The Patriots got their 2024 preseason underway on Thursday night and it was an opportunity for their roster depth to play a significant amount of snaps against live competition. Reps can be limited during training camp practices, but the games are a prime opportunity to stand out and get noticed as competition ramps up in training camp.
With most of the Pats' significant starters limited to just a series or two, the preseason premiere featured plenty of snaps from those fighting for a roster spot and, in a positive development, some of those unheralded players at significant positions of need came through with standout performances.
Here are three that made a positive impression, possibly setting themselves up for increased opportunities over the next two weeks of the preseason.
Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
This is Pharms' third season with the Patriots. After spending 2022 on the practice squad, he developed enough in 2023 that he was promoted to the active 53-man roster in October. He played just 90 total snaps over 12 games last season, but still set the stage for what has been a solid training camp this summer.
Against the Panthers, Pharms stood out like never before, helping set the tone for the defense with a disruptive performance while playing 22 snaps.
"Anytime he steps foot on the field, he takes advantage of that opportunity," said Jerod Mayo following the game. "His story is remarkable, a guy just on the street. He was here, we moved him to fullback. He played defensive tackle, he played guard, he played all those positions. When you find a player that just loves the game of football, no matter what the coach asks him to do, it's a great player, in my mind. And Pharms displays that."
"Hard work works, that's one of our sayings here," said Pharms in the locker room following the game. "We'll continue to do that and I'm going to continue to work hard and not get satisfied with today."
The defense could use a player like Pharms. After losing Christian Barmore for an indefinite amount of time, coupled with the offseason departure of long-time pillar Lawrence Guy, and there are roles available along the defensive line, especially for someone who can impact the passer like Pharms did on his nine-yard sack against the Panthers.
This coming week, against a respected Philadelphia Eagles offensive line, Pharms will have plenty of chances to build off his solid start and show what he can against some of the league's best blockers.
Shaun Wade
The Patriots traded for Wade in 2021 but it's been a slow ascent for the Ohio State Buckeye. He played in just six games (29 defensive snaps) over his first two seasons in New England. Last season, with injuries hitting the secondary, Wade finally got his chance, appearing in 14 games while playing over a third of the defensive snaps.
However, it was a slow start to 2024's training camp for Wade, who was in a red jersey for the first week of practices. Once the red jersey came off, Wade started to show up, highlighted by a last-play pass breakup of an end zone fade thrown from Drake Maye to Javon Baker.
On Thursday night, Wade continued to stack successful plays, breaking up and nearly intercepting a third-down pass in the second quarter where he showed a good jump on the ball.
Despite the presence of Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones atop the cornerback depth chart, there is uncertainty behind them. Marcus Jones was off to a strong start but has missed the last four practices, adding further questions to the slot position.
Wade was primarily used as an outside corner in 2023 (293 snaps) but is comfortable inside and was viewed by many scouts as a slot cornerback when he entered the league. Given the current circumstances, he's likely the defense's top option in the slot at the current moment and, even with Marcus Jones' eventual return, Wade offers plus size that could be useful to the gameplan defense.
Next up, Wade will get a chance to face some of Philly's lethal receivers to keep his ascension going.
Terrell Jennings
It's been hard to get a true bead on Jennings during training camp, as the sole undrafted rookie running back on the roster his reps have been limited in training camp. Still, even in limited opportunities, his size and comfort catching the ball has been intriguing to many practice observers.
That's why he was one of our 10 to Watch on Thursday night and Jennings made the most of his 15 snaps, rushing for 38 yards on six carries and grabbing two catches for 11 yards. His highlight play was a 20-yard run that showed his standout trait from college, breaking tackles and being difficult to bring down.
As noted in 10 to Watch, the Florida A&M product had a career-high 673 rushing yards last season and forced 40 missed tackles, gaining 83.4 percent of his yards after contact and averaging 4.6 after yards per attempt per PFF, ranking him in the top five in this year's draft class.
It's still a long climb for Jennings with Kevin Harris and JaMycal Hasty also vying for carries, but Thursday's night performance was proof that he might be one of those undrafted rookies who can make the leap.
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