Patriots news & notes: Trent Brown ‘all in’; Jakob Johnson praise
One of the strengths of the New England Patriots entering the 2021 NFL season was the offensive line.
With the mammoth Trent Brown back, the O-line was touted as a top 5 unit in all the NFL but following the first play of Week 1 in which Brown suffered an injury, one of the strengths of the Patriots has been in shambles.
Although the team has found a way to stabilize the line a bit, mostly by moving Michael Onwenu to right tackle, the hopeful return of Brown will get that line back to a strength area on the team. The question is, will that happen this season.
New England Patriots right tackle Trent Brown “all in” to return soon
While Brown has been out battling a calf injury, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is not ruling out a return soon given the hard work the big offensive linemen has been putting in.
"“Trent’s all in every day,” Belichick said as transcribed by WEEI. “He does what we ask him to do. He’s been a little bit limited at times, but he’s tried not to let that affect what he can do. He continues to work on things that he can do. Sometimes it’s limited. But he’s made good progress and we’ll just take it day by day here. But we’ll see where we are today and then evaluate his week and go from there.”"
With Brown returning to practice this week, the Patriots have 21 days to decide whether to activate him to the roster. If he continues to put in the work that Belichick says he has, then that return is trending in the right direction and would serve as a massive boost to that offensive line and ultimately the run game.
Given how long this calf injury has lingered, there is no guarantee, but at least there is hope of a Trent Brown return down the stretch of the NFL season.
Patriots notebook: Jakob Johnson proving the fullback position is not extinct
New England Patriots fullback Jakob Johnson may not be James Develin, but he is making his own impact on the team playing a position that isn’t as utilized as it once was.
He won’t get any handoffs and seldom has the ball thrown his way, but the International Pathway player who earned a roster spot with the team back in 2019 has worked his way into one of the team’s most dependable players.
In serving as the battering ram opening holes for Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson and crew, Johnson has not only assured the fullback position isn’t going extinct but has garnered the praise of teammates and coaches. Most importantly he has proved something to himself.
"“Everybody always says that the fullback is going extinct, but somehow, they keep sticking around,” Johnson said Thursday as transcribed by NESN. “And a bunch of teams that have a lot of success have fullbacks. I don’t know what that means, but I think we’re not going extinct any time soon.”"
With the addition of Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, there weren’t expected to be a lot of packages involving Johnson. But, with how the season has gone, and perhaps due to offensive line issues, the fullback has played a bigger role in the Patriots offense.
New England Patriots: 3 keys to beating the Cleveland Browns in Week 10. dark. Next
Like Develin, as the trust builds, more offensive plays may even be called his way. Mac Jones has already looked his way a couple of times this season. He has no rushing yards, but he has caught the ball 3 times for 34 yards.
In all, Jakob Johnson has turned into the type of player Belichick loves and it won’t be surprising if he doesn’t gain more opportunities to contribute in the passing game as well.