Year 3 of my Patriots franchise begins with preseason, which is essential for this season, with several members of the roster aging and younger replacements needing to be found. I've decided to analyze these four games by breaking the entirety of preseason down into each position battle, before finishing off with any other random observations. We start with the most essential battle of them all, at quarterback.
Jacoby Brissett vs Donnell Rowland
Brissett has been our starting quarterback for the last year and a half, and even though he's not the best you can find in this game, his contributions have led us to a Super Bowl victory and an AFC Championship appearance. Meanwhile, Rowland, the rookie we drafted last year, is only a single overall rating behind Brissett, and he has the benefit of being six years younger, with star development, which likely means he will end up being rated higher than Brissett by the end of this year, even without playing time. Rowland, as the backup, got the majority of the snaps here in preseason, and it wasn't the greatest four game stretch you'll ever see. Rowland threw an interception in each game, and was relatively inefficient, while Brissett was excellent in the final two games, throwing for 5 touchdowns and only 2 picks across both contests. To start the year, Brissett has the job, although Rowland definitely flashed a ton of potential, and should Brissett struggle at any point this year, I would feel comfortable handing the reigns over to Rowland.
Sony Michel vs Damien Harris
Before anyone loses their mind, this was not a battle for the starting job, Michel already has that locked down, I'm not going completely bonkers here. Instead, this is about our main powerback role, which I allowed Harris quite a few looks at during preseason. The 24 year old was extremely impressive, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, and has persuaded me to try to use all four of our backs in as many games as possible. Michel will hold down the starting job, sure, but he's had a lot of injuries in these last two years, so I need to lessen his workload and try and keep him as healthy as possible. I will attempt to accomplish this by using James White and Trey Edmunds as the two third down backs, with Harris as the powerback, and Edmund also getting work as Michel's primary backup (Trey had a stellar preseason, piling up 344 yards). It's a unique approach to be sure, but all four guys offer something, and they all have been impressive, so I want to spread our touches as much as possible this year.
Standouts on Offense
Those are the only two positional battle on the offensive side of the ball, so I'll finish out here by mentioning anyone else that did well, but wasn't fighting for a spot. Braxton Berrios showed immediate chemistry with Donnell Rowland, catching 12 passes for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns, as did rookie tight end Will Mabry, who led the team with 3 receiving touchdowns, as well as 137 yards on 14 catches. Both guys won't have starting spots, although each have a path to one. In Berrios' case, his chance to move up the depth chart would be another injury to Phillip Dorsett, while Mabry could be tabbed to be the starting tight end next year if we can't or decide not to re-sign Dallas Goedert. Second year receiver Peyton Hyde also impressed, catching 14 passes for 126 yards.
John Simon vs Jalen Ricks
This was a battle over the starting left end spot on our defense, with the veteran Simon squaring off with the rookie Ricks. Ricks was a disappointment in preseason, making just a single tackle while playing 95 snaps. On the other hand, Simon got a big sack in a game, plus made four tackles, and only getting 87 snaps. It's clear that Simon is the better rusher right now, and though Ricks will likely play a large role in the future of our team, he's clearly not ready just yet.
Elandon Roberts vs Ja'Whaun Bentley vs Jason Cabinda
The starting middle linebacker spot on the defense was a three way dance between this trio, with Roberts coming in as the established starter. Because of that, Roberts also did get significantly less playing time, but in fairness, I think Bentley and Cabinda proved why they deserved it far more. Each man had four tackles for a loss, were the two leaders on the team in tackles, each deflected two passes, and Cabinda even added a sack. They were both everywhere on our mostly weak secondary defense, and are clearly ready for bigger things. Bentley will be the starter, with Cabinda serving as the backup, and Roberts dropping to third string.
Patrick Chung vs Duke Dawson vs Floyd Bush
The starting strong safety role was on the line in our final position battle, as the two strong safeties on the roster, established starter Chung and his younger backup Dawson, were also joined in the fight by free safety Bush, our top draft pick. Though Chung has been a great piece of this defense in the past, he's reached 33 now, and is clearly starting to show his age. Chung's decline in his athletic abilities really doesn't help when our starting free safety is Devin McCourty, who is a year older than Chung and beginning to slow down as well. It was time to bring in fresh blood, and the 25 year old Dawson is my pick. He's slightly worse physically than Bush, but is a much better run stopper, which is what our archetype calls for from the position. Dawson was great in the run game in preseason, making two tackles for a loss, and coming into a contract year, I think the former Florida Gator is ready to go.
Standouts on Defense
Not a ton outside of the guys I've already mentioned, though I was impressed by second year nose tackle Bob Marrow, who had a tackle for a loss and two sacks. Our defensive ends didn't do much; the best was probably rookie Thaddeus Cannon, who had four tackles, one of which was for a loss. New signing Morgan Fox failed to make a single tackle, and after I took a closer look at his stats and realized he only has a 64 rating at block shedding, I decided to cut him, that was a big mistake of an acquisition on my part.
I'll see you again next time when the first half of the regular season is complete.
- Henry
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