The Pats kick off their summertime tuneups with a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
BROADCAST INFO: 7:30 p.m.: Channel 4; WBZ-98.5 FM
Seven storylines to follow when the Patriots kick off the preseason with the Detroit Lions at Ford Field at 7:30 on Thursday night:
Looking out for No. 1 – Wide receiver N’Keal Harry’s first summer with the Patriots has been nothing if not totally inconsistent, a mix of the good (he came out of the blocks strong at the start of training camp; a diving catch of a Jarrett Stidham pass for a touchdown last Thursday that was highlight film material), the bad (frequent drops) and the ugly (three clanged off his hands in one pathetic practice on July 31).
During Tuesday's joint practice with the Lions, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound wide receiver out of Arizona State suffered what reporters on the scene believed to be a hamstring injury, a development worth keeping an eye on going forward.
Lacking Julian Edelman (non-football injury list; thumb) thus far, the most impressive wide receivers in camp have been unrestricted free agent Maurice Harris and rookie free agent Jakobi Meyers, who’s been all the rage. Let’s see if the former Washington Redskin and the youngster who played his college ball at North Carolina State can carry that over to a game.
Line dancing – Center David Andrews, left guard Joe Thuney (assuming he’s playing that position), right guard Shaq Mason and right tackle Marcus Cannon are constants in Dante Scarnecchia’s line, but what of the void at left tackle that was created when 6-foot-8, 380-pound Trent Brown took the money ($66 million over four years) and lumbered to Oakland as an unrestricted free agent in March?
With 2018 first-round pick Isaiah Wynn still on the mend from the torn Achilles he suffered in the preseason a year ago, moving Thuney over to left tackle and Ted Karras in at left guard is one option that’s been explored in training camp. For now, 6-foot-9 Dan Skipper, whom the team signed to its practice squad in January, could be the next man up at left tackle. While he's had his positive moments, he hasn't exactly looked like a pillar of strength over there.
The kid QB – Like the aforementioned Harry, Stidham, the quarterback (of the future?) the Patriots selected in the fourth round out of Auburn is a high-profile rookie who’s under the microscope.
Stidham has exhibited a big-league arm, but, as is to be expected from a kid QB at this early stage, a whole lot of uncertainty in the pocket as he struggles to process what’s unfolding in front of him.
This figures to be Stidham's christening under NFL game conditions (albeit a preseason game) as he and veteran backup Brian Hoyer are put to work on a night when Tom Brady can sit back and peruse the real estate pages.
Is there life after Gronk? – You know the deal: Back in March, Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots’ five-time Pro Bowl tight end, retired from the game at the age of 29.
That’s left the Patriots with a cast that looks like something Dave Dombrowski would put together: 38-year-old Ben Watson, who can’t play the first quarter of the regular season, and a cast of relative unknowns: Matt LaCosse, Stephen Anderson, Ryan Izzo, Lance Kendricks (unknown injury; did not make the trip) and Andrew Beck.
With Watson suspended the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, LaCosse would appear to be the leader of the pack but none of the six tight ends in camp has shown much.
A crowded corner – This team appears to be loaded with talent at the cornerback position, which could ultimately be used as trade bait at some point this month.
Stephon Gilmore is as good as it gets, rookie free agent J.C. Jackson was a find last year and in veterans Jason McCourty and Jonathan Jones the Patriots know what they’ve got, so how does the battle between second-round draft picks Joejuan Williams (this year) and Duke Dawson (last year), seventh-rounders Ken Webster (this year) and Keion Crossen (last year) and rookie free agent D’Angelo Ross shake out?
The Mayo clinic – Much was made when Jerod Mayo, the team’s first-year linebackers coach, was spotted wearing a headset in training camp, but according to head coach Bill Belichick (“nothing to see here”) he was merely relaying scripted plays.
Well, OK, but this will be Mayo’s coaching debut on the sidelines where his activity will be closely monitored going forward.
Foot loose – Looking to upgrade their punting game from veteran Ryan Allen – no superfoot he, but a reliable and efficient directional punter – the Patriots went out and selected Stanford punter Jake Bailey in the fifth round of this year’s draft.
On the up side, in addition to a strong punting leg, Bailey boasts experience kicking off, which could lighten the load for 35-year-old place-kicker Stephen Gostkowski if he were to stick.
In Allen, though, the Patriots know what they’ve got, and that’s served them just fine the past six years to the point where his performance in the team’s 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl this past February was MVP worthy.
Glen Farley may be reached at gfarley@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GFarley_ent.