5 Patriots players to watch in preseason Week 2, including Cam Newton
The veteran quarterback may need a good performance to remain the starter, while Chase Winovich and Devin Asiasi get golden opportunities to prove themselves.
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Last week’s preseason game accomplished what it needed to for the Patriots: Bill Belichick and his staff got to see how his players responded to real game situations against another opponent for the first time this season, and everyone got through it relatively healthy.
Preseason Week 2 is about to kick things up a notch.
Starters are likely to play more this week, which will give us even more insight into how the Patriots will play things at quarterback going forward.
A couple of young Patriots players will finally get their chances to shine this training camp after missing out on the action the first few weeks.
And two players from what’s looking like a strong position group continue their battle for a pivotal roster spot.
Several players from last week’s edition of this preview — looking at you, Joejuan Williams — stood out in preseason action against Washington.
Let’s see if the players on this week’s “5 Players to Watch” can do the same. Here they are.
1. Cam Newton
It’s just about “put up or shut up” time for Newton if he wants to remain the Patriots’ starting quarterback.
If nothing else, Mac Jones set a certain level of expectation in his preseason performance last week. He wasn’t spectacular, save for a couple of tremendous downfield throws that didn’t connect. But the rookie showed he would complete passes, make solid decisions with the football and run the offense the way everyone’s used to seeing it operate the prior two decades.
Newton, meanwhile, didn’t get much time on the field in comparison, playing just 12 snaps in total. But that’s going to change Thursday night, and he needs to make the most of it.
As of this point, the veteran has struggled to maintain the momentum he built after the Patriots’ initial first padded practice while his understudy has stacked solid sessions. If this competition were truly “open,” Jones would have an edge over Newton and might be the favorite to start Week 1.
But the incumbent still has time to take the pressure off Bill Belichick to make that call. A good quarter or so worth of series on Thursday would be a good start.
In particular, Newton needs to speed up his process and get the ball out of his hands quickly as he did Tuesday when he put forward his cleanest practice in about two weeks. There won’t be time for him to hold onto the football against a strong Philadelphia front seven.
It would also behoove him to stretch the field and distinguish himself as a possible big-play threat with his arm. We already know what he can do in short-yardage situations as a runner, but proving he can hit Nelson Agholor 20+ yards down the field will really stress defenses out. Though Jones has some work to do on his own deep ball, we’ve already seen how good it can look when he times it up well.
From a results standpoint, two things will be paramount for Newton: get the ball into the end zone, and don’t give the ball away.
For now, the Patriots continue to treat Newton like he has the inside track for the starting job. But with the way Jones is playing of late, that goodwill won’t last much longer if the veteran doesn’t step up and stake his claim.
2. Devin Asiasi
After all that money invested in the tight end position this offseason, it was still Devin Asiasi taking first-team reps against the Eagles this week.
And no, that was not by design.
Injuries to both Hunter Henry (shoulder) and Jonnu Smith (ankle) have left Asiasi — who just returned from a bout with COVID-19 — as the only healthy tight end on the roster after Troy Fumagalli was waived with an injury designation and Dalton Keene landed on injured reserve.
So unless Smith or Henry returns Thursday night, it’ll be Asiasi and fullback Jakob Johnson, who has worked with the tight ends frequently this summer, manning the position.
There’s no time like the present for the 2020 third-round pick to show what he can do.
Two-tight end sets — specifically “12” personnel (one running back, two tight ends) — are a big part of what the Patriots want to do this season with either Newton or Jones at quarterback. As such, Asiasi needs to produce both as a run-blocker and receiver in his extended reps. That could help him maintain a clear role behind Henry and Smith and perhaps even create new offensive wrinkles to exploit — e.g., putting all three tight ends on the field together.
Both Newton and Jones have looked Asiasi’s way in red-zone periods a few times this week in Philadelphia, sometimes without success. Expect them to throw his way again on Thursday.
3. Kyle Dugger
Make no mistake: everyone is right to be excited about what Dugger can do for the Patriots’ defense. His speed and physicality have flashed throughout training camp, and he appears to have carved out a consistent role alongside starting safeties Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips.
But New England’s practices against Philadelphia also continued a troubling trend for the second-year safety: consistent troubles in coverage.
Dugger repeatedly struggled to keep Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert in check this week against the Eagles in practice. Though that could be said of other players too, the young safety’s struggles are notable because we’ve seen them frequently in camp.
Despite having good speed, Dugger’s subpar footwork and instincts in man coverage allow receivers to beat him down the field regularly. Too often, he’ll let receivers take away his leverage and either gain a step on him or box him out, as Logan Thomas did on a well-thrown ball from Ryan Fitzpatrick last week.
That said, he also showed he’s capable of playing well in zone coverage when he can keep his eyes on the football and maintain solid positioning when he knows he has help over the top, as he did last week when teaming up with Myles Bryant to break up a deep corner route.
The Eagles have no doubt seen what their tight ends did to Dugger this week and will undoubtedly single him out in coverage Thursday. Whether he passes or fails, it will be a good test for him at a time when the games don’t count yet. Of course, it will make everyone feel a whole lot better if he holds his own.
4. Chase Winovich
After beginning the offseason on the PUP list, Winovich finally made his return to practice this week and figures to see action Thursday against the Eagles.
“Right now, Chase needs to just get his reps on the field,” Belichick told reporters before Tuesday’s joint practice. “Obviously, he needs to work in every area because he hasn’t done much.”
He’s going to need to do that work fast if he wants to assure himself a place on the 2021 roster.
Winovich now finds himself potentially buried on the outside linebacker depth chart behind starters Matthew Judon and Kyle Van Noy and exciting young reserves Josh Uche and Ronnie Perkins, who flashed in his first professional game last week.
Winovich will need to make an immediate impression in order to leapfrog Perkins in particular and avoid ending up as the fifth edge rusher in the rotation. If he ends up too far down the depth chart, the future becomes uncertain for the third-year pass-rusher.
Winovich might not be in as much danger of missing the cut as he could have been if Raekwon McMillan had stayed healthy. But the push to claim a spot on the Patriots for this season and the next might well begin Thursday.
A couple flashes of his pass-rushing ability that helped him lead the team in sacks last season would certainly help remind the coaching staff why he’d be beneficial to keep around.
5. J.J. Taylor and Brandon Bolden
Who would have thought the running back position would develop into such an interesting roster battle?
No one’s questioning whether or not Damien Harris makes the team, of course. But there’s some pretty intense competition going on behind him for playing time.
Sony Michel, who probably won’t be back with the Patriots next season, looks like the No. 2 option right now and is having a stronger camp as a pass-catcher than he arguably ever has. Barring an unexpected trade, he should make the team at this point.
James White continues to play as solid as ever in his role as a receiver out of the backfield and has been first up off the bench in that capacity, seeing time with Newton and the first-team offense last Thursday.
And Rhamondre Stevenson, whom many still expect to see a redshirt season, burst out in an undeniable way last week with 127 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Either the Patriots find some way to stash him on IR, or he’s likely making the cut.
That likely leaves Taylor and Bolden battling it out for one last roster spot. Both are versatile pass-catchers who also provide special teams value. But with White already penciled in for the team, there likely can only be one on the final 53.
Bolden has the edge because of his experience and longevity in the Patriots system, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s looked good after opting out of the 2020 season. But Taylor figured heavily with the second-team offense lead by Jones last week and made catches out of the backfield and when split out wide as a receiver.
The diminutive Taylor might face another uphill climb to survive final cuts and could end up on the practice squad against this season. But this week and next week should give him some chances to make the decision difficult.
Bonus: N’Keal Harry and Christian Barmore
We already talked about Harry needing to show us what he had last week, and he didn’t come through, catching just one pass despite playing almost the entire game.
With the Patriots depleted at tight end, however, Harry could have another unique chance to prove his worth.
Though he’s not going to actually play the tight end position Thursday night, his size and ability to box out smaller defenders could see him lining up as a de facto tight end if the Patriots go with three- or four-receiver sets. His size could also come into play as a blocker in those scenarios, especially if he’s matched up with a cornerback or safety that he has a size advantage on.
One way or another, Harry needs to be way more noticeable than he was against a vanilla Washington defense last week. He made several more big plays in 1-on-1s against Eagles defensive backs in joint practices, but, as always, we need to see it in a game.
Barmore, meanwhile, will be seeing his first preseason action this week after sitting out the Washington contest.
Watching defensive line play might not seem that interesting, but the second-round rookie adds some real intrigue. Specifically, he’s been a dominant 1-on-1 pass-rusher in practice, displaying impressive moves for a rookie. Also, the defensive line didn’t wow anyone against Washington, with Akiem Spence and Lawrence Guy getting moved out of their gaps a bit too easily against the run.
It will be interesting to see if the Alabama product, who has gotten some training camp run with the starters, can keep pushing for a bigger role.
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