The Patriots are approaching the homestretch of training camp, with the Aug. 27 cutdown day looming at the end of the month.
Although there are still two preseason games and a vital joint practice with the Eagles, players competing to make the roster are starting to separate themselves from the pack. Along those same lines, these next two weeks are the final tune-ups to prepare for the regular season.
Before practice on Monday, New England's defensive assistants spoke for the first time during camp about various topics surrounding a defense with high expectations. For the Patriots to be competitive this season, they're expecting to lean heavily on the defense to carry them to wins.
Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington is in his first year directing the defense. Covington is a first-team play-caller and is taking on a larger role on head coach Jerod Mayo's staff as he enters his eighth year overall in New England's system.
Last week, Covington called plays in the Patriots win over the Panthers in the team's preseason opener. The Pats new DC has likely gotten chances to call plays in the preseason before, but now he's the primary play-caller.
Asked about how it went calling plays in his first trial run as defensive coordinator, Covington said, "I thought it was good. For me, just like the players, they come out here and practice. I do the same out here every day. We talk about making it harder in practice than what it is in the game, and that's exactly the truth for me."
"It's harder in practice because you don't have 15 red zone plays in the game. You don't have 15 third downs in a row in the game. There's more time to call plays in a game than in practice," Covington continued.
From a coaching perspective, the next step will be game-planning opponents and calling plays based on situational tendencies. That's not necessarily the approach in the preseason, where teams usually run their base concepts rather than calling specific plays to beat the opponent.
To that end, the real tests for Covington and the defensive staff will come down the road. For now, it's about laying a foundation so that Covington has a library of plays to choose from during regular season games. Like building a menu at a restaurant, you want the person sitting down at the table, Covington, to have options. We'll see how that looks in the coming months.
As for the players on the field, here are five sleepers who have stood out from this perspective, with insight from their positional coaches on their performance this summer:
DT Jeremiah Pharms
The first player who has turned heads during camp is 27-year-old defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms. Pharms has taken quite the path to the NFL. He began his pro career by earning $150 per game playing arena football for the Wichita Force.
Following his arena league stint, Pharms played one season in the USFL for the Pittsburgh Maulers. After a strong showing in the USFL, Pharms signed with the Patriots to try out for the 2022 roster but was cut at the end of camp. He stuck around on the practice squad for over a year before signing to the active roster during the 2023 season.
In his third season in New England, Pharms is a strong candidate to make the Patriots initial roster this time. Without standout DT Christian Barmore (blood clots), the Pats need to fill a huge void in the middle of their defense. Pharms has taken advantage of his opportunities.
In last Thursday's preseason opener, Pharms tallied a team-high five quarterback pressures with a sack, four hurries, and two run stops and drew a holding call on consecutive plays. We've seen similar disruption during practice from Pharms, who is known primarily as a run-stuffer but has added some pass-rush ability into his arsenal.
The Patriots have experimented with Pharms in different spots along the defensive front. Last season, Pharms mostly lined up at nose tackle over the center. However, he has expanded his role to play further away from the ball as a three or even four-technique straight-up over the guard.
"[Pharms] is a guy you appreciate so much because he comes out here every single day, works on the things you ask him to do, and it transitions from practice to the game," defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery told Patriots.com. "You saw the zero [technique], the three, the four. He's smart, can pick things up, and can plug-and-play just about anywhere."
Although he's done a great job so far this summer, it would be completely unfair to expect Pharms, or any individual player, to replace Barmore. With that said, the Patriots must overcome Barmore's indefinite absence, and Pharms is answering the call.
EDGE Oshane Ximines
Another standout along the defensive front is edge rusher Oshane Ximines, who logged a strip-sack and three total pressures in his first preseason game with the Patriots last week.
Ximines is a former top-100 draft selection by the Giants. New York selected the 6-4, 254-pound edge rusher with the 95th overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Old Dominion. In his rookie season, Ximines registered 4.5 sacks and 25 quarterback pressures. He also had a two-sack, 15-pressure campaign with the Giants last season, so he has some NFL production.
Despite having a productive rookie season, Ximines got lost in New York's head coaching shuffle in recent years. The 27-year-old played for three different head coaches with the Giants, making it difficult for him to carve out a permanent role in New York's defense. This summer, Ximines has been on a consistent upward trend. He has been highly disruptive on the edge during practices and then had a monster preseason opener.
"To me, [Ximines] and Pharms are practicing out of their minds and playing out of their minds. What you see out here is carrying over into the games. They're doing phenomenally," Montgomery added on Ximines, grouping him with Pharms as two camp standouts.
New England's depth chart at edge rusher is a little crowded for Ximines to find significant playing time. The expectation is that Pro Bowler Matthew Judon, Anfernee Jennings, Joshua Uche, and versatile second-year defender Keion White will be regulars in specific defensive roles.
Although it's a tough rotation to crack, Ximines has been noticeable throughout the summer and is proving that he's one of the best 53 players in camp. Unless things turn for the worse with Judon, there isn't as clear a path to playing time for Ximines as for Pharms. Still, if his arrow continues pointing up, one would expect Ximines to make the initial roster.
CB Marco Wilson
Moving to the secondary, the Patriots have been experimenting with different combinations in search of a solid third cornerback alongside starters Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones.
Gonzalez and Jones are entrenched starters. However, nickel/slot corner Myles Bryant, who played 74.8% of the defensive snaps in 2023, departed for the Houston Texans this offseason. Along with Bryant's departure, 2022 third-rounder Marcus Jones hasn't been a full participant in the last several practices due to an undisclosed injury. That has created an opportunity for players further down the depth chart to make a case for a roster spot.
Furthermore, even when healthy, a cornerback trio of Gonzalez and the two Joneses leave the Patriots at a distinct size disadvantage, with either Jones having to play on the outside. It would behoove the Patriots to find a corner with some size/length who could play on the boundary, likely replacing the younger Jones to match up against bigger receivers.
The Patriots coaches have rotated players through that outside cornerback spot opposite Gonzalez to see what sticks, but the primary front-runners are second-year CB Alex Austin and veteran Marco Wilson. Austin played well down the stretch last season for New England, but Wilson started the preseason opener and has been getting more reps with the ones in practice.
Wilson is not some inexperienced corner. He played over 2,200 snaps with the Cardinals before joining the Patriots late in the 2023 season, where he played 10 snaps in the season-finale vs. the Jets. Wilson has some size at 5-11, 191 pounds, and is a physical, man-coverage corner.
"He's done a really good job of mixing in his off [coverage] and his press. His off [coverage technique] is obviously his wheelhouse. He loves that," cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino said. "I'm impressed with his classroom. His ability to provide his opinion from playing in other places, the way he has done things and just his hunger to learn something different being in year four."
The Patriots have several corners competing for roster spots. Some are first or second-year players like Austin, Isaiah Bolden, and sixth-round draft choice Marcellas Dial. However, Wilson falls into a different category with so many NFL snaps already under his belt. Until the younger guys emerge, Wilson could make the roster as a steady veteran presence.
S Dell Pettus
If you've made it out to Patriots training camp this summer, one player who you've definitely seen flying around the defensive backfield is undrafted rookie safety Dell Pettus.
Pettus plays like his hair is on fire, with the right confidence and aggression to thrive on defense. The Troy University product has played almost every safety spot in the defense. We've seen him covering tight ends, rotating into the box, and playing some free safety. Last Thursday, he logged snaps at free safety (29), in the box (11), and over the slot (4).
The 22-year-old has stood in man coverage on tight ends, in particular. Pettus has had some good battles with top tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, sometimes filling a role that many projected for 2023 third-rounder Marte Mapu, who hasn't been practicing lately.
On Pettus, Patriots safeties coach Brian Belichick said, "[He's] getting better every day. He's doing what we're asking him but in his own way. Playing within himself, playing fast, physical, communicating – all good things. He just needs to continue stacking days together, and we'll see where it ends up."
With Mapu's camp injury, the Patriots are looking for a third safety to emerge alongside top tandem Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers. Veteran safety Jaylinn Hawkins is the current leader in the clubhouse to take that role, but Pettus is also making a strong impression.
The latest example came in Monday's practice. Pettus was in the right place at the right time when LB Joe Giles-Harris deflected a pass, and Pettus was there for the interception.
LB Christian Elliss
The last name on my sleepers list is third-year linebacker Christian Elliss, whose film stood out from last week's win over the Panthers.
The 230-pound linebacker played 25 snaps in the win, logging a sack, QB hit, and three stops. Elliss's play speed and rush ability as an interior blitzer were impressive, and he also projects as a contributor on special teams. Now a member of the coaching staff, inside linebackers coach Dont'a Hightower offered his thoughts on Elliss's camp to Patriots.com:
"Just coming in not knowing too much about everybody other than the guys I played with, Elliss really has worked to be where he is. Definitely one of the most improved guys in the room. He has a really good set of skills. He's fast, he's super quick, he's strong. He's able to play multiple positions in our defense, and he's done a good job."
Along with being productive in the game, Elliss also spent time wearing the green dot as the primary signal caller for the Patriots defense. Behind starters Ja'Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai, Elliss is competing for a roster spot with veteran Raekwon McMillan and Joe Giles-Harris.
New England is also expected to roster free-agent addition Sione Takitaki, but Takitaki hasn't practiced this summer while recovering from a knee procedure in the offseason. The door is open for a fourth off-ball linebacker to make the team, and that could be Elliss if his strong summer continues.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
