Predicting New England Patriots depth chart: Pre-minicamp edition

The New England Patriots are inching closer and closer to training camp. The beginning of June signals the onset of mandatory minicamp, which starts tomorrow and lasts through Thursday. Before minicamp starts, read through this prediction of the Patriots depth chart:

QUARTERBACK (2)

Jimmy Garoppolo

Jacoby Brissett

Obviously, there is a pretty big name missing from this list. At this point, until there is another twist in the Deflategate plot, we have to assume that Tom Brady is in fact going to miss the month of September. If that ends up being the case, the Patriots will activate Brissett to the 53-man roster.

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Since he has two years of experience in the Patriots’ offensive scheme studying under Brady, Garoppolo is the shoo-in for Week 1 starting duties. One of the major storylines developing during OTAs has been the noticeably quicker release of Garoppolo in comparison to his first two years of OTAs.

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No, there aren’t pads or contact at these practices, but it’s worth noting that Garoppolo is scanning his reads faster and getting rid of the ball in a more timely manner.

As for Brissett, he seems to have an intriguing blend of athleticism, arm strength and touch passing. When Brady returns to the active roster, Brissett will be bumped down to practice squad.

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