It's the dawn of a new era for the New England Patriots.

Tom Brady is no longer under center for the Patriots, marking the first time since the beginning of 2001 that New England will begin a season without Brady as its starting quarterback. And of course, Brady finished out that year as the starter and won his first Super Bowl, so in a way, it's the first time that the Pats will be without Brady since 2000.

Whether the starter is Cam Newton or Jarrett Stidham remains to be seen, but regardless, there are certainly new, less lofty expectations in Foxborough entering 2020.

With that, here are the three players under the most pressure for the Pats going into this coming season.

3. Sony Michel

Two seasons ago, it looked like Sony Michel could be on his way to making a name for himself among the upper echelon of running backs in the NFL.

The University of Georgia product had a spectacular playoff run in January and February of 2019, rushing for 336 yards and a hefty six touchdowns en route to helping the Patriots win a Super Bowl.

However, knee issues threw a wrench into things for Michel entering last season, and it showed, as he rushed for 912 yards while averaging a meager 3.7 yards per carry in 2019.

New England has never relied heavily on its halfbacks, but that was also due much in part to Brady being the quarterback. With Tom Terrific now gone, more pressure will be on Michel's shoulders to produce in 2020.

2. N'Keal Harry

When the Patriots used their first-round draft pick on N'Keal Harry last spring, it represented the first time the club took a wide receiver in the opening round since 1996.

So, as you would expect, New England was expecting Harry to contribute right off the bat. That didn't happen.

A preseason ankle injury sabotaged Harry in the early going, but even once he returned to the field during the second half of the 2019 campaign, he was a relative non-factor, logging just 12 catches in seven games.

But make no mistake: the spotlight is on Harry entering 2020, particularly with Julian Edelman recovering from multiple offseason surgeries and the rest of the Pats' receiving corps not looking too hot.

Harry will be expected to produce this year, and if he doesn't, his future may not be too bright in New England. Not with an impatient coach in Bill Belichick at the helm.

1. Cam Newton

The general consensus seems to be that Newton will be the Pats' starting quarterback come Week 1. If that ends up being the case, it may be Newton's last chance to prove that he can still play at a high level.

The last few years have not been kind to Newton. Whether it has been injuries or just underwhelming performance in general, Newton struggled in his final seasons with the Carolina Panthers, leading to his release earlier this offseason.

Newton is now in a new system with a heck of an offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels, so perhaps this is the change of scenery he needed to excel. Or perhaps the multiple surgeries he has undergone on his throwing shoulder have sapped his arm strength for good.

We are about to find out how much Newton has left in the tank and if he still is a starting-caliber signal-caller at this stage of his career.