Regular season football is right around the corner. On Friday night, the New England Patriots wrapped up their 2023 preseason in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans.
The Patriots sat most of their starters for the game, after playing them last week in Green Bay. While some may have been disappointed to not get another look at the top group – especially on offense – it was a great chance for some players viewed as being on the fringe of the roster to make their final case for a spot on the initial 53-man roster before cut-down day. Teams have to get to 53 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, after which they can start placing players on IR/designated to return, making waiver claims, and building their practice squads.
READ MORE:
— Ups & Downs from the Patriots’ preseason finale
— Potential Patriots draft targets to watch this college football season
— Help is coming for the Patriots’ offensive line
It was a story of two sides of the ball on Friday night. The Patriots’ offense struggled, totaling just 79 yards on 42 plays. However, a number of depth players on the Patriots’ defense stood out as the unit forced two turnovers and picked up two sacks.
That all being said, there were a couple of projected starters and contributors who played very early in the game. Let’s start there as we run through the takeaways of the third and final preseason game…
Riley Reiff’s status in focus
Foxborough, MA: New England Patriots offensive tackle Riley Reiff (74) works with a weight bag during 2023 training camp. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
The only one of the Patriots’ projected Week 1 starters to play in this game was offensive lineman Riley Reiff. However, Reiff didn’t finish the game – he slowly walked off the field and ended up heading back to the Patriots’ locker room after getting rolled up on by Sidy Sow in the first quarter.
While Reiff isn’t part of the Patriots’ offensive line ‘core’ of David Andrews, Trent Brown, Cole Strange, and Mike Onwenu, he still was trending towards being a key player at the position. He projected as the fifth starter, and a bridge between the top of the Patriots’ depth chart and their true depth issues. His ability to play both right tackle and right guard also gave them the potential to put Onwenu at right tackle, which right now projects as their weakest position.
If Reiff is going to miss significant time (Bill Belichick didn’t have an update on his condition immediately after the game) it severely limits the Patriots’ flexibility up front. Without Reiff, Brown is the Patriots’ only true tackle currently projected to make the team, with Sow and Onwenu hybrid players in those spots. They’d likely need to carry Conor McDermott or add externally at tackle when it comes to the initial 53-man roster.
Reiff’s absence would also open up the question of where to play Onwenu. The two options with Onwenu project to be Sow at right tackle (where he has struggled this summer) or Atonio Mafi at right guard. White the second one maximizes Onwenu’s impact, if Strange also misses time to start the season, that would leave the Patriots with two backup guards against the Eagles’ elite defensive tackles.
Starters on defense
Aug 25, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Josh Uche (55) tackles Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (32) for a loss during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
The Patriots played a few more projected starters and contributors on defense. That included Josh Uche, Christian Barmore, Christian Ekuale, Marte Mapu, Jack Jones, and Carl Davis.
When it comes to Uche and Barmore, they specifically played in early down situations. This could be because the Patriots wanted to see them in those spots, knowing they’ll play primarily on passing downs once the regular season begins.
When it comes to Mapu, it would make sense to think the Patriots wanted to get the rookie some exposure to game action before Week 1. Mapu missed the first two preseason games as he rehabbed from offseason shoulder surgery. He played well on Friday night, showing up both in the run and passing games.
Jones played extended snaps, with mixed results. He made a number of plays as a run defender, but struggled in coverage. It’s possible the Patriots wanted to get him a longer look after an up-and-down summer, or potentially wanted to get him his share of live reps now in case he can’t start the season due to a suspension relating to his offseason gun charge.
As for Davis, he played well into the second half. One of the team’s two true nose tackles along with Davon Godchaux, he seems like a player bound for the Patriots’ roster. However, this could have been a sign he’s more on the bubble than initially believed.
QB usage
Aug 25, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe (4) calls a play during the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Credit: Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports
When it was reported before the game that Mac Jones wasn’t expected to play, many people thought that meant there’d be more time for a look at Malik Cunningham at quarterback after his impressive drive in the preseason opener. That wasn’t the case.
Instead, it was a near wire-to-wire game for backup quarterback Bailey Zappe. Outside of one brief drive midway through the second quarter, and a few package snaps with Cunningham midway through the first drive of the second half, it was all Zappe.
Unfortunately for Zappe, he struggled to make the most of the opportunity. He finished 8-of-15 throwing the ball for 57 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He took four sacks, and fumbled three times. At one point when he came off the field, he got an earful from offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
It is important to contextualize Zappe’s night behind what was another weak performance from the offensive line. Still, he failed to adjust his game and most of his sacks were a product of him holding the ball rather than a quick rush (two of the sacks occurred more than four seconds after the snap).
This caps off what was a rough summer for Zappe. He’s often tried playing beyond himself, as he’s experimented with different arm angles and throwing on the run. When he let the game come to him on Friday night he made some nice throws, but between the pressure of the pass rush and overextending himself at times, it wasn’t a positive night – something he said himself after the game.
“You can be in a lot better position every time you look back at film, look back at every game. There’s always going to be things that you could have done better, you could have fixed. Today was one of those games for me,” Zappe said postgame. “So, we’ll get back tomorrow and kind of just learn from those mistakes and just move on.”
It’s possible the Patriots planned on playing Zappe as much as they did, but it could have also been a case where they felt like he needed more time in the game based off his early performance. Asked postgame about coming back in after halftime, Zappe told reporters, “That was the head man’s decision. I just do what I’m told. Whenever they put me out, they put me out, and whenever they told me at halftime that I was going back in to start the third quarter, I was ready to go back out.”
Either way, the Patriots clearly felt like they didn’t need to see Cunningham at quarterback any further. This could be for one of two reasons – either they’ve seen enough and feel comfortable already with him as a package quarterback, or he’s actually on the outside of the roster looking in. We’ll know the answer to that by Tuesday.
Late risers up front
Tennessee Titans running back Jacques Patrick (38) is tackled by New England Patriots defensive tackle Sam Roberts (96) during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. (Syndication: The Tennessean)
In terms of players who made a late push for the roster in this game, we have to start with second-year defensive lineman Sam Roberts and third-year outside linebacker Ronnie Perkins. They were among the best players on the field for the Patriots Friday night. Roberts finished with seven tackles, with two going for a loss, a sack, and three QB hits. Perkins had nine tackles, including one for a loss and a QB hit.
For Roberts, this game built on a push he started making during the Week in Green Bay. He played well in Week 2 of the preseason, but also committed two penalties in that game. His performance Friday night should go a long way in offsetting those penalties when it comes to his evaluation from the coaches. As for Perkins, he was all over the field after missing the week in Green Bay due to injury.
It’s unlikely the Patriots would keep both players due to the depth they already have at the position. But if it comes down to the final roster spot or two they both now have a strong case – with Roberts probably having the slight edge.
Did J.J. Taylor do enough?
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – AUGUST 25: J.J. Taylor #42 of the New England Patriots returns a punt against the Tennessee Titans during the preseason game at Nissan Stadium on August 25, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
On offense, the big player to watch in this game was fourth-year running back J.J. Taylor. After a standout performance in Green Bay last week, Taylor seemed to be making a push for the presumed fourth and final running back spot behind Rhamondre Stevenson, Ezekiel Elliott, and Pierre Strong.
Did Taylor do enough in this game to earn that spot? It’s tough to say. He looked good on offense in his brief time on the field, carrying the ball once for three yards and catching a 10-yard pass – all in the first quarter. However, late in the game he oddly decided to field and return a punt from the end zone. A mental special teams mistake like that won’t help his case, but come the regular season he’d probably be lower on the team’s punt return depth chart anyway.
Taylor’s biggest competition for that fourth spot projects to be veteran running back/wide receiver hybrid Ty Montgomery, who offers more upside but has struggled to stay healthy the last two years. He got hurt on the second day of camp, and didn’t return until this week, which was in a limited role. He didn’t dress on Friday night, but it’s tough to say if that’s due to injury or because the team already plans on keeping him and didn’t want him to play.
A big night for kickers everywhere
Aug 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots place kicker Chad Ryland (38) kicks the ball to the Houston Texans during the first half at Gillette Stadium. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Tonight was a notable night for the Patriots’ kicker battle. Not because of what Chad Ryland and Nick Folk did, but rather what happened around the league.
On the other sideline, Michael Badgley hit four of his five field goal attempts, but that included two that doinked in off the post. Meanwhile in San Francisco, both kickers on the Niners’ roster got hurt. In Detrioit, Riley Patterson missed both a field goal and point after.
The point is, the kicker shortage around the league was on display Friday night. Meanwhile the Patriots are sitting here just a few days out from roster cuts with two NFL-caliber kickers.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve discussed the possibility of the Patriots keeping two kickers. However, at this point it should be too hard to ignore Folk’s trade value. One of these teams should be willing to part with at least a late-round draft pick in order to sure up their roster at the position.
On top of that, the Patriots seemed were dedicated to a kicker for the first time this preseason on Friday night. Ryland handled both kickoffs, and the lone extra point attempt.
