The New England Patriots welcomed in the New York Giants for two days of joint practices this week, and it was certainly a busy period for both teams involved. With these practices now in the book, we move another step closer to the conclusion of the offseason and the beginning of the regular season.
For Patriots fans, these were the last two practices that were open to the public. Despite the raging heat in Foxboro, that didn’t stop fans from making the trek out to watch the two squads face off.
With the action all behind us, it feels like a good time to unpack all the action from the past two days, both on and off the field. There were some major strides made on the field, and some major moves made off the field as well.
As the final roster cutdown draws near, the action on and off the field will have massive impact on who ends up on the final 53 man roster. Let’s take a look at some of the Pats action from the past few days, starting with a move that was made just a couple hours ago.
New England Patriots thought No. 3: Cornerback depth added
It’s been an interesting preseason for the Pats secondary. With the Stephon Gilmore contract dispute hanging over the groups head, they have struggled to find consistency at times throughout training camp and preseason. J.C. Jackson and Jonathan Jones are locked into corner spots, with Jalen Mills also seeming like a safe bet to join them.
But the depth of the position has come into question lately, as a bevy of younger players haven’t really managed to step up and make an impact. Combine that with the uncertainty of Gilmore’s situation, and it’s easy to see why New England was a bit concerned with their cornerback group. To combat the issue, the Pats swung a trade with the Baltimore Ravens for cornerback Shaun Wade, who the Ravens just recently selected in the NFL’s most recent draft.
The #Ravens are close on a trade of fifth-round pick CB Shaun Wade, the former Ohio State standout, to the #Patriots, sources. A high-ceiling player likely added to New England’s secondary.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 26, 2021
Wade offers New England a high upside prospect this group doesn’t really offer, while also filling in as a depth piece as well. Wade was considered to be a first round prospect as recently as 2020, but struggled his senior season at Ohio State, and he ended up falling to Baltimore all the way in the fifth round.
Wade has the potential to develop into a top cornerback in this league, but it’s going to take some time. He will probably have a pretty small role with the team at first, but with Gilmore still set to miss time and Jones recently dealing with a couple of injuries, Wade may be thrown into action sooner than expected.
The Patriots sent a 2022 fifth round pick and a 2023 seventh round pick back in return, which certainly isn’t anything to scoff at. They were able to address a position of need with a low-risk high-reward player, and it could end up looking like a steal later on down the line. While New England added to a position of need this afternoon, they made another big deal yesterday morning to deal from a position of strength.
New England Patriots thought No. 2: Running back room set in stone
It always felt like something had to give when it came to New England’s group of running backs, and it finally happened yesterday morning when Sony Michel was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Just a few years after scoring the game winning touchdown in Super Bowl LIII against the Rams, Michel will be joining the team he helped defeat to earn his first Super Bowl ring.
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The Pats will bring in a 2022 sixth round pick and a 2023 fourth round pick in return for Michel. Considering there was a good chance Michel wasn’t going to stick on this roster, the move makes a lot of sense. Sure, the return isn’t fantastic considering New England used a first round pick on him just a few seasons back, but it’s better than the alternative, which was nothing.
Michel’s departure has basically already locked in the Patriots running back room, with the only player whose roster spot is in question being Brandon Bolden, and he’s really just a special teams player. Otherwise, it appears a fierce running back competition has come to a close, with J.J. Taylor convincing the coaching staff he was worth keeping over Michel.
An argument can technically be made that this move leaves New England a bit lacking in depth at the position now, but that’s pretty shortsighted. Damien Harris is the top option now, and Michel wasn’t really going to change that. Harris has dealt with injuries throughout his career, but so has Michel, and saving a roster spot for him felt unnecessary with Taylor and Rhamondre Stevenson on board now.
Both Taylor and Stevenson have been phenomenal in preseason action, and essentially made Michel expendable. The Pats took note and quickly flipped Michel for what they could get before the final roster cuts were made. It may not seem like a lot, but the running back room was a big piece to figuring out the Patriots final 53 man roster, and now the focus can be directed to other positions as we move closer to the final days of cuts.
New England Patriots thought No. 1: Mac Jones makes his case for starter
Much has been made throughout training camp about whether Cam Newton or Mac Jones will be New England’s Week 1 starter when the regular season kicks off. The debate seemed set to come to a head this week when it was announced Newton would miss time due to a COVID “misunderstanding”. How Jones performed could essentially revive a seemingly dead competition, or basically announce Newton as the starting quarterback.
It’s safe to say that even with Newton returning to action today, the quarterback competition is still alive and well. Jones took advantage of all the first team reps that had been going to Newton, and had easily his best practice of the offseason yesterday. Jones torched the Giants defense, as he finished 35/40 on the day, including a stretch of 18 straight completions, highlighting his impressive accuracy.
Mac Jones was a surgical 35 of 40 against the Giants defense in practice, including a stretch of 18 consecutive completions. Jones hit Jakobi Meyers for a 50-yard TD against double coverage in the final two-minute period. With temps approaching 90 degrees, it was an intense day.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 25, 2021
It was Jones first real chance to show what he can do with the first team offense, and his sizzling performance certainly had to draw the attention of the coaching staff. Things were back to normal today with Newton back in tow, but it shouldn’t take away from the performance Jones put on yesterday afternoon.
Fans have begun to wonder whether Jones actually has a shot to be the Week 1 starter, especially after his performance these past two days against the Giants. Reports have been coming out of New England’s camp that they aren’t thrilled with Newton’s recent COVID issues, and it could end up coming back to bite him.
The gap has been closing between Newton and Jones all offseason, and Jones recent play may have proved that the gap no longer exists. If Jones didn’t have a shot to earn the top spot beforehand, he does now. The quarterback competition has been a must watch event all preseason long, and it looks set to continue as New England heads into New York for their final preseason game.