Patriots: 3 players who earned Week 1 playing time in preseason opener

The New England Patriots finally took the field after months of twiddling their thumbs in the offseason, and Bill Belichick’s team ended up carving out a victory against Ron Rivera and the Washington Football Team thanks to a strong ground game and the defense making timely plays.

The Patriots have the top of the depth chart mostly figured out, as Cam Newton is entrenched as the starting quarterback with a host of new free agency pickups surrounding him.

The rest of the squad, however, remains a jumbled mess that is up for grabs.

The preseason is not always the best indicator of success in the NFL, but it can identify which players are starting to show flashes of the players that they can become, and New England certainly saw plenty of that yesterday.

These 3 players performed so well against a Washington team that is loaded with quality on their defensive roster and coaching staff that Belichick could be persuaded to give them some extra snaps.

Patriots: 3 players who stood out in Preseason Week 1

3. RB JJ Taylor

Taylor didn’t have the most amazing day running the ball, as he had just two carries for 10 yards. However, the 5-6 Taylor is not going to be an every-down running back in the NFL, so his value lies in being able to make plays as a receiver.

Thursday night, he showed he could do that.

Taylor caught five passes for 31 yards, ending up as one of Mac Jones’ most frequently targeted receivers. With James White starting to get up there in age and Josh McDaniels’ offense calling for a running back with good receiver skills, Taylor is starting to turn some heads.

JJ Taylor impressed as a receiver for the Patriots.

Taylor saw some limited snaps last year, but with Sony Michel not guaranteed anything due to his decline in effectiveness and Rex Burkhead now in Houston, the Arizona alum has a path that leads to playing time laid out before him. He needs to keep his foot on the gas pedal to take advantage.

For a young quarterback like Jones, getting the ball out quick on some simple short passes will be critical to getting his confidence up during the early stages of his career, and a developing Taylor could be a huge asset in this regard.

2. QB Mac Jones

While Newton struggled during his first two series, Jones didn’t look out of place for one second during his NFL debut. Jones completed 13 of his 19 passes for 87 yards, though a dropped 34-yard touchdown pass could’ve made his night look even more impressive on the stat sheet.

While the low yards per attempt might now wow any box score scouts, Jones looked like he was comfortable in command of the offense, going through his reads quickly and getting the ball out of his hand accurately and on time. That’s all New England could’ve asked for.

Mac Jones looked comfortable in his Patriots debut.

Jones came from an Alabama offense that was much more simplistic than what he has had to digest during his time in New England, so the fact that he looks like he’s been studying this playbook for half a decade is exactly what the Patriots wanted to see from him.

Newton will go into the season as the starter, but the franchise will eventually turn the page to Jones. Based on how his debut went, the switch may be coming a bit sooner than Cam or the coaching staff expected.

1. RB Rhamondre Stevenson

Rhamondre Stevenson has been all over the place in training camp, as his highlight-reel runs have been countered by the fact that running backs coach Ivan Fears hinted that he has a ton of work to do. Stevenson not only proved Fears wrong, but he may have pulled off what could be the biggest highlight of the preseason for New England.

Stevenson put the win on ice by scampering 91 yards for the touchdown. The burly back carried the ball 10 times for 127 yards in this game, but that game-breaking run gave the Patriots a win and proved that he should be on the field in some capacity this season.

Rhamondre Stevenson stole the show for the Patriots.

Stevenson might have the build of a traditional one-cut power back, but he proved in this game that he has enough juice and lateral mobility to pop off some big plays. His film at Oklahoma was extremely promising, and Stevenson appears to have translated those skills well.

Belichick has a soft spot for bigger running backs like Antowain Smith, Corey Dillon, and LeGarrette Blount who can be a wrecking ball inside. While Damien Harris is still the projected starter, Stevenson continuing to impress in the preseason could help him make his case for the backup job.

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