New England Patriots 2019 training camp primer: Linebackers
Here’s what we don’t know…
There may be more interesting battles to monitor around the Patriots’ camp in one week’s time, but for our money, there’s not a more interesting player to monitor than linebacker Jamie Collins Sr.
Collins was selected by New England with the 52nd pick of the 2013 NFL Draft. A freak athlete who caught the eye of fans around the league with his ability to hurdle over the line of opposing bodies during extra point attempts, he also excelled in man-to-man coverage while with the Patriots.
Unfortunately, Collins’ effort-level became the subject of scrutiny as his Foxborough tenure continued, and word leaked out to reporters that he soon found himself in Belichick’s doghouse. With tension coming to a head in 2016, Collins was eventually traded to the Cleveland Browns on Halloween (exactly one year to the day before Jimmy Garoppolo was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, interestingly).
One of the better parts of a bad Browns team for two-and-a-half-years, Collins never quite lived up to his massive contract in Cleveland… though he still managed to cash every check. Wiser (and richer) now than ever before, Collins must be hoping that Round Two of his relationship with the Patriots goes smoother than Round One.
Only time will tell if it does, but training camp should be a good place to start assessing the situation and seeing if it looks beneficial for both sides.
Ja’Whaun Bentley, a fifth-round pick from 2018, played well enough in the preseason last year to earn himself a starting nod alongside Van Noy and Hightower before a torn bicep ended his rookie season prematurely. It will be fascinating to see if he picks right up where he left off, or if there’s a bit of rust he’ll still need to shake off instead.
Christian Sam, who was drafted just 35 spots after Bentley, also ended up spending his debut season in the NFL on injured reserve. While he didn’t enjoy quite the breakout preseason Bentley did last summer, he still showed enough to warrant consideration for the Pats’ 53-man roster. He’ll be another interesting player to keep an eye on.
Next. According to a source, here are the odds that Gronk returns. dark
Elsewhere around the Patriots’ linebacking corps, third-year player Calvin Munson figures to once again end up on the practice squad, the same place he spent the majority of the 2018 season. Terez Hall, an undrafted free agent this spring out of Missouri, has the odds stacked against him to make the team.
READ ABOUT THE PATRIOTS’ QUARTERBACKS HERE.
READ ABOUT THE PATRIOTS’ RUNNING BACKS HERE.
READ ABOUT THE PATRIOTS’ WIDE RECEIVERS HERE.
READ ABOUT THE PATRIOTS’ TIGHT ENDS HERE.
READ ABOUT THE PATRIOTS’ OFFENSIVE LINEMEN HERE.
READ ABOUT THE PATRIOTS’ DEFENSIVE LINEMEN HERE.
READ ABOUT THE PATRIOTS’ CORNERBACKS HERE.
READ ABOUT THE PATRIOTS’ SAFETIES HERE.
READ ABOUT THE PATRIOTS’ SPECIALISTS HERE.