With six Patriots training camp practices down the team is quickly approaching the next phase of the summer, the start of preseason, which will arrive next Thursday night when the Pats welcome the Carolina Panthers.
We've already learned a lot over the first week of training camp, with injuries striking in some key areas and competition bringing out the best in players across the roster. At some question spots we have rough ideas of answers, yet other pressing questions have emerged that remain hard to answer at this point of the summer.
Here are 10 things to watch for as the Patriots prepare for five more training camp practices before the preseason arrives.
1.​ Consistency for Jacoby's offense: The offense under Jacoby Brissett has showed progress over the first week of training camp. Brissett's experience in the scheme, along with a developing offensive line, has resulted in a growing number of well-executed plays at various points during competitive team periods. The next step? Consistency and finding a way to generate some explosive plays. It's clear that Alex Van Pelt and the offensive coaching staff are building the offense brick-by-brick and know what they're looking for. Now they just have to start putting it all together as practice work begins to get more situational. Red zone and two-minute work should be on the docket in the coming practices.
2.​ Drake progress: Drake Maye jumped headfirst into his first NFL training camp and, as expected, it was a challenging experience for the 21-year-old. Maye's athletic talents are obviousand now what he needs more than anything are reps. Last Wednesday's practice featured Maye taking extra snaps in 11-on-11 as the coaching staff looks to pile as much as they can on him. While it's hard to know how Jerod Mayo will approach playing time in the preseason, next Thursday's game against the Panthers could be a huge opportunity to throw Maye into the fire with real game reps. The talent is there, but getting Maye in sync with the offense is the challenge, something that even a preseason game can accelerate exponentially.
3.​ OL continued stability: The offense has settled on an offensive line combination in recent practices and, despite the absence of David Andrews, their progress in both one-on-ones and in team periods has been notable. That's an encouraging sign for a group that has had six different offensive line coaching combinations over the last six seasons. Andrews' return would be another nice boost to the top line and perhaps be just the spark they need to take things to another level. There might be some brewing confidence in a group that had a lot more questions just one week ago.
4.​ Who will emerge at receiver? The Patriots receiving depth chart runs 11 players deep while Kendrick Bourne remains on PUP and eight of those players have all been heavily involved with the top two offensive groupings. All eight have had some splash moments going back to the spring but it's still difficult to discern how the competition will ultimately play out for perhaps five or six roster spots. The two drafted rookies have been active, but the veterans are just getting up to speed and Bourne's eventual return will only make things more complicated. Perhaps the easiest way to get noticed over the next week will be by making downfield plays in front of the crowd of fans. They dig the deep ball and it's one element to the burgeoning offense that they need more of.
5.​ Henry/Hooper and…? Austin Hooper's experience in the offensive system has shown in the early days of camp. He just seems to know where to be and when, and already has established a degree of trust with Jacoby Brissett. Hunter Henry isn't far behind as he gets up to speed with Van Pelt's scheme and has once again been a savvy threat as we've seen over his three seasons with the team no matter what they were running. But the top duo isn't alone, as Mitchell Wilcox and La'Michael Pettway have seen plenty of action as well. Rookie Jaheim Bell has missed the last two practices but could also re-enter the equation as the offense continues to look for new twists to add. Whether it's the physicality of Wilcox or the movement skills of Pettway and Bell, there seems to be a potentially open roster spot for a third tight end to contribute. Expect Wilcox, Pettway and Jacob Warren to be extremely busy in the preseason games.
6.​ Defensive Resolution? The first week of camp wasn't a great one for the defense as far as available personnel. Christian Barmore is out indefinitely, Matthew Judon is still working out his contract and Jabrill Peppers appeared to sustain an injury early in Tuesday's first padded practice that caused him to miss Wednesday's session. That trio represents three of the defense's best and most irreplaceable players. Now that Davon Godchaux has reportedly been extended, getting a resolution on Judon and a healthy Peppers back on the field would provide a needed jolt for the defense. Unfortunately, it's hard to hope for any kind of quick resolution for Barmore. The defense is one spot that has more questions entering the second week of camp than it did before the first.
7.​ Pass Rush Generation? Without Judon or Barmore in the mix, the Patriots pass rush has taken a big hit without their top two rushers. But perhaps it can be a good thing early in camp, as it allows other players to step up and get more reps. Simply put, the Patriots will need to find more pass rush this year. Top candidates Daniel Ekuale, Oshane Ximines and Armon Watts could win sizable roles this season, while second-year player Keion White and veterans Joshua Uche and Anfernee Jennings will be heavily counted on to make a difference. Whether or not those players can consistently win one-on-one matchups might now be the biggest question facing the defense this season.
8.​ Corner competition: Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones are fixtures on the outside but after them, things continue to be difficult to assess at cornerback. Marcus Jones has had a strong camp and has broken up several passes, while also once again looking like a nightmare of a return man. He's got an inside track on a slot job. Meanwhile, Alex Austin and Marco Wilson have also gotten plenty of top reps, with Wilson recovering a botched snap and returning for a would-be touchdown during Wednesday's session. Rookie Marcellas Dial could also see growing opportunities, while Shaun Wade has been competitive in a red no-contact jersey, breaking up fade thrown by Drake Maye toward the end zone to Javon Baker and sending the offense to the ground for push-ups. Like the receiver spot, there's a lot of competitive depth and the opportunity for someone to emerge remains open.
9.​ Safety Depth: Peppers' absence on Wednesday, coupled with Marte Mapu missing all but the first two practices, has provided opportunities for safety depth players like Jaylinn Hawkins, Josh Bledsoe and even undrafted rookie Dell Pettus alongside Kyle Dugger. Dugger, who leads the team with two training camp interceptions, and Peppers are the unquestioned top duo, but it appears Demarcus Covington will make as much use of multiple safeties as the previous defensive regime did. It's another position group where opportunity should continue to be readily available until Peppers and Mapu return. Certainly, Mapu's return would be just what he needs at the right time if he can get back on the field before Peppers and starting eating up a bunch of high-level reps that get him back into the mix.
10. Keep on Kickin': The kicker competition between Chad Ryland and Joey Slye has gotten off to a slow start. According to reports from those who have watched practice with an angle to confirm good kicks, Slye has missed two kicks and Ryland just one through three end-of-practice field goal competitions. Both hit their single attempts at the end of Wednesday's session. Of course, more goes into this than just those kicks, as special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer keeps a close eye on both kickers throughout practice while the eyes of the reporters and fans are glued to the offense and defense. Could one of the kickers separate themselves over the next week? So far, it's neck and neck.
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