey Flowers
ST Cody Davis
OT Calvin Anderson

The only true surprises on that list were Board and Mafi, as both appeared to be full participants Wednesday in the Patriots’ final preseason practice.

Board is a depth linebacker known for his elite special-teams prowess. Mafi is a fifth-round rookie who could open the season as the starting left guard, depending on how long it takes Strange to return.

The rest all either missed practice this week or were limited. Douglas, a training camp standout, sat out all competitive drills Tuesday and Wednesday after reportedly injuring his shoulder in last Saturday’s preseason game. Henry fell awkwardly late in Wednesday’s practice, and though he did not immediately receive medical attention, he did not take any additional reps.

Onwenu practiced Wednesday for the first time since last season, but only in a limited capacity. He’s spent most of training camp on the physically unable to perform list following offseason ankle surgery.

One positive development: Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez dressed for the game after suffering an apparent ankle/foot injury on Wednesday. The first-round pick looked spry during pregame warmups.

Running back Pierre Strong also dressed for Friday’s game after missing last week’s with a concussion.