One Patriots Player to Watch From Each Unit in Preseason Week 1

The New England Patriots preseason schedule begins tonight against the Carolina Panthers. They are projected to be the NFL’s two worst teams by many analysts in 2024. Even veterans who appear in the game might not see much time. Nobody should draw any major conclusions on anyone’s performance, but of course, that won’t prevent it from happening. In last year’s preseason opener for New England, the star of the game was quarterback Malik Cunningham. A year later, Cunningham is battling to make the Baltimore Ravens as a reserve wide receiver.

Over 40% of the players eligible to play tonight won’t make the teams’ 53-man rosters. The final score doesn’t matter. The most noteworthy events in the preseason are major injuries. So generally speaking, no news is good news. But that doesn’t mean players, fans, and media alike shouldn’t look forward to seeing NFL football being played.

While the performance of all players will be scrutinized to varying degrees, here is one player from each unit for the New England Patriots to keep an eye on against the Carolina Panthers.

Quarterback – Drake Maye

The Patriots selected Maye with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Watching him play in his first NFL action will be exciting. Listening to the overanalysis of his play won’t be. Mayo did not state how much each of his quarterbacks will play. The guess here is that each plays roughly a quarter. Maye should get to play behind offensive linemen and throw to wide receivers with a chance to make the New England Patriots roster. That has not always been the case in camp. Drake Maye will not catapult past Jacboy Brissett for the starting job, nor fall out of a roster spot, but his debut performance is certainly worth watching, regardless of the stakes.

Also Read – Kelley: Pre-Training Camp Patriots 53-Man Roster Projection

Runningback – Kevin Harris

Harris led New England in rushing each of the past two preseasons. The Patriots kept only two running backs on their initial 53-man roster a year ago, Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott. Stevenson and Antonio Gibson will have roster spots in 2024. Will Kevin Harris play well enough to convince the team to keep a third back on the initial roster? If the Patriots want to be a run-first team, they’ll need depth in the backfield. Harris has an opportunity to prove he can provide that.

Wide Receiver – Tyquan Thornton

Entering his third season in the NFL, it is truly a make-or-break season for Thornton in New England. Bill Belichick brought him to New England in the 2022 draft, which means Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo don’t necessarily have the same attention to the pick or the player. Thornton was included on the pre-training camp 53-man roster posted on Patriots Football Now. He added muscle in the offseason and possesses elite speed. While a few wide receivers are locked into roster spots, Tyquan Thornton will compete for both a roster spot and game reps. Only DeMario Douglas and Ja’Lynn Polk seem safe bets for significant playing time to start the season.

Tight End – Jaheim Bell

Bell felt like a steal to many NFL Draft analysts, including this scribe. New England drafted him in the seventh round, though seeing him go at the beginning of Day 3 would not have come as a surprise. Bell was inactive for the start of training camp and has yet to show much in practice. Hunter Henry returns as the Patriots starter but the competition to be his primary backup is one to keep an eye on. Veterans Austin Hooper and Mitchell Wilcox are in camp alongside La’Michael Pettway (practice squad in 2023), UDFA Jacob Warren, and Bell. Who will step up?

Offensive Line – Vederian Lowe

New England will likely be shorthanded along the offensive line tonight. Cole Strange (PUP) is out. Chukwuma Okorafor missed several recent practices. Caedan Wallace exited Tuesday’s practice banged up. If Okorafor and Wallace remain out, Vederian Lowe and Calvin Anderson should see significant time tonight. The only other tackles in camp are UDFA Zuri Henry and the recently signed Kellen Diesch. Lowe struggled last season when pressed into action. As a result, when people hear that Lowe has been practicing with the Patriots’ first unit at left tackle, their enthusiasm is not great. Lowe could prove his critics right or wrong with his performance this evening.

Defensive Line – Armon Watts

The New England Patriots signed Armon Watts in free agency this offseason. With Christian Barmore out indefinitely, the need for others to pick up the slack among the defensive linemen is buge. Nobody replaces Barmore, but hsi role went from one of the Patriots’ biggest strengths to one of their biggest question marks aside from Davon Godchaux. And Godchaux is a productive run-stopper, though cannot provide the same pass-rush as Barmore. Can Watts help provide some of that push from the interior in the passing game?

Edge Defender – Matthew Judon

Jerod Mayo stated that everyone available to play will play against Carolina. Judon made himself unavailable multiple times in training camp already. When he was asked about previous comments in which he said he’d play under his current contract, Judon emphasized the word ‘play.’ This indicated he did not agree to practice under his deal. Does preseason football count as play or practice? Will Matthew Judon play? Will he even dress? The longer his contract goes unresolved the more it seems like it could cause headaches for Wolf, Mayo, and the New England Patriots. The next episode of the saga is tonight. Stay tuned.

Linebacker – Raekwon McMillan

McMillan missed two of the last three years in full due to injuries. He is back in 2024. With Sione Takitaki out on the PUP list, Raekwon McMillan will be given a big opportunity to make a positive impression. Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai are the Patriots starters here. The reserve spots are very much up for grabs, with the expectations that the reserves will be able to participate on special teams as well. Takitaki and McMillan seem like roster favorites, though Christian Elliss, Joe Giles-Harris, and UDFA Steele Chambers can stick by making a strong impression.

Cornerback – Shaun Wade

No returning player played more defensive snaps for the New England Patriots in 2023 than Shaun Wade (348) without seemingly being guaranteed a spot on the 53-man roster in 2024. Aside from Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones, the competition here will be fierce. A player like Wade, who appeared in 14 games and started six for an excellent defensive unit in 2023 could make the team. So could an undrafted free agent like Mikey Victor. This entire group is worth monitoring tonight and throughout camp.

Safety – Dell Pettus

Pettus became the Patriots’ first undrafted free agent signing after the draft. New England’s interest in bringing him to training camp was obviously serious and sincere. New England’s starting safeties are Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers. It is arguably the most stable positions on the team. With Marte Mapu unlikely to play tonight as he battles injuries, both Dell Pettus and newcomer Jaylinn Hawkins should see significant time. Can Pettus make the most of his opportunities and fight to be a UDFA on the 53-man roster?

Special Teams – Chad Ryland

The New England Patriots incumbent at kicker struggled as a rookie last season. Chad Ryland is one of the players brought in by the previous regime who would normally get more than one season to show what he can do. However, placekicker is a role where only one player sticks on the main roster. And Eliot Wolf was not running the show when the Patriots picked Ryland. It made sense to bring in some veteran competition and New England signed Joey Slye to do just that. Ryland looks like the better kicker in training camp to date. But it could go a long way toward the fans having faith in him, and Ryland’s belief in himself, to see him have a strong performance in a preseason game with many more onlookers.