6 things to keep an eye on during the Patriots’ preseason opener against Carolina
Drake Maye's preseason debut is one of several storylines to watch on Thursday.
The first preseason game of the Jerod Mayo era is almost here.
New England will kick off the preseason against Carolina at Gillette Stadium at 7 p.m. Thursday night.
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye is set to make his preseason debut, and there are plenty of other storylines to keep an eye on.
Here are six things to look for on Thursday night.
The younger EDGE players
Matthew Judon’s contract situation remains one of the biggest storylines of Patriots training camp.
He has missed several practices and has said that he does not believe the contract reflects what he’s worth. The situation has yet to be resolved and it is unclear how it will play out.
Thursday night is an opportunity to take a closer look at some of the younger Patriots’ players at the position.
Keion White, whom the Patriots drafted in the second-round last year, comes to mind. White tallied 26 tackles and a sack in 16 games as a rookie last year, and the 6-foot-5, 285-pound defensive end should be poised for a bigger role this year.
Anfernee Jennings, who made 66 tackles and posted 1.5 sacks last year, should also be in the mix.
The search for a left tackle
The Patriots have been pretty consistent as far as who they’ve been playing on the interior of the offensive line over the past couple of weeks.
David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, and Sidy Sow have all been getting first-team reps on a consistent basis.
The tackles have been a different story. Chukwuma Okorafor, who came into camp as the top option at left tackle, has spent a bunch of time at right-tackle where he played previously in Pittsburgh. Rookie Caedan Wallace has been switching between left and right tackle. Vederian Lowe and Calvin Anderson have also worked with the first-team at times.
The rookie quarterbacks
All four Patriots quarterbacks are expected to play Thursday night.
Jacoby Brissett is expected to start. Drake Maye has been spending most of his time with the second-team.
It will be the first chance for Patriots fans to see Maye, the No. 3 overall pick, play against a live opponent in a Patriots uniform.
Bailey Zappe, who is 4-4 as an NFL starter, has seen his reps dwindle during camp. Joe Milton, another rookie with a big arm, is also a player to watch.
The new kick return rules
The NFL’s new kickoff rules will be in place.
The rules are designed to promote more returns (no more fair catches) and to make it look more like a typical play from scrimmage with less of a running start.
Thursday night will be New England’s first time operating kickoffs and kick returns under the new rules.
The new pass catchers
The Patriots appear to be younger and faster at the receiver position than they were last year.
KJ Osborn, who was Minnesota’s No. 3 receiver behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison last season, has an opportunity to make some noise with Kendrick Bourne out and Demario Douglas spending much of camp as a limited participant due to a hand injury.
Rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker have also shown flashes of potential this preseason.
The backup safeties
The Patriots’ starters are set at safety with Kyle Digger and Jabrill Peppers leading one of the team’s strongest units.
But, there will be some competition as far as who backs them up. Marie Mapu has been injured.
Jaylinn Hawkins, who started 16 games for the Falcons in 2022, is expected to play a lot during the preseason, according to Mayo. Special teamer Brendan Schooler has seen more reps on defense this summer. Undrafted rookie Dell Pettus has also gotten some looks with that group.
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