The New England Patriots’ training camp is in full swing, which means that the race for roster spots is starting to heat up as well. A total of 53 are available, and with a significant chunk of those already allocated to players such as Drake Maye, A.J. Brown, Milton Williams or Christian Gonzalez, only a handful effectively remains up for competition.
With the eighth practice of the summer set to take place on Monday, and with three full-pads practices now in the books, let’s update our rundown of camp
competitions to see if we can find any trends.
Patriots camp competition update: August 3
Quarterback: The quarterback pecking order itself has not changed, with Drake Maye undisputed at the top and Tommy DeVito and Behren Morton filling the second and third spots, respectively. That said, Morton is getting a significant number of reps and continued to show some encouraging moments since the introduction of full pads. He certainly is no shoo-in for the chopping block, far from it actually.
Running back: While he remains third on the provisional depth chart, Lan Larison has not shown the same consistency and big play ability as rookie Jam Miller. Based on their trajectory throughout camp, Miller now looks like the favorite for the top spot behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
Wide receiver: After a slow start to his second NFL training camp, Kyle Williams has picked up the pace lately. He still has not seen regular targets from Drake Maye and the top offense, but the arrow is pointing up. Kayshon Boutte, meanwhile, has been quiet after his fast start to camp. That said, his chemistry with Drake Maye remains one of the best on the team and still shines through regularly. Among the undrafted wideouts, Cameron Dorner looks like the best of the bunch, but making a roster currently headlined by A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Boutte, Mack Hollins, Williams and Efton Chism will still be next to impossible.
Tight end: Hunter Henry is the No. 1, Eli Raridon is the No. 2, and Tanner Arkin is the No. 3. That was the pecking order before padded practices, and nothing has changed since. If anything, the undrafted rookie Arkin has only strengthened his hold of a roster spot. He’s the best blocking tight end the Patriots have.
Offensive tackle: The top trio of Will Campbell, Morgan Moses and Caleb Lomu remains undisputed. A potential fourth spot behind still seems to be the subject of a head-to-head competition between Marcus Bryant and James Hudson. The latter suffered an undisclosed injury during Saturday’s practice.
Interior offensive line: The introduction of full pads saw a change along the backup interior line. Third-year man Caedan Wallace lost his spot as one of the second-string guards to Mehki Butler, and to make matter worse was also injured on Saturday. At the moment, the interior backups are led by Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich, with second-year man Butler now also part of the mix.
Interior defensive line: No dramatic changes on the interior defensive line. Milton Williams and Christian Barmore are the clear starers, with Cory Durden rotating in and out with the first-stringers. The other depth spots belong to Joshua Farmer and Leonard Taylor, who both had flashes but have not been overly consistent. No serious push has come from the rest of the DT group, despite Eric Gregory having a few positive moments.
Defensive edge: Gabe Jacas’ return is obviously good news for the group, even as Harold Landry remains sidelined. The second-round draft pick has yet to show what he is capable of — he remains a limited practice participant — but he will take a spot in the rotation at some point. This, in turn, might lead to Elijah Ponder seeing a reduction in starter reps opposite Dre’Mont Jones. Elsewhere, Bradyn Swinson is mostly a reserve option but showing some pass rushing skill. Xavier Holmes, another UDFA making some noise, has not sustained his earlier momentum and could see the quality of his reps decrease with Jacas now in the fold as well.
Linebacker: Khalil Jacobs is pushing for a roster spot. The undrafted rookie has started stringing good days together and accordingly could be coming for K.J. Britt and Chad Muma, who are still the top backup linebackers right now. None of their spots are chiseled in stone, however, meaning that Jacobs very well could end up overtaking at least one them at some point. Special teams might end up a deciding factor, which is also where rookie Namdi Obiazor has played most of his meaningful reps.
Cornerback: Carlton Davis’ recent absence has opened the door for Charles Woods to regularly rep with the starters; it is clear that he is the current CB4 behind Christian Gonzalez, Davis and Marcus Jones. The fifth and sixth spots might be coming down to one or two of Kindle Vildor, Karon Prunty, Kobee Minor and Marcellas Dial Jr. Minor, however, has had some rough stretches of play particularly on Thursday and Friday. He needs to overcome those if he wants to remain in the competition.
Safety: Dell Pettus, take a bow. The third-year safety registered an interception on Saturday, and appears to be hitting his stride. The same cannot be said for Mike Brown, who is his primary competition for the third safety spot but has had some ups and downs over the last few sessions. John Saunders Jr, who also filled the third spot at one point, has primarily been on special teams and third-string duty.
Special teams: Nothing has changed in the kicking game. Andy Borregales, Bryce Baringer and Julian Ashby have no competition on the roster, while Marcus Jones is still the top punt returner. In the kickoff return game, meanwhile, Kyle Williams and Lan Larison have been the top two.
The Patriots are scheduled to hold five straight practices this week, starting on Monday. For more info, please check out our Pats Pulpit Training Camp Guide.
