Patriots Training Camp 3 To Watch: Special Teams
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots and special teams prowess have been largely synonymous throughout the tenure of head coach Bill Belichick.
However, the Pats typically proficient exemplary unit struggled a bit in 2021. From costly penalties to breakdowns in coverage, several factors contributed to New England’s special teams taking a step back last season.
The 2022 offseason has represented something of a crossroads for the Patriots third-phase. While New England was quick to retain the services of longtime team captain Matthew Slater, as well as kicker Nick Folk, they have also suffered some notable losses. Among those special teams stalwarts taking their talents outside of Foxboro for 2022 are return specialist Gunner Olszewski and running back Brandon Bolden.
With the first Patriots set to report for training camp in less than two weeks, here are three Pats special teams specialists, which might catch a ‘sharp eye’ this summer.
Jake Bailey
Since arriving in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Jake Bailey has been one of the top punters in the NFL. Over his three seasons in New England, the Stanford product has booted 185 punts, amassing 8,632 yards, averaging 46.7 yards per punt. In 2020, Bailey was named a First Team All-Pro, while also earning a Pro Bowl selection. He is also quite adept as the Pats kickoff specialist, averaging a 53.7 touchback percentage from 227 career kickoffs. Still, Bailey will be looking to improve upon his 2021 performance — a season in which he struggled with accuracy and had three punts blocked.
Though a camp competition is highly unlikely to emerge, Bailey does have some competition on the roster in undrafted rookie punter Jake Julien. The 23-year-old spent five seasons punting for the Eastern Michigan University Eagles. He averaged 43.4 yard per punt across his career. The Canadian-born right footer is expected to compete for a spot on the Pats practice squad, with Bailey largely expected to remain in the starting role.
Marcus Jones
New England’s third-round selection (85 overall) donned the infamous red no-contact jersey during minicamp, as he continues to recover from offseason surgery. However, Jones’ elite return skills make him an intriguing option for the Patriots, assuming his health progresses in the right direction. In 2020, he was named to the first team, All-American Athletic Conference as a return specialist for the Houston Cougars after leading the nation with 337 yards on 17 punt returns, returning one for a touchdown. During his redshirt senior season in 2021, Jones returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown with 17 seconds left against 19th-ranked SMU to win the game 44–37. To cap off the season he won the Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation's most versatile player. He also won AAC Special Teams Player of the Year along with being named first team All-AAC as a return specialist. If healthy, look for Jones to get the lion’s share of the punt return attempts during training camp.
Ty Montgomery
Though several Patriots [including the aforementioned Marcus Jones] may be capable of taking on kickoff return responsibilities, two members of the team seem to have the inside track, rookie running back Pierre Strong and veteran hybrid receiver/runner Ty Montgomery. While Strong possesses the intangibles to be the team’s full time kick returner of the future, Montgomery’s experience may make him the more effective option heading into 2022. Throughout his career, the ex-New Orleans Saint has gained 1,274 yards on 57 attempts, averaging 22.4 yards per return. His cumulative special teams acumen may help his case, as he took 48% of the Saints’ snaps a year ago, both as a kick returner and on coverage teams.
