Where some teams have largely rested their starting players to avoid a freak injury so far this summer, the New England Patriots have decided to take a notably different approach to the preseason, playing (almost) all of their top players for notable action over Weeks 1-2 in order to give Jared Mayo and company as much tape as possible from which to evaluate the depth chart moving forward.
And yet, surprisingly enough, there really aren't that many starting spots up for grabs on the Patriots roster heading into the fall, with almost all of the defense locked into their starting roles and many of the team's offensive players more or less penned in, too.
Fortunately, there are still a few very interesting battles for fans to keep track of against the Washington Commanders, including at two of the most important offensive positions on the entire team, quarterback and left tackle. Depending on how these battles shake out, the Patriots' early season could shake out very differently indeed.
These expected Patriots starters could lose their spots
1. Jacoby Brissett could lose his spot to Drake Maye
When it comes to the 2024 Patriots, there's one player fans want to see on the field more than anyone else: Drake Maye.
The third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft out of UNC, Maye may not have been the most popular prospect in his class and seriously lost steam down the stretch when Jayden Daniels overtook him at QB2, but the collegiate Tar Heel remains an incredibly interesting performer, with a cannon for an arm that can dazzle even the most skeptical fan, even if his footwork could notoriously use some work.
Earning the second-string looks against the Eagles in preseason Week 2, Maye largely outplayed starter Jacoby Brissett and arguably took the momentum heading into the regular season… assuming New England is actually willing to have an actual QB competition, which, to his credit, Mayo said is on the table.
“I do. We have three more days of training camp practices, and it's our job as coaches to evaluate. The competition isn't over,” Mayo told reporters. “They're still going to go out there, and they have to show not only themselves and their coaches but also their teammates. So, it's definitely still a competition.”
Is Mayo simply blowing smoke, or will Maye really be able to win the job outright if he shines in the preseason finale? Only time will tell but if New England fans were afforded a chance to have a popular vote, it's safe to say Maye would win it outright and by an incredible margin based on potential alone.
2. Chukwuma Okorafor could lose his spot to Caedan Wallace
As things presently stand, the Patriots are in full-on talent evaluation mode when it comes to the offensive line, with the tackle spots in particular up in the air heading into the 2024 regular season.
Could the spot end up going to Chukwuma Okorafor, the most veteran player in the group? Or maybe Vederian Lowe, the 2022 sixth-round pick who initially joined the Patriots in 2023?
Considering he was drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft by the current Patriots regime, the answer should be obvious: Caedan Wallace should start at left tackle.
Though he technically played right tackle at Penn State opposite future New York Jets first-round pick Olu Fashanu, after the draft, Eliot Wolf openly stated that he believed Wallace could shine as a left tackle, and that's where the Patriots want to see him play long-term.
“He was a guy that we felt was athletic enough to possibly make the switch over on the left side. Really good pass protector, really took a huge step forward this year as a four-year starter. Athletic, can bend, strong, powerful, tough. He could possibly play guard. We think he could be a four-position guy, but definitely feel like he can play on the left side,” Eliot Wolf told reporters via 98.5 The Sports Hub.
“We feel like Caedan has the athleticism to play over on the left side. Really, his teammate, Olu Fashanu, that the Jets drafted was the reason that he played on the right. So athletically, there's no reason why he couldn't make the switch over there. He's a really smart, dedicated kid that we feel like can handle that.”
Based on his play against the Eagles in preseason Week 2, Wallace appears to be a solid enough option on the left side, on par if not better than Lowe, who has also earned first-team snaps at the spot during training camp. Considering the Patriots aren't exactly in win-now mode, why not give the PSU product a shot and see how it shakes out long-term?
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