Weather report for Panthers vs. Patriots is bad news for roster evaluation

The Patriots are set to kick off their preseason this Thursday by taking on the Panthers at Gillette Stadium. It will be the first opportunity to see the new regime led by Jerod Mayo coaching an NFL game and the first glance at a long list of new players and rookies in a real game environment.

Because of that, and since they're one of the first preseason games of the year, all eyes will be on Foxboro on Thursday night.

There will be a number of things to watch for, especially on offense, as we already know that Drake Maye will take the field at some point. Jacoby Brissett remains the starter and is expected to see the most reps, but how they will distribute the rest among Maye, Joe Milton III, and Bailey Zappe is not yet clear.

Then there's the rest of the offense and who will see the most playing time among the receivers. It is one of the fullest rooms on the roster, with 12 pass catchers currently signed, and they will inevitably need to make some tough cuts. The rookies Javon Baker and Ja'Lynn Polk have stood out the most at training camp, each adding highlight catches on almost a daily basis, so surely they have earned some quality reps against the Panthers.

Another focus will be on the offensive line, which hasn't been a solid unit all summer long. Who lines up where will be a fascinating part of the game, and how well they protect the quarterback and open up the run game will be the biggest takeaways.

But it appears they'll be running into a potentially significant issue at game time.

The latest weather report says Foxborough will not have ideal conditions for a team needing a good game to evaluate the state of their roster. The forecast is projected to be cloudy with occasional rain showers and light winds with a temperature of 63°.

This isn't considered the worst of the worst for a team that plays in an outdoor stadium. But with a young team and an inexperienced roster, playing in the rain will not provide much accurate information regarding where the roster is developmentally.

Fortunately, it's just the first preseason game, and they'll have two more games to play before the official roster cutdown. But it's still not a favorable forecast for a team in the Patriots situation.

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