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Top 2020 training camp battles for Patri

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  April 12, 2023

  The just went through arguably the most transformative offseason the franchise has seen in its history. Of course, the headliner to that momentous statement is , who left the franchise after 20 years and signed with the in free agency, but there was much more than just TB12 taking his talents to Florida. New England also saw defensive stars like , , and all leave for greener pastures on the open market as well, which now leads some big shoes to fill at various spots on the depth chart.And that brings us here -- training camp. While this summer and the entire year will be far different from what any of us are accustomed to due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we'll get a bit of normalcy with some good old-fashioned training camp battles in Miami Marlins T-Shirts Foxborough over the next month. That said, the coronavirus is still making its presence felt here as five players, including and , have all , which further throws a wrench in the Patriots' plans. We also won't be able to see any of these players compete over live game reps after the and NFLPA agreed to eliminate the preseason, but these will be heated battles nonethele s at extremely important positions.1. QuarterbackMight as well start with the big one. CAR QB #1 CMP%56.2YDs572TD0INT1YD/Att6.43 The Patriots have three quarterbacks on the roster all fighting to fill the seat that Tom Brady sat in for the past two decades and played the position better than any other signal-caller in history. For most of the offseason, it looked like was the clear heir apparent with serving as a valuable backup to the second-year quarterback. That all changed, however, with the signing of former league MVP . Instead of a coronation for Stidham, he's suddenly booted from the inside track for the job and looking at a daunting fight for the starting job.Of course, Starlin Castro Jersey Bill Belichick is not in the busine s of simply handing out jobs so he'll give an honest look to all three of these quarterbacks, including Hoyer, who is beginning his third stint with the club. If we're being honest though, this is a two-horse race between Newton and Stidham. Newton comes to New England with a tremendous rsum. He's a former No. 1 overall pick, Heisman winner, former MVP, and was able to take his former squad to 50. He's clearly the most talented quarterback of the bunch, but he'll need to answer questions surrounding his health before he truly solidifies himself as QB1. He mi sed the bulk of last season due to a Lisfranc fracture and has been hampered by a shoulder injury for the past few years. If he's able to show that he's recovered, he has a ma sive edge in the talent department.The one area where Stidham may still be able to have the edge, however, is the playbook. He spent all of last season behind Tom Brady as his backup, learning New England's system. With Brady gone, the Patriots will likely modernize the offense a bit to cater to the quarterbacks they have on the roster, but Stidham's experience will be extremely valuable during this battle.With the pandemic putting an emphasis on depth, I would expect all three of these quarterbacks to make the roster. Having a third-stringer like Brian Hoyer, who is extremely knowledgeable and familiar with the system, will prove immensely valuable during this unique season. 2. Right TackleNew England's offensive line was a bit disjointed in 2019 after left tackle mi sed time due to injury and starting center mi sed the entire year due to blood clots in his lungs. Because of that, the unit was never able to play well consistently. As they look forward to 2020, they'll get most of their pieces back in place, except for at the right tackle Jeff Locke Jersey spot with Marcus Cannon making the decision to opt-out due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. That opens up a competition for a starting spot along the O-line, which will have even greater importance this season as they'll either be blocking for an oft-injured Newton or first-year starter in Stidham.There's always a chance the Patriots look outside the organization to find a replacement for Cannon, but we'll primarily be looking at in-house options here. When looking at that group, second-year tackle likely has the inside track at the job. The 6-foot-5, 312 pounder was a third-round draft choice of the Patriots in 2019 out of West Virginia but mi sed all of his rookie season due to a quad injury. As long as he's healthy, Cajuste, who was the 11th-ranked tackle in his cla s (via PFF), has a realistic shot to win the gig. If not, the Patriots could look to , who spent time as a depth piece with the team last year.New England also drafted out of Wake Forest in the sixth round earlier this offseason. He suffered a torn ACL in 2018, but returned in 2019 to start all 13 games for the Deamon Deacons. According to Pro Football Focus, Herron went Wei-Yin Chen Jersey 469 pa s-blocking snaps without allowing a single sack. If he's able to bring that play to the NFL, he'll be in the thick of this competition as well. 3. LinebackerThe Patriots linebacker group (inside and outside) was absolutely gutted this offseason. Not only did they lose Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts in free agency, but defensive anchor Dont'a Hightower due to the coronavirus. That means the Patriots will have lost three of their four highest-producing pa s-rushers, their top-two tacklers, and three full-time starters. That's not even accounting for the leadership each of them brought to the table.Because many of New England's linebackers cro s-pollinate between lining up on the outside and moving to the middle of the field, there's going to be a number of players vying for starting spots. At inside linebacker, third-year man will specifically be asked to take on a significant role. He showed tremendous promise during his rookie season in 2018, totaling 14 tackles, and an interception over three games (two starts), but suffered a torn bicep and was placed on IR. He came back in 2019 and suited up for all 16 games (two starts) and totaled 44 tackles. Bentley has been billed as a run-stuffer, but that glimmer in 2018 really showed potential as an all-around linebacker.If he's able to play that way consistently, that'd be a tremendous a set to New England as they try to repatch this unit. Second-year linebacker could also be a darkhorse candidate for some time in the middle of the Patriots defense. Second-round pick Josh Uche could play a role out of the gate here as well. The outside is a bit more clear when speaking about the starting spots. Second-year pa s-rusher will likely leap into a starting role along with veteran . Behind them is where things could get interesting between third-round pick , , , and Andre Dawson Jersey . Specifically looking a Winovich, he has a chance to evolve into an elite player for Bill Belichick after totaling 5.5 sacks and 26 tackles in 16 games played last season.Of course, the Patriots could use all the star power they can get in this area, so, with their newfound cap space, this co

  The just went through arguably the most transformative offseason the franchise has seen in its history. Of course, the headliner to that momentous statement is , who left the franchise after 20 years and signed with the in free agency, but there was much more than just TB12 taking his talents to Florida. New England also saw defensive stars like , , and all leave for greener pastures on the open market as well, which now leads some big shoes to fill at various spots on the depth chart.And that brings us here -- training camp. While this summer and the entire year will be far different from what any of us are accustomed to due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we'll get a bit of normalcy with some good old-fashioned training camp battles in Miami Marlins T-Shirts Foxborough over the next month. That said, the coronavirus is still making its presence felt here as five players, including and , have all , which further throws a wrench in the Patriots' plans. We also won't be able to see any of these players compete over live game reps after the and NFLPA agreed to eliminate the preseason, but these will be heated battles nonethele s at extremely important positions.1. QuarterbackMight as well start with the big one. CAR QB #1 CMP%56.2YDs572TD0INT1YD/Att6.43 The Patriots have three quarterbacks on the roster all fighting to fill the seat that Tom Brady sat in for the past two decades and played the position better than any other signal-caller in history. For most of the offseason, it looked like was the clear heir apparent with serving as a valuable backup to the second-year quarterback. That all changed, however, with the signing of former league MVP . Instead of a coronation for Stidham, he's suddenly booted from the inside track for the job and looking at a daunting fight for the starting job.Of course, Starlin Castro Jersey Bill Belichick is not in the busine s of simply handing out jobs so he'll give an honest look to all three of these quarterbacks, including Hoyer, who is beginning his third stint with the club. If we're being honest though, this is a two-horse race between Newton and Stidham. Newton comes to New England with a tremendous rsum. He's a former No. 1 overall pick, Heisman winner, former MVP, and was able to take his former squad to 50. He's clearly the most talented quarterback of the bunch, but he'll need to answer questions surrounding his health before he truly solidifies himself as QB1. He mi sed the bulk of last season due to a Lisfranc fracture and has been hampered by a shoulder injury for the past few years. If he's able to show that he's recovered, he has a ma sive edge in the talent department.The one area where Stidham may still be able to have the edge, however, is the playbook. He spent all of last season behind Tom Brady as his backup, learning New England's system. With Brady gone, the Patriots will likely modernize the offense a bit to cater to the quarterbacks they have on the roster, but Stidham's experience will be extremely valuable during this battle.With the pandemic putting an emphasis on depth, I would expect all three of these quarterbacks to make the roster. Having a third-stringer like Brian Hoyer, who is extremely knowledgeable and familiar with the system, will prove immensely valuable during this unique season. 2. Right TackleNew England's offensive line was a bit disjointed in 2019 after left tackle mi sed time due to injury and starting center mi sed the entire year due to blood clots in his lungs. Because of that, the unit was never able to play well consistently. As they look forward to 2020, they'll get most of their pieces back in place, except for at the right tackle Jeff Locke Jersey spot with Marcus Cannon making the decision to opt-out due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. That opens up a competition for a starting spot along the O-line, which will have even greater importance this season as they'll either be blocking for an oft-injured Newton or first-year starter in Stidham.There's always a chance the Patriots look outside the organization to find a replacement for Cannon, but we'll primarily be looking at in-house options here. When looking at that group, second-year tackle likely has the inside track at the job. The 6-foot-5, 312 pounder was a third-round draft choice of the Patriots in 2019 out of West Virginia but mi sed all of his rookie season due to a quad injury. As long as he's healthy, Cajuste, who was the 11th-ranked tackle in his cla s (via PFF), has a realistic shot to win the gig. If not, the Patriots could look to , who spent time as a depth piece with the team last year.New England also drafted out of Wake Forest in the sixth round earlier this offseason. He suffered a torn ACL in 2018, but returned in 2019 to start all 13 games for the Deamon Deacons. According to Pro Football Focus, Herron went Wei-Yin Chen Jersey 469 pa s-blocking snaps without allowing a single sack. If he's able to bring that play to the NFL, he'll be in the thick of this competition as well. 3. LinebackerThe Patriots linebacker group (inside and outside) was absolutely gutted this offseason. Not only did they lose Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts in free agency, but defensive anchor Dont'a Hightower due to the coronavirus. That means the Patriots will have lost three of their four highest-producing pa s-rushers, their top-two tacklers, and three full-time starters. That's not even accounting for the leadership each of them brought to the table.Because many of New England's linebackers cro s-pollinate between lining up on the outside and moving to the middle of the field, there's going to be a number of players vying for starting spots. At inside linebacker, third-year man will specifically be asked to take on a significant role. He showed tremendous promise during his rookie season in 2018, totaling 14 tackles, and an interception over three games (two starts), but suffered a torn bicep and was placed on IR. He came back in 2019 and suited up for all 16 games (two starts) and totaled 44 tackles. Bentley has been billed as a run-stuffer, but that glimmer in 2018 really showed potential as an all-around linebacker.If he's able to play that way consistently, that'd be a tremendous a set to New England as they try to repatch this unit. Second-year linebacker could also be a darkhorse candidate for some time in the middle of the Patriots defense. Second-round pick Josh Uche could play a role out of the gate here as well. The outside is a bit more clear when speaking about the starting spots. Second-year pa s-rusher will likely leap into a starting role along with veteran . Behind them is where things could get interesting between third-round pick , , , and Andre Dawson Jersey . Specifically looking a Winovich, he has a chance to evolve into an elite player for Bill Belichick after totaling 5.5 sacks and 26 tackles in 16 games played last season.Of course, the Patriots could use all the star power they can get in this area, so, with their newfound cap space, this co