New England Patriots: Questions That Need Answering

We are halfway through the preseason, and while a lot of our offseason questions have been answered regarding the New England Patriots, there are still plenty of questions that need answering.

Let’s run through it: (I’m leaving out the obvious QB question because that doesn’t have to do with actual football.)

1. Who Is The Other Starting CB?

Malcolm Butler is firmly entrenched as the number one corner. He is the most talented cover man, and he has been treated like that throughout this offseason. However we still don’t know who will start opposite him, as Tarell Brown, Logan Ryan, Bradley Fletcher, and even Devin McCourty are in the mix. Right now I think Brown is the clear favorite, but these last two weeks of the preseason will tell us a lot.

2. Who Is The Third Down Back?

Arguably the most interesting position battle to watch going down the stretch is who will ultimately replace Shane Vereen as the change-of-pace back in this offense. After week one of the preseason, I thought James White had it locked up, but Dion Lewis had a great showing against New Orleans, and honestly might be the favorite right now. Of course we can’t forget about the veteran Brandon Bolden either, who has been resting most of this preseason.

3. Who Makes The Cut At WR?

The Patriots generally carry five receivers at a time, although in unique circumstances they will carry a sixth. Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and Brandon LaFell are locks, but the other two spots are up for grabs. Aaron Dobson is the most talented, but he can’t seem to stay on the field. Chris Harper and Brandon Gibson have been the most impressive this preseason, but Harper is very raw, and Gibson did just sustain a lower body injury. We’ll see what happens.

4. Who Will Be The Fourth LB?

New England has the best starting trio of linebackers in the NFL in Jerod Mayo, Dont’a Hightower, and Jamie Collins. However the depth behind them is very weak, which is why there has been a spotlight on small profile guys like Jonathan Freeny and James Morris. Freeny has been up and down, making some nice plays in the run game, but also getting routinely burned in pass coverage. Morris isn’t much better in coverage, but he hustles in every aspect of the game, as evidenced by his strip of Josh Morgan late in the game on Saturday. The Pats need to address the depth at linebacker, as one injury to the starters could really hurt this defense.