Bill Belichick just dropped some pretty big hints about the Patriots’ Week 1 lineup
As the Patriots get ready for their Week 1 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, there is still some uncertainty about what their starting lineup will look like. Nowhere is that more true than at right tackle.
After using a revolving door of right tackles last year (Isaiah Wynn, Marcus Cannon, Yodny Cajuste, Conor McDermott), the Patriots have yet to show a settled plan this year, going all the way back to spring practices. Back then, veteran Riley Reiff rotated with McDermott, but Reiff has since moved inside to guard and McDermott is now on IR. Rookie Sidy Sow, a converted guard, saw most of the time in that spot during the second half of camp, but struggled both in practices and games.
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The end of camp and roster cuts saw some pretty big changes come to the position. Free agent signing Calvin Anderson was activated from NFI after missing the entire summer, and the team traded for two second-year tackles in Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and Vederian Lowe. As head coach Bill Belichick put it on Monday morning when asked about the tackle position, “we gained three tackles there in one day it seemed like, and it was good to get that.”
Anderson’s return in particular is notable. The Patriots signed him to a two-year contract this offseason after he played a mostly reserve role in Denver the last three years, making 12 starts in 41 games (with seven starts in 14 games last season). In that time he played almost exclusively at left tackle. According to PFF, the 27-year-old has played just 71 of his 742 career snaps at right tackle, and he hasn’t played on the right side since his rookie year in 2020.
Given that, Anderson didn’t look out of place playing left tackle for the Patriots back in this spring during OTAs and Minicamp. However, those reps came with the caveat that returning left tackle Trent Brown wasn’t with the team for that period. When Brown returned for training camp, Anderson was off the field with an illness that caused him to miss the entire summer.
That means Anderson and Brown never shared the field in an open practice. While Anderson has always seemed like a part of the Patriots’ plan this year, it was hard to get a read on how exactly the team plans to use him without seeing him and Brown in the lineup together. Would Brown – the team’s most dominant lineman – stay a left tackle, moving Anderson over to the right side where he’s less familiar? Or would he be flipped back to the right side where he played in 2021, leaving Anderson protecting Mac Jones’ blindside?
On Monday morning, Belichick was asked what he’s seen from Anderson since his return. In his answer, he seemed to give a hint as to the team’s plans for him to start the 2023 season.
“Well, it’s been limited obviously, but it’s good to have Calvin back out there. Similar to what we saw from him in the spring and at Denver. Position flexibility to play both tackles,” Belichick noted. “He’s a young player, but he’s experienced enough where he can handle a lot of things and pick things up quicker than a rookie would or something like that, even though he’s been on another team. He’s been able to, I would say, transition pretty well from an assignment standpoint, technique standpoint and then we’ll see how it goes.”
Mentioning Anderson’s positional flexibility and ability to pick up multiple assignments certainly is notable. Given Anderson hasn’t played right tackle in three years, those are things that would likely stand out to a coaching staff giving him significant looks at the position. The quote comes across like that’s the plan for Anderson and the Patriots’ offensive line early in the season.
After missing the entire summer, the Patriots will need Anderson to get caught up quickly. In Week 1 they’ll welcome an Eagles team that had 70 sacks last year – the third-most by a team in a single season in NFL history.
During the press conference, Belichick also addressed the uncertainty at the backup quarterback position. When Bailey Zappe was waived and brought back to the practice squad last week, it seemed like the team was setting up to elevate him on gamedays to save a 53-man roster spot early in the season, as they did with Brian Hoyer in 2021. However, the team also ended up claiming Matt Corral on waivers from the Carolina Panthers, putting Corral on the 53 and seemingly putting Zappe’s status as the backup in jeopardy.
![Aug 18, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Corral (2) throws the ball during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports](https://985thesportshub.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/88/2023/08/USATSI_21227744_168399896_lowres.jpg)
Aug 18, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Corral (2) throws the ball during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Belichick was asked if Corral is in fact ready to be the No. 2 QB right now, but his answer made it sound like it’s still too early to say that definitively. “Yeah, I don’t know,” he said. “He hasn’t even been on the field yet [the Patriots haven’t had practice since claiming Corral]. We’ll see.”
At the same time, Belichick spoke highly of Zappe. With it being his first media availability since roster cuts, he was asked what went into the decision to waive the 2022 fourth-round pick.
“All the roster decisions are based on what we feel is best for our football team. And so it’s a number of things involved there,” he said, before adding, “Glad that Bailey, we’ll continue to work with him. Still think he’s a good, young, developing player. So, we’ll keep working with him.”
It looks like the Patriots still have some position battles to figure out as they get ready for Week 1. The team will return to the practice field on Monday afternoon for their first practice of the week.
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