Patriots
The Patriots have plenty of inquiries to reply. Listed below are a number of to consider.
Week 1 of the NFL common season is underway, and the new-look Patriots will kick off the primary sport of the Mike Vrabel period on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
It’s been an offseason marked by transition into new offensive and defensive schemes, an overhauled roster, and the strain of making an attempt to place all of it collectively.
These Patriots are anticipated to look fairly completely different from the punchless model that completed 4-1 final season.
They’ve a extra skilled Drake Maye, an achieved No. 1 receiver (Stefon Diggs), a $100 million man (Milton Williams) on the level of assault on protection, and a number of other rookies anticipated to play key roles on either side of the ball.
There’s plenty of hype proper now, however not many concrete solutions on how the season will go.
Listed below are ten burning questions for the group forward of the season opener.
Can Will Campbell reside as much as the hype?
The Patriots spent a top-5 decide on their greatest positional want, left deal with.
The upside is that if Campbell pans out, they’ll have that place full of a younger, athletic participant who stated throughout his interview on draft evening that he would die to guard Maye.
In fact, the draw back this season is that he’s a rookie. He’s inexperienced, and we don’t know precisely what he’ll appear like throughout the context of a regular-season NFL sport.
The early returns have been promising, as Campbell has appeared sturdy in the course of the Patriots’ preseason contests.
We’ll see how he appears to be like towards prime pass-rushers, equivalent to Las Vegas’s Maxx Crosby who visits Foxborough in Week 1.
How will Christian Gonzalez’s hamstring damage play out?
Can the Patriots’ prime cornerback keep wholesome for a whole season?
He did final yr, taking part in in 16 out of 17 video games. He didn’t throughout his rookie season, when a torn labrum precipitated him to overlook all however 4 video games.
His Week 1 standing stays in query, as he has continued to overlook observe this week with a hamstring damage.
A number of reviews have indicated that the damage is just not thought-about severe, however lacking greater than a month of the preseason with the opportunity of being unavailable for the opener, may be a sign that one thing is up.
It’s too early to inform the long-term outlook, although, and there’s a likelihood that issues may clear up shortly.
Are the Patriots actually proficient sufficient to chop gamers of Jabrill Peppers’s caliber?
This Patriots group, which has received simply eight video games over the previous two seasons, has been at a expertise deficit for some time now in comparison with different groups within the league.
Vrabel has reshaped the roster and is bringing his imaginative and prescient for the group’s tradition, id, and schematics to life.
The Patriots cut Jabrill Peppers and Kendrick Bourne, demoted Kyle Dugger, and reportedly floated Anfernee Jennings’s title in commerce rumors.
Beginning rookie Craig Woodson and veteran Jaylinn Hawkins over Peppers and Dugger are shocking strikes, contemplating that security had been one of many Patriots’ stronger place teams over the previous few seasons.
What occurs if Mike Vrabel goes 4-13 like Mayo and Belichick did earlier than him?
Talking of Vrabel, what concerning the unlikely, however nonetheless not out of the query likelihood that he doesn’t fare any higher than his two predecessors?
Invoice Belichick and Jerod Mayo had been each fired after going 4-13. Mayo was fired after only one season.
Would group proprietor Robert Kraft give Vrabel the identical therapy if issues equally go off the rails this season?
Will TreVeyon Henderson’s preseason success translate to the common season?
Henderson was spectacular in the course of the preseason, taking his first NFL contact 100 yards for a landing on a kick return and producing persistently within the run-game.
All three of the Patriots’ working backs have completely different skill-sets, and Henderson’s explosive velocity may make him into a novel weapon for this group.
However, he begins this season No. 3 on the working again place on the Patriots’ unofficial depth chart behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson.
What model of Christian Barmore will present up?
Christian Barmore’s well being will doubtless play a major function in figuring out the Patriots’ success up entrance.
Barmore missed all however 4 video games final season after being identified with blood clots.
He arrived at coaching camp with a noticeably slimmer body and had been working off to the facet with trainers on an individualized plan throughout a lot of camp.
Barmore had loved a breakout season in 2023, posting 39 tackles and eight.5 sacks. A wholesome Barmore paired with Williams could possibly be a gamechanger up entrance.
Will Stefon Diggs be the Patriots’ first 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman?
Diggs has topped 1,000 receiving yards in six of the final seven seasons. He’s additionally 31 years outdated and coming off ACL surgical procedure.
He headlines a revamped vast receiver group. The Patriots haven’t gotten a lot manufacturing from their receivers lately. Diggs, even after a major damage, ought to present a little bit of a expertise enhance.
The Patriots haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman was catching passes from Tom Brady in 2019.
Will ball safety be a long-term subject for Maye?
Maye has 15 profession landing passes. He additionally has 12 profession turnovers. He threw 10 interceptions final season and misplaced a pair of fumbles.
He really fumbled 4 instances final season, however the Patriots recovered two of them.
The younger quarterback has a robust arm and has proven flashes of athleticism.
Caring for the soccer, although, is some extent of emphasis for the brand new teaching employees and it’s one thing he’ll have to enhance on in 2025.
How lengthy till Efton Chism sees common taking part in time?
Efton Chism was one of many Patriots’ preseason breakout stars, main the group in receiving yards en path to claiming a spot on the 53-man roster.
However, with Diggs, DeMario Douglas, and Kayshon Boutte forward of him on the depth chart and Kyle Williams and Mack Hollins vying for touches, there’s an opportunity Chism may start his rookie season totally on the bench.
He didn’t play a lot with the starters throughout coaching camp, however he made the a lot of the alternatives he needed to work with.
Is Ok’Lavon Chaisson the pass-rusher they suppose he will be?
Chaisson was most likely the most important shock of coaching camp.
He spent final season with the Raiders after being launched by the Panthers. He signed a one-year take care of the Patriots. He’s a former first-round decide, so there had been optimism relating to his expertise a number of years in the past.
However, it hadn’t translated to manufacturing.
This summer season, Chaisson overtook Keion White on the depth chart with a powerful physique of labor in the course of the preseason. He had 5 sacks final yr. The Patriots will lean on him to enhance that stat as they work on their pass-rush.
The Patriots begin their common season Sunday at 1 p.m. with a matchup towards the Raiders.
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