5 New England Patriots players to watch in Week 2

There are five New England Patriots players you should keep your eye on in Week 2; a star linebacker, a rookie wideout, a top-tier safety, a second-year center and an offseason tight end addition.

It’s still a bit early to know if Rob Gronkowski, Nate Solder and Jonathan Cooper will be playing for the Patriots in Week 2; if any of those players are active, we’ll add them to this list. Naturally, we’re going to want to see how Gronk and Solder play in their 2016 debut, and of course it will be interesting to see how Cooper pans out in his first Patriots game.

Let’s get to it.

Patriots Players to Watch in Week 2: Dont’a Hightower

Hightower was not present at practice on Wednesday, so his status for Week 2 is a bit up in the air. However, this writer would be pretty surprised if Hightower sat out against the Dolphins, as he played the rest of the game against the Cardinals after suffering a leg injury.

Additionally, Hightower is not about to miss the first divisional game unless it’s really that bad. Sure, the Pats may want to give him a week off to ensure this leg injury doesn’t persist, but Hightower is a tough cookie and won’t want to miss out on the action.

Because he is dealing with an injury, and because he is the control center of the Patriots’ defense, Hightower heads the list of Patriots players to watch in Week 2.

Next: 4. Malcolm Mitchell