Here are three Patriots players who have impressed us the most at camp.
As we inch closer to the start of the regular season, the New England Patriots are one of the NFL’s most intriguing teams as they’ll deploy a new starting quarterback to begin and hopefully finish the year for the first time in two decades.
The departure of Tom Brady took the league by storm for several weeks (it still doesn’t feel real), and the Patriots, after a longer than expected delay, responded in a BIG way by signing Cam Newton following his release from the Carolina Panthers. This has prompted debates of whether Brady or head coach Bill Belichick was more integral to the team’s dynasty, across which they won six championships.
As if that wasn’t enough to make New England the center of attention, the organization watched a handful of other starters from 2019 leave in free agency and projected starters for this campaign opt out amid the ongoing pandemic.
The @CameronNewton hype continues in Foxborough pic.twitter.com/Qros0Q1kmj
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 25, 2020
These circumstances will provide a number of recent draft picks with the opportunity to earn significant playing time. Training camp is often a gold mine in terms of producing unexpected contributors, and the canceled preseason has only amplified its importance.
The Patriots are fortunate enough to have a slew of players step up so far, but who have been the most impressive performers up until this point? For anybody wondering, no, Newton (a former MVP) didn’t qualify. This list honestly could’ve gone six deep, but we managed to narrow it down to three.
3. Joejuan Williams
The Patriots are using Joejuan Williams as a hybrid defensive back.
New England is absolutely loaded at cornerback, but there are a ton of question marks concerning the safety position with the start of the regular season just three weeks away. As we know, veteran Patrick Chung opted out to prioritize the health and safety of his family, which leaves a gaping hole at a crucial position in the secondary.
Amazingly enough, the Patriots might have found his replacement in cornerback Joejuan Williams, who’s been playing heavy snaps at safety in the latest installment of practices.
The 2019 second-round pick has showed promise at CB, but there’s simply too much talent at the position — Stephon Gilmore, JC Jackson, Jason McCourty and Jonathan Jones — for him to earn a significant playing time there.
Williams’ imposing physique (6-foot-4, 212 pounds) has reportedly caught the eye of the Patriots coaching staff at camp, and rightfully so as he’s been breaking up passes on a regular basis.
We didn’t think twice about including the Vanderbilt product on this list. It seems harsh that he didn’t land higher, but that just speaks to how many players have been impressing for New England.
2. Josh Uche
Josh Uche could be the next great Patriots pass rusher.
There’s no telling how (or if) the Patriots will be able to overcome the loss of edge rushers Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy, both of whom departed in free agency this offseason and combined to record over 130 tackles, 13.5 sacks and 25 QB hits in 2019.
However, the latest buzz suggests that Josh Uche could go a long way in helping New England’s pass rush remain in the elite conversation. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a rookie, but the Michigan product’s emergence over the last few weeks suggests he’s up to the challenge.
Uche, who was selected in the second-round (No. 60 overall) of the 2020 Draft, has the required athleticism to fill the void that Collins and Van Noy left in their wake. Jim Harbaugh couldn’t figure out how to utilize him, but leave that for legend Bill Belichick.
Though the Wolverines failed to find a consistent position for him, it’s clear the Patriots view him as a player who can wreak immense havoc as an outside linebacker/edge rusher. He’s already been getting to Cam Newton (and into the backfield) in camp. Expect a big rookie campaign from the 21-year-old stud, who will have a big role come Week 1.
1. Damien Harris
Could Damien Harris be the Patriots starting RB come Week 1?
There’s no hiding that the Patriots backfield will need to perform better than it did in 2019. For the season, the team ranked 18th in the NFL with 106.4 yards per game and 25th with a lousy 3.8 yards per carry.
On top of that, coming into training camp, the outlook of the backfield was extremely discouraging as Sony Michel and surprise signing Lamar Miller were both placed on the PUP list.
Though the former has been cleared to return to practice, both players are still working their way back to full strength. Luckily for New England, second-year running back Damien Harris has made the most of the first-team reps he’s been granted in their absence.
The latest rumblings at Pats camp suggest that the 2019 third-round pick has been the consensus best player on the team since padded practices started last week. It stinks not having a preseason to see the strides Harris has made first hand, but we fully believe the hype surrounding him.
Given how desperate the Patriots for an improved running game, the Alabama product is clearly deserving of the top spot on this list as he makes the most of his current opportunity after a underwhelming rookie year that featured a hamstring injury and multiple healthy inactives.