Jones & Co. fling it in Florida
QB holds offseason throwing sessions
As the Red Sox leave spring training behind in Fort Myers, Florida, and embark on their new season, Mac Jones and a few Patriots teammates have begun laying a foundation for their own 2022 campaign 125 miles north.
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
Jones has gathered wideouts Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor and newly-acquired DeVante Parker this week in Tampa for regular throwing sessions. Third-year running back J.J. Taylor has also joined them. Bourne captured several pictures and short videos of the workouts on his Instagram page.
Parker, a former Dolphin, recently returned to Florida after flying to New England for a physical that completed his trade to the Patriots. He also sat down for a brief interview with team-employed media.
“I’m just blessed that they gave me a chance and gave me an opportunity to come out and help the team in whatever way I can,” he said.
Throwing sessions have become an offseason staple for Patriots quarterbacks in recent years. Last spring, Cam Newton worked out with Bourne, Meyers and others in Atlanta and California. Other Patriots, including tight end Hunter Henry, caught passes from backup Jarrett Stidham. In years prior, Tom Brady frequently threw with Julian Edelman and connected with Pats wideout N’Keal Harry once he was taken in the first round of the 2019 draft.
This is the first time Jones has led offseason workouts, after entering the NFL just last April. As a rookie, he developed instant chemistry with Meyers and Bourne, but struggled to produce consistently with Agholor, the team’s primary deep threat. Last season, Jones was more inaccurate when throwing deep to Agholor on passes 20-plus yards downfield than any other receiver, according to Sports Info. Solutions.
Taylor also stands to gain from more time with Jones, as a roster bubble candidate with five career catches. He played in just five games last year, trailing Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson and Brandon Bolden on the depth chart. While Bolden has since left for a free-agent deal in Las Vegas, veteran James White has re-signed and recovered from a season-ending hip injury that knocked him out in Week 3.
Pats HOF nominates nine candidates
The Patriots Hall of Fame committee convened Wednesday to determine candidates for the Hall’s 2022 class.
Seven former players and two former coaches were nominated: wide receiver Wes Welker, defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, outside linebacker Mike Vrabel, safety Lawyer Milloy, kicker John Smith, defensive lineman Julius Adams and coaches Chuck Fairbanks and Bill Parcells.
From that pool, three finalists are expected to be announced in late April, when fan voting should begin to determine this year’s honoree. The process of determining finalists is below, courtesy of the Hall of Fame’s website.
“A candidate must be four years removed from his playing/coaching career to be eligible for induction. Committee members are permitted time to nominate a candidate of their choice and explain why that player should be considered. At the end of that process, each committee member votes for his/her top three choices with five points for the first choice, three for the second and one for the third. Those finishing in the top three in points are then placed on the final ballot, which is announced and then voted on by fans.”
Pats begin top-30 draft visits
The Patriots began hosting college prospects on top30 visits this week, with Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning visiting Wednesday, according to The Draft Network.
Penning, a projected firstround pick, tested as one of the most athletic offensive tackles at the combine. The 6-foot-7, 325-pounder started three years at the FCS level and is projected to start as a rookie. Penning is regarded as one of the most physical and aggressive linemen in the draft.
The Pats also have visits scheduled with Texas A&M offensive guard Kenyon Green and Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., per the NFL Network and Pro Football Focus, respectively. Both players are projected top-50 picks. Booth is widely viewed as falling somewhere between the third and fifthbest corner in this year’s class. He’s fast, physical and a bit raw, having started just one year at Clemson.
Other corners with reported top-30 visits in New England include Houston’s Marcus Jones and Arizona State product Jack Jones. Miami quarterback D’Eriq King has also worked out for offensive assistant Joe Judge and will visit Foxboro, according to the Pro Football Network. It’s likely King, at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, will transition to another position in the pros, after throwing three touchdowns to four interceptions over his final collegiate season.
Per league rules, every NFL team is allowed to host 30 prospects at its facility after the combine and before the draft.
Report: Wise gets bonus bump
According to an ESPN report, the Patriots created enough cap room to acquire DeVante Parker last week by converting $2.85 million of defensive lineman Deatrich Wise‘s base salary into a signing bonus.
The restructure created $1.9 million in cap space and gave Wise more guaranteed money. It also spread a portion of the cap charges on his contract over future years, thus creating cap room for the team. Salary-tosigning bonus conversions are the most common way NFL front offices create cap space without releasing or trading players.