Patriots training camp: One thought so far on Jacoby Brissett and every offensive player (2024)

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots are entering their third week of training camp with the first preseason game looming.

After nine practices, we’re starting to get a picture of how things look. With that in mind, let’s offer one thought on every player in camp. Monday, we’ll look at the offense. Tuesday, we’ll tackle the defense.

QB Jacoby Brissett: Two words: as advertised. He was brought here because the Pats believed he was a capable starting quarterback for this offense and would be a selfless mentor to their rookie. He has checked both boxes.

QB Drake Maye: Maye has had some rough practices, but his ceiling is still super high, a few mishaps in his first training camp be damned. The 21-year-old bounced back nicely from his struggles with a couple of solid practices at the end of last week and should get plenty of snaps Thursday against the Carolina Panthers, the team he grew up watching.

QB Joe Milton: The sixth-round pick has been better than I expected, and his highlight plays are incredible. He has one of the strongest arms in the NFL, but the gap between him and Brissett/Maye is still quite large.

QB Bailey Zappe: It’s hard not to feel for the guy. He went from being the starter to getting limited training camp snaps, needing to use these preseason games as an audition for his next team.

RB Rhamondre Stevenson: He’s the best skill-position player the Patriots have on offense, and it’s not particularly close. Jerod Mayo plans to give him the ball a ton this season.

RB Antonio Gibson: The team’s depth at running back isn’t great, but Gibson is dynamic out of the backfield and could be the kind of true, third-down receiving back the Pats have lacked in recent years.

RB Kevin Harris: There’s a battle for the No. 3 job, and I’d give Harris the nod. Mayo praised him last week and said he was an offseason award winner.

RB JaMycal Hasty: These will be important preseason games for Hasty, who has impressed with his shiftiness and will get plenty of chances to make the roster.

RB Terrell Jennings: His lack of speed is apparent, but he could still get 20 preseason carries. Those will be important to show if he can play faster in games.

TE Hunter Henry: He has been a frequent target of Brissett’s in the red zone and should continue to provide plenty of value there even if his blocking in this scheme has left something to be desired.

One-hand Hunt ✋@JBrissett12 | @Hunter_Henry84 pic.twitter.com/kyQO6TyXGi

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 3, 2024

TE Austin Hooper: The free-agent addition has been impressive in camp and is carving out a nice role as the No. 2 tight end in an offense that should frequently use multiple tight ends.

TE Jaheim Bell: Coaches think he has a high upside, but he hasn’t practiced much. We’re still in wait-and-see mode.

TE Mitchell Wilcox: He has had more drops than you’d like to see, but he also gets a lot of targets, hinting that he’s running good routes.

TE La’Michael Pettway: He has mostly seen time with the third-string offense, but he has made plays when given the chance.

TE Jacob Warren: At 6 feet 5 and more than 250 pounds, Warren has the size to develop into a blocking tight end, which this team needs.

WR Kendrick Bourne: He hasn’t practiced yet, as he’s rehabbing from last year’s ACL tear. When he does, I’ll be curious to see if the injury has hurt his speed, especially considering that was already a weakness.

WR K.J. Osborn: We haven’t seen anything too flashy yet from Osborn, though Saturday’s practice was his best of camp. He’s steady and a willing run blocker, but he hasn’t been winning many contested catches, which you’d like to see from someone on this team.

WR Demario Douglas: By this point, we know how dynamic he is. The issue at his size is staying on the field. He has worn a red, no-contact jersey at camp, already battling an injury. If he plays 14 or more games this season, that’s probably a win, and he’ll have a good chance at leading the team in receiving yards.

Pop's got ups 😤@popshotta3 | #NEPats pic.twitter.com/wSd5uZ4dqQ

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 2, 2024

WR Ja’Lynn Polk: For a team launching a rebuild, Polk got the highest of compliments from Mayo: “He’s the kind of guy you want to build around.”

WR Javon Baker: His good is really good. But his mistakes can be silly. Still, he could be one of the team’s top three receivers if he has a good preseason showing.

WR Jalen Reagor: The longer camp goes, the more I think the Pats need a roster spot for Reagor because of how good he is on kickoffs.

WR Tyquan Thornton: He still needs to prove he can stay healthy, but with added size, Thornton looks like he’s trending toward the best season of his career — even if the expectations of 2022 are a thing of the past.

WR JuJu Smith-Schuster: He said this summer that his struggles last year were only because of injury. But it’s been a rough start to camp for him, and his roster spot is in doubt.

WR Kayshon Boutte: The LSU grad is probably on the wrong side of the roster bubble at this point and hasn’t done enough to pass Thornton and Reagor.

WR JaQuae Jackson: He’s a bit slender and hasn’t been able to box out corners on contested catches.

WR Kawaan Baker: He struggles underneath and lacks shiftiness but has the straight-line speed to be the kind of player the Pats stash on the practice squad and try to develop as a deep threat.

WR David Wallis: There haven’t been enough standout moments, but he can try to use the preseason games as an audition for a practice squad spot somewhere.

OT Chukwuma Okorafor: An injury kept him out of Saturday’s practice, but when healthy, his spot as a starter is locked up. It’s just a matter of whether he plays left or right tackle.

OT Caedan Wallace: Mayo said he wants to have the team’s starting five set after the second preseason game, and the biggest question is whether Wallace is good enough in those two exhibitions to lock up the spot opposite Okorafor.

LG Sidy Sow: Sow has been the second-best offensive lineman in camp, a good sign as he enters Year 2.

C David Andrews: His peak is behind him, but you know you’ll get solid play up the middle, which is helpful when eventually working in a rookie quarterback.

RG Mike Onwenu: He’s been the best offensive lineman, and it’s not particularly close. That said, I struggle to understand why he’s playing right guard and not right tackle.

OT Calvin Anderson: It’s easy to root for Anderson after malaria wiped out his 2023 season, and he has already impressed coaches by playing through a minor injury in camp.

OT Vederian Lowe: New England is trying a bunch of options at left tackle, and Lowe has been the most recent recipient of starting reps. A big opportunity awaits in the preseason games.

OT Kellen Diesch: The new signee has had only one practice, but the Patriots like his athletic profile (he ran a sub-5-second 40-yard dash) in this zone rushing scheme.

OT Zuri Henry: The undrafted rookie is trying to land on the practice squad, but it could be an uphill battle.

G Cole Strange: The 2022 first-round pick has been at practice even though his knee injury has kept him from participating. He’ll miss the start of the season.

G Layden Robinson: Here’s another reason I question keeping Onwenu at right guard: It blocks Robinson from playing time, especially when you consider Strange will come back at some point. And Robinson has been good enough to deserve snaps.

G Michael Jordan: The veteran adds some depth to the group and furthers the case for Onwenu playing tackle.

G/C: Atonio Mafi: His move from guard to center (while Andrews has been out) hasn’t gone well, with several botched snaps. The team needs him to fix that; otherwise, it might have to look for center depth elsewhere.

C Jake Andrews: After not really playing last year, Andrews has been on the physically unable to perform list all camp. He needs all the reps he can get, which makes this undisclosed injury unfortunate.

C Nick Leverett: He has been one of the pleasant surprises of camp. With him at center, the first-team offense hasn’t missed a beat without Andrews.

G Liam Fornadel: He came to the Patriots after playing well in the XFL but has been limited to third-team work.

G Charles Turner III: The undrafted free agent is undersized but moves well (a plus for this scheme) and would be a nice stash on the practice squad.

K Chad Ryland: He has been the better of the two kickers and will probably get the roster spot with a chance to bounce back from his rookie struggles.

K Joey Slye: The veteran just hasn’t been consistent enough to push Ryland for the starting job.

(Top photo of Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe: Fred Kfoury III / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Chad Graff is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New England Patriots since 2022 after five years on the Minnesota Vikings beat. Graff joined The Athletic in January 2018 after covering a bit of everything for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He won the Pro Football Writers of America’s 2022 Bob Oates Award for beat writing. He's a New Hampshire native and an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of New Hampshire. Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadGraff