5 Patriots who’ll get their chances to shine

Every year, we think we have an idea of an unheralded player who will stand out on the Patriots. Every year, we find ourselves surprised by someone.

For example, defensive tackle Adam Butler emerged in 2019 as one of the Patriots’ best interior pass rushers with six sacks. On offense, Joe Thuney emerged as one of the best guards in football, earning second-team All-Pro honors.

Between unknown younger players and newcomers, the Patriots usually have a few surprise [...]

Every year, we think we have an idea of an unheralded player who will stand out on the Patriots. Every year, we find ourselves surprised by someone.

For example, defensive tackle Adam Butler emerged in 2019 as one of the Patriots’ best interior pass rushers with six sacks. On offense, Joe Thuney emerged as one of the best guards in football, earning second-team All-Pro honors.

Between unknown younger players and newcomers, the Patriots usually have a few surprise standouts every season. This year, the team’s attempting to replace a long list of veterans, namely Tom Brady, Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Marcus Cannon, Dont’a Hightower and Patrick Chung. With all these players gone, there will be plenty of playing time up for grabs.

Here are five players who could surprise us:

Damien Harris

Harris didn’t do much in his rookie season. The running back rushed the ball a total of four times for 12 yards. He was active for just two games. However, the 2019 third-round pick looked really, really good in training camp. Harris ran hard, fast and did so while being decisive. It was fun to watch. If he’s healthy — and he missed the last week of training camp due to a hand injury — we could see him become the Patriots’ top running back, beating out Sony Michel. Considering Michel has been the Patriots starter the last two years and was a first-round pick in 2018, that would be a surprise.

Chase Winovich

Winovich was productive in his rookie season, finishing with 5.5 sacks to go with 10 quarterback hits and 26 tackles. However, the third-round pick didn’t play all that much, playing just 28.87% of the Patriots defensive snaps. Look for that number to rise. The outside linebacker looked good in camp and there’s room for multiple linebackers to step up after the team lost Hightower, Van Noy and Collins. The Patriots need some pass-rushing help and Winovich could be in for a big sophomore season. It wouldn’t be shocking if Winovich turns out to be a productive, fan favorite in Foxboro.

Jermaine Eluemunor

There weren’t many people counting on Eluemunor to come in and make a big impact for the Patriots in 2020. Last summer, it was even surprising when the Patriots gave up a fourth rounder in a deal for Eluemunor and a sixth-round pick. The guard barely played in 2019, but in 2020, it looks like he’ll replace Cannon at right tackle. That was the biggest surprise in training camp. Eluemunor has one year left on his contract and if he plays well, he could be in for a massive raise in 2021.

Ja’Whaun Bentley

A fifth-round pick in 2018, Bentley looked like a steal at the start of his rookie season. The middle linebacker beat out Elandon Roberts to start two of the Patriots’ first three games that year. However, that’s all we saw as Bentley suffered a season-ending pectoral injury. In those three games, Bentley played 63.3% of the Patriots defensive snaps. Last year, however, Bentley was relegated to a backup role, appearing in just 27.28% of the team’s defensive snaps. He lost playing time due to the return of Collins. Now, with Hightower and Van Noy also gone, Bentley looks like he’ll be the starting middle linebacker and quarterback of the defense. He should be in line for a career season.

Kyle Dugger

A second-round pick from Division II Lenoir-Rhyne, it was expected that it would take Dugger some time to acclimate to the NFL. Although that will still be the case, Dugger’s performance in training camp also suggests he could make an immediate impact. With Chung opting out and Duron Harmon traded, there is room for several safeties to play big-time snaps. In camp, when he was healthy, Dugger looked like a playmaker with multiple interceptions. He sat out due to a lower-body injury, but don’t be surprised if he makes an immediate impact with the Patriots. Dugger also has the ability to return punts and kicks, so the 24-year-old rookie has a chance to shine on multiple levels.