New England Patriots: Everything gathered from OTA reports

Thursday was the first time media was allowed at New England Patriots practice this season, and there was a lot to take in. New additions on both sides of the ball, some old faces were back on the sideline, and an overflowing roster of QB’s.

Let’s start with who wasn’t there. Dont’a Hightower was absent yesterday, and he, of course, was one of the op-outs last season due to COVID-19 concerns, so I’m sure the coaching staff was looking forward to seeing him in the building.

Despite this, however, Coach Bill Belichick expects Hightower (and the other guys who missed practice Thursday) to play this season.

"“With all the players who are on the roster and not here, my expectations are that they intend to play, but we know things can change.”"

Some other players absent from OTA’s yesterday include Stephon Gilmore, Devin McCourty, Kyle Van Noy, Matthew Judon, and James White.

That brings us to some of the old faces who returned to Patriots practice yesterday. Matt Patricia was back on Belichick’s side , and it seemed like Bill was going over a lot of things with the ex-Detroit Lion HC.

"“It’s great to have Matt [Patricia] here. He’s an outstanding coach…I’m extremely glad he’s here.”"

Also spotted was Ernie Adams, the New England Patriots former Director of Football Research, who retired after the 2021 NFL Draft. For a man that has spent most of his life in the NFL, and the last 20+ years with New England, I’m sure giving up the sport cold turkey is easier said than done.

Mac Jones already looks like quarterback No. 2 for New England Patriots

That brings us to what we all wanted to see. How Belichick would run out the quarterbacks. This time of year, Bill prides himself on forcing the rookies to earn their spot on the team. Pats nation saw the first photo of Mac Jones last week sporting a red 50 jersey during practice. This is one of the things Bill does every year to tell the rookies ‘Hey, you need to earn that number before I just give to to you.’

Although Mac was still wearing 50, something interesting happened when it was time for the QB’s to get to work. Mac Jones was second in line to throw, right behind starter Cam Newton. Just last year, Brian Hoyer was taking many of the first reps early in the summer, even with Cam and Stidham on the roster. When it comes to early preseason, Bill operates based on seniority, not projected depth chart.

Some may argue that’s where Mac should be based on where he was taken in the draft, and I agree, but we’re talking about Bill Belichick. He operates differently, so to see Jones already earn the respect of the coaching staff is a great sign for the young QB.

Jones already receiving praise from New England Patriots teammates

We heard from a few rookies last week about Mac Jones, but this was the first time we were able to hear from his other teammates…

"“Mac, good energy. Awesome guy. You can tell he’s happy to be here. Comes to work and you can just feel his energy and his leadership already. He has a swag to him that I didn’t know that he had. He’s out there confident.” – WR Kendrick Bourne  “Mac’s done a great job. He’s obviously new and I’m new, so we’re all going through it together… He’s doing a great job. Good to have him here and we’re all excited for him.” – TE Hunter Henry"

Nelson Agholor looks like No.1 WR

The catch of the day was made by new Patriot WR, Nelson Agholor, who hauled in the completion down the sideline from Brain Hoyer. Multiple reporters at practice emphasized Agholor’s speed stood out among his fellow wide-receivers.

When the team broke huddle in most of the drills, the top 3 WRs seemed to be Agholor, Bourne, and Meyers, accompanied by TE Hunter Henry – who put on absolute clinic throughout practice.

During these OTA sessions is hard to establish any good feel about the defense, due to the lack of physicality.

I’m excited to see what comes from next week, and what more we learn about the new comers, and about the QB battle that will take place later this Summer.