7 days ago
Patriots mailbag: Fans want to know more about the offensive line, as well as the fight for roster spots at wide receiver
— Dennis Hanson, Maine
It's going to be better, for a few reasons. The Patriots are better at right and left tackle than they were last year, provided Moses can stay healthy and Campbell can settle in and develop consistency at left tackle. Jared Wilson has proven himself to be NFL-ready at left guard. They've asked Onwenu to do too much in recent years, but if you keep him at one spot (right guard), I'm confident he'll have a bounce-back year. There are questions at center, but Ben Brown is serviceable if Bradbury is ineffective.
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How much better? That remains to be seen. The last couple of years have seen a perfect storm of poor coaching, health issues, and ineffective play. They've had six offensive line coaches since Dante Scarnecchia left.
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Jared Wilson: Starting center or starting left guard?
— Vince, Wilmington
Starting left guard. He's managed to distinguish himself in a number of ways over the first week-plus of training camp, including staying on the field through some withering heat. There have been rocky moments while working at center (particularly with center/quarterback exchanges), but he's been impressive at left guard. There's still time between now and the opener, but he's at the top of the depth chart there.
What's the most overrated unit on the team, and what's the most underrated?
— Michael, Everett
I wouldn't go so far as to call them overrated. I don't know if you can have an overrated part of a team that's won eight games in two years. But I'd like to see more out of the offensive line. It feels like they have a good handle on the guard spots with Onwenu and Wilson, but there's still a lot of uncertainty at tackle and center. I don't know if it's just facing a really good defensive front every day, or that the offensive line is struggling. We should know more when joint practices kick off.
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Most underrated is a tie between tight end and linebacker. Players such as Hunter Henry, Robert Spillane, and Jack Gibbens are consistent but not overly splashy, and will play big roles this season.
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Asking Kyle Williams to be a No. 1 receiver would risk disaster, but he could thrive as a No. 2 if Stefon Diggs stays healthy. DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism, and hopefully Ja'Lynn Polk will see snaps in three- and four-receiver sets. Of the others, is there any trade value at all? Or will teams just laugh and wait for cutdown day?
— Adam LaPierre, France
Diggs will be your No. 1 receiver. Douglas is well-positioned to be No. 2, for a variety of reasons,
My guess? Boutte is a wild card whose chances of making the roster swing day to day. Bourne and Polk appear to be the favorites to make it, while they try to figure out a way to keep Boutte, Baker, and Chism. (Maybe you can get one of them through to the practice squad, and the others gets a case of the Foxborough Flu and go on IR?)
The trade value at the end of that depth chart could very well depend on preseason performance. For example, if Boutte or Baker flash in the joint practice and game against Washington, and the Commanders need depth after a possible Terry McLaurin trade, dealing one of them for a Day 3 pick might be possible.
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With the World Cup rapidly approaching, additional modifications need to be made to Gillette Stadium, including installing a grass field. Do you have any idea of what the schedule is for this work?
— Jon Strauss, North Andover
According to a Patriots spokesperson, there have been some behind-the-scenes alterations at Gillette
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