The New England Patriots begin their third week of training camp with a preseason game (finally) on the horizon as they prepare to host the Houston Texans on Thursday night before back-to-back weeks of joint practices in Green Bay and Tennessee.
But before the first exhibition game even kicks off, we’ve already learned a lot about the 2023 Patriots and where things stand with their roster. Today, let’s look at seven things we’ve learned so far about Bill Belichick’s team.
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1. Bill O’Brien’s offense is complex
And I don’t mean that in a bad way. There’s just a lot going on. Motion is frequent. They use a lot of formations and a bunch of different personnel groupings. It’s by design to be multiple and make life difficult for the defense.
It also puts a lot on quarterback Mac Jones’ plate. A year ago, Jones was discouraged from making audibles at the line of scrimmage. Now, O’Brien, New England’s new offensive coordinator, is giving Jones the freedom he had his rookie year while working with Josh McDaniels.
So far, it seems to be working. At one practice last week, Jones changed a red zone play, and the result was a touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster.
“In football nowadays, it’s very rare that you think you’re going to line up and run one play,” O’Brien said. “That’s tough because defenses are so multiple.”
After the debacle that was the 2022 Patriots offense, that’s welcome news in New England.
The Patriots offense had two of its best practices of the last 18 months this week under the direction of Bill O’Brien.
In fairness, last year's offense was a low bar to clear…@ChadGraff on New England's offense improving slowly, but surely:https://t.co/sSyalY7KEl— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) August 4, 2023
2. Demario Douglas can play
In April’s NFL Draft, most of the Day 3 attention was paid to the Patriots’ other sixth-round receiver, Kayshon Boutte. And though Boutte has played better after a slow start, it’s Douglas, selected 23 picks later, who has been the talk of training camp.
Jones said he’s heard about Douglas for years as Douglas climbed the ranks of youth football in Jacksonville, where both players are from. Now, the Liberty University product is becoming one of Jones’ most reliable options.
He’s consistently working with the top offense and even has a chance to become the team’s No. 3 wide receiver if he puts together a strong preseason. For now, the Patriots are careful not to anoint the 22-year-old as a star, noting the small sample and the fact he hasn’t even played in a game yet.
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“I’ll put him in a bucket with the rest of the rookies,” wide receivers coach Troy Brown said.
3. Marte Mapu looks like a third-round steal
You always want to be careful before throwing around words like “steal” this early in the preseason. But that’s how Mapu has played so far.
He has been on the field for basically the entirety of practice, playing different positions with the first-, second- and third-team defenses. That versatility is what Belichick loved when he made Mapu a surprise third-round pick.
It looks like Mapu could be one of the key players in New England’s matchup-based defense. Players and coaches have raved about his attentiveness off the field as he learns multiple positions. But as assistant coach Jerod Mayo noted, it’s difficult to get a full evaluation on Mapu since he’s still wearing a red non-contact jersey after a pectoral injury suffered during his final year at Sacramento State.
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4. The O-line is concerning
The hope had been that Trent Brown would be an everyday participant in training camp and that he’d help solidify a pretty good front five. Instead, the Patriots have been forced to frequently practice without three starters since Brown has mysteriously been relegated to the conditioning field, Cole Strange has been hurt and Michael Onwenu remains on the physically unable to perform list. Meanwhile, potential starting right tackle Calvin Anderson hasn’t participated at all, remaining on the non-football illness list.
That’s already putting a strain on the New England offensive line, which has had issues matching up against the team’s defense. Belichick needs to hope Brown, Strange and Onwenu are ready by Week 1.
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5. The Pats need Jack Jones to play
Even after the Patriots drafted cornerback Christian Gonzalez in the first round, it seems their depth at the position is reliant on Jones’ ability to stay on the field. During one practice last week, Jones took about 15 minutes to cool off after an intense play, something that seemed to draw the frustration of Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills and Matt Groh, the team’s director of player personnel, who all took time to chat individually with Jones.
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Jones missed time last week after that still-unclear issue, one coaches declined to talk about. He dealt with injuries and missed four games last season. And he’ll probably have to miss some of the joint practices against the Green Bay Packers as he’s due in court for the next hearing related to the gun charges he faces. He is accused of bringing unregistered, loaded guns to Boston Logan Airport.
When he’s not on the field, the depth at outside cornerback looks bleak. So the Pats need to hope Jones can keep his composure, avoid injuries and resolve his legal troubles. Because the defense needs him.
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6. It doesn’t look like Tyquan Thornton is breaking out
The second-round pick from a year ago didn’t have a great rookie season, making just 22 receptions for 247 yards. But there was hope things would be different this fall with Thornton healthy and in a better offensive situation amid O’Brien’s arrival.
Yet it has been a slow start to training camp for the 22-year-old out of Baylor. Of the team’s top six receivers, he was the only one who hadn’t caught a pass in 11-on-11 drills through the first six practices. Then he seemed to suffer an injury that has kept him off the field since then.
There is still time for Thornton to turn things around. But this has not been the start he envisioned ahead of a Year 2 breakout.
7. Hunter Henry is TE1 over Mike Gesicki
When the Patriots signed Gesicki this offseason, the hope was the two tight ends would be interchangeable. So far, however, Henry has been far and away better than Gesicki.
You could argue Gesicki is still getting used to a new offense (though the whole team is) or he’s still getting settled in a new situation. But any way you look at it, it has been a tough first two weeks of camp for the former Miami Dolphin. He has not been frequently targeted in drills and has made little impact when targeted.
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A lot of the Patriots’ offensive plan revolves around two-tight end sets. But to use those formations, they need Gesicki to improve his play.
(Photo of Bill O’Brien and Mac Jones: Michael Dwyer / Associated Press)
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