The New England Patriots would have been reporting for organized team activities this month, but considering the NFL has ordered that facilities stay closed though the month of May, we’re not going to see any action.
But let’s imagine — because we’re in isolation and we don’t have anything else to do — what we’d be studying if there were OTAs this month. Let’s think about what storylines would interest fans for the phase of the offseason that Bill Belichick likes to call the teaching period.
Here’s a look a seven different storylines that would have drawn our interest in the event there were OTAs during the month of May.
1. Which quarterback is sitting in the No. 1 spot?
It’s painfully obvious, right? But we’ve got to note it. Tom Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason, and he left behind just second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham, a 2019 fourth-round pick. For competition, New England added just one veteran, Brian Hoyer, and two rookie free agents, J’Mar Smith and Brian Lewerke. While there’s supposedly no competition during OTAs — it’s just for learning — it would still be fascinating to see which quarterback got the most first-team reps. It sounds like Stidham is the guy. But Hoyer may still get his shot at the job.
2. Is N’Keal Harry playing faster?
The knock on Harry heading into the 2019 draft was that he struggled to separate. His leaping and catching abilities were what set him apart. His large frame helped in contested catch situations, but perhaps slowed him down in and out of his break while changing directions. And that proved true in the NFL, particularly when Harry faced press coverage in 2019. Considering how much he struggled against press, he’s likely to see it in every game in 2020 until he proves he can beat it. So that’ll be a focus for Harry, who has to beat his man at the line of scrimmage with more consistency. That’ll be step 1. Step 2 will be expanding his route tree to create separation so he doesn’t always have to make an athletic play to track down the ball.
3. Is the Patriots defense still in a semi-amebous 3-4?
The Patriots mostly played a 3-4 in 2019. Judging from their personnel — with so many versatile linebackers and so few versatile defensive linemen — they are going to do the same in 2020. But I’d like to see it for sure before I make any assumptions. Bill Belichick doesn’t mind changing things up.
4. Will the Patriots make any indication of how quickly Kyle Dugger gets on the field?
Dugger, the Patriots’ top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft at 37th overall, is at a deep position behind Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung. But New England likes to play three safeties with regularity, and they shipped off Duron Harmon in a trade this offseason. Those snaps will go to Adrian Phillips, Terrance Brooks and/or Dugger. But the DII prospect has to get up to speed with NFL tight ends and receivers along with the playbook.
5. Where are the rookie linebackers playing in the defensive formation?
There’s been some question about where linebacker Josh Uche will play in New England’s defensive front. ESPN’s Mike Reiss suggested the rookie will end up as an inside linebacker, where he can do just about everything: coverage, run defense and pass rushing. But his speciality at Michigan was rushing the passer, with 7.5 sacks on just 50% of the snaps. Anfernee Jennings, meanwhile, figures to be an edge linebacker on early downs. But with Belichick, you never know. It’s always good to see what he has in mind.
6. Where are the rookie tight ends playing in the offensive formation?
The Patriots doubled up at tight end, just like they did at linebacker. And just like linebacker, the tight ends are compelling and versatile. If we’re going to compare prospects at the positions, let’s say Dalton Keene is like Uche. Keene played a lot of fullback and H-back in college, and will likely transition to tight end in a big way. Like Uche, Keene may see a position change to better highlight his versatility. Asiasi, meanwhile, has a clearer set of skills that will translate to the Patriots offense. He’s an in-line tight end who will run block and attack the middle of the field in the passing game.
7. Do the new veteran receivers understand the offense?
As players progress through the offseason, it can quickly become clear which ones understand the offense and which do not. Within weeks, veterans will sink to the bottom of the depth chart while running reps with the third-team offense. So we would have been interested to see where Marqise Lee and Damiere Byrd stacked up with Julian Edelman, Harry, Mohamed Sanu and Jakobi Meyers. Maybe the offense will be less complicated with Stidham (or Hoyer) running it (and not Brady). But even that adds a level of intrigue: Which players will click with the new quarterback? Edelman was Brady’s guy. Will he click in the same way? Or will someone else like Harry, who spent all of 2019 in the locker beside Stidham, show strong chemistry with the new signall-caller?
