Patriots Minicamp: 3 Takeaways
FOXBORO - The New England Patriots are officially on to training camp.
The Pats were scheduled to hold their third and final practice of mandatory minicamp last Thursday morning. However, the presence of heavy rain and thunderstorms hitting the area prompted head coach Bill Belichick and the team’s brain trust to cancel the third and final practice session.
Just a few short hours later, the team announced its decision to forgo the final two organized team activities, originally scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. As a result, the Patriots will not reconvene as a unit until the opening of training camp in late July.
While the clearing of the Patriots’ late spring calendar may cause some outside of New England to think that Belichick might be softening his approach, the cancellations are not exactly abnormal. Belichick has often done so as a reward for his team’s hard work and performance on the field.
Though two days may be a small sampling for purposes of evaluation, the Patriots showed plenty of potential heading into the upcoming season. While Tuesday’s headlines were dominated by offensive play-calling and a potential changing of the guard at the offensive tackle position, Wednesday’s session featured the possible beginning of a beautiful friendship between a sophomore quarterback-receiver combination.
Still, there were a few other storylines on which to keep an eye as New England approaches the start of training camp in just over one month’s time.
Jack Jones Will Have an Impact
Since the Pats opened the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by selecting the troubled-but-talented corner with the 121st overall pick, speculation has run rampant throughout the region about New England potentially securing the services of a ‘diamond in the rough’ at the cornerback position.
While Jones is still far from filling the lockdown shoes vacated by J.C. Jackson earlier in the offseason, the former Arizona State Sun Devil played significant minutes with the starting defense throughout the week. The 24-year-old saw time as a perimeter cornerback and demonstrated pro-level ball skills by collecting an interception and forcing a fumble.
At 5-foot-11, Jones seems a bit undersized for the position, when compared to some of the pro receivers he will be covering this season. However, he makes up for it with tremendous athleticism. Despite some rookie growing pains, Jones looked to be a solid prospect as a man-cover corner due to his stellar foot speed and ability to change direction to stick with his targets. His sound field awareness and instincts to close in on the football should make him effective in zone coverage, as well.
If Jones continues to see considerable reps with the starters in training camp, he may be in line to earn a spot among New England’s primary cornerbacks in 2022.
Mr. Smith Goes to Foxboro
Tight end Jonnu Smith fell short of expectations in his first year with the Patriots. He statistically underwhelmed; finishing the 2021 regular season with 28 catches, 294 receiving yards and one touchdown throughout 16 games.
As a result, Smith was well aware of his need to make a notable impact at his position heading into 2022. His performance during the Patriots’ pair of practices was clearly a step in the right direction. Smith often connected with quarterback Mac Jones on some impressive catchers, including an athletic, leaping grab over safety Kyle Dugger on a corner route. Overall, Smith looked to have a greater familiarity with the Pats offense, thus being more comfortable.
At his best, Smith is a prototypical ‘move’ tight end, capable of being an effective scoring target in the endzone. During training camp, Smith should see an increase in the amount of targets he sees in scoring situations. He may also be in line for some carries out of the backfield via the jet sweep, or as a fullback/H-Back.
Many Happy Returns?
Following the departure of Gunner Olszewski in the offseason, the Patriots find themselves in need of a return specialist. Kyle Dugger, Myles Bryant, Jack Jones, Tre Nixon, Kendrick Bourne and Malcolm Perry received some work returning punts in each of the week’s sessions. Jones muffed one of his punts, earning him a lap for his miscue.
However, another rookie cornerback named Jones may still be in line to inherit the duties — assuming his health progresses in the right direction. Third-round selection Marcus Jones donned the infamous red no-contact jersey during minicamp, as he continues to recover from offseason surgery. Still, his elite return skills make him an intriguing option for the Patriots, who place a premium on special teams prowess. In 2020, Jones 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. He also returned one for a touchdown. If healthy, look for Jones to get the lion’s share of the punt return attempts during training camp.
Though several Patriots may be capable of taking on kickoff return responsibilities, two members of the team took center stage at practice, 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.
