Patriots’ rookies, second-year players help give them one of the league’s deepest rosters, per an NFL expert
New England's backups have stepped up across the board so far this season.
On the surface, a team with a 3-4 record likely isn’t the best at much, if anything at all. Especially a team like the Patriots so far this season, who got blown out at home by a two-win Chicago Bears team in their most recent game.
However, New England’s record could actually be worse considering the injuries it suffered in the early stages of the season. Of course, starting quarterback Mac Jones missed three games due to a high ankle sprain while other veterans like Damien Harris, Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, and Jakobi Meyers have all missed time.
Part of the reason why the Patriots have been able to stay afloat, at least for now, is due to the play of numerous rookies and second-year players. Because of that, Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz ranked the Patriots as the fourth-deepest roster in the NFL.
“The Patriots have always built with depth instead of a “stars and scrubs” mentality — even at quarterback, where they continuously drafted signal-callers in the middle rounds to back up Tom Brady,” Schatz wrote for ESPN. “Now they’ve managed to clone their starting quarterback. Mac Jones may not be one of the NFL’s above-average starters, but Bailey Zappe looks like a pretty useful backup right now. This same trend goes all the way down the roster. Even when the starters are not stars, the backups are quality.”
As you likely know by now, Zappe provided a steady hand in the three games he played in Jones’ absence. He first played well in backup duty, completing 10 of 15 passes for 99 yards in an overtime loss to the Packers when he replaced an injured Brian Hoyer.
Zappe upped his play in the two games he started. He completed 74.6 percent of his passes for 497 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception with a 112.5 passer rating to lead the Patriots to two wins in those starts.
Zappe isn’t the only fourth-round rookie that’s shined on the Patriots so far. Cornerback Jack Jones has already won over a lot of fans with his play. He recorded a pick-six against the Packers and then followed that up with an interception against the Lions a week later. He actually holds the best coverage grade (91.6) for all corners in the league on Pro Football Focus entering Week 8.
Schatz made note of both of the Patriots’ rookies Joneses at cornerback.
“Rookie fourth-rounder Jack Jones has allowed just a 46% completion rate, according to Sports Info Solutions charting, and he’s the fourth cornerback,” Schatz wrote. “Third-round rookie Marcus Jones is the fifth cornerback.”
Marcus Jones hasn’t had many moments to shine yet as Myles Bryant’s gotten the majority of snaps at nickel corner. But Jones has only allowed one completion on seven targets so far this season to go along with a few flashes of solid kick and punt returns.
Even Tyquan Thornton’s already made an impact through his first three career games. He particularly had a big impact in the Patriots’ Week 6 win over the Browns, when he caught four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown plus he ran for a 19-yard score to help seal the victory.
Moving beyond the backup rookies, second-year Rhamondre Stevenson has also played well this season. Technically the backup behind Harris, Stevenson had the best game of his career when the Patriots’ starting running back went down in Week 5 against the Lions. He rushed for 161 yards on 25 carries and was praised by Bill Belichick for his pass protection following that game as he was the only running back on the active roster for the final three quarters.
If Stevenson is considered the Patriots’ starter at running back, Schatz wrote that “either makes a fine backup.”
Young players aren’t the only ones though that make up the Patriots’ depth. Like many did prior to the season, Schatz noted how the Patriots don’t have a ton of high-end talent at receiver but have several quality options at the position.
“Are DeVante Parker and Nelson Agholor really much better than Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne? (Bourne led qualifying wideouts in receiving DVOA last year and dominates in ESPN’s new catch score metric,)” Schatz wrote.
The Patriots’ receiver situation has been a bit unusual this season though, especially considering Bourne’s playing time. The veteran receiver hasn’t had the impact many hoped he would have after a strong first season in New England, but he reportedly got himself in the coaches’ doghouse late in the preseason and into the beginning of the regular season.
Even playing in fewer snaps though, Bourne made an impact in the ones he played with Jones at quarterback. He had a big catch for 41 yards in the two snaps he played in Week 1. Two weeks later, Bourne had four receptions on the five targets Jones threw to him for 58 yards in just 18 snaps.
Parker and Agholor have been quiet for much of the season, but they’ve had their moments, too. Parker had a big performance against the Ravens when he bought five passes for 156 yards and caught Zappe’s first touchdown pass against the Packers a week later. He also added four receptions for 64 yards as part of a spread-out attack for the Patriots against the Browns in Week 6.
Agholor had a big performance in Week 2, recording six receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown in a 17-14 win over the Steelers. However, he’s had some disappointing moments since then, losing a crucial fumble in the loss to the Ravens and saw the ball go through his hands for an interception against the Lions.
Schatz also mentioned that the Patriots have “four capable starting-quality safeties” in Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Kyle Dugger, and Jabrill Peppers. McCourty and Phillips are second and third on the team in tackles, with 36 and 34, respectively. Dugger has made notable strong tackles throughout the season and appears to improve as a pass defender, allowing eight receptions on 14 targets for just 72 yards, leaving quarterbacks with a 41.4 passer rating when they target him. Peppers hasn’t had as much of an impact as the other three, but has just one missed tackle to his 20 combined tackles so far this season.
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