Patriots training camp set to start Wednesday
The Patriots are at something of a crossroads. Having missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, and with AFC East rivals strengthening all around them, they are predicted by many to finish at bottom of the division for the first time since Bill Belichick’s first season at the helm more than two decades ago.
The absence of Devin McCourty (retirement) and an offensive coaching overhaul are just a couple of the question marks as the summer drags on. The questions will begin to get answered as football returns to Foxborough with the Patriots opening training camp Wednesday on the grass fields behind Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots have announced practices Wednesday through Friday, with each session beginning at approximately 9:30 a.m., and another Sunday with a time to be announced. Additional times will be updated on the Patriots Training Camp website and on the Patriots and Gillette Stadium apps once confirmed.
Here’s everything you need to know before drills start Wednesday.
How to watch
A few years ago, we put together a guide on how to watch training camp like a pro. Here is the abbreviated version:
■ Pick a low vantage point for individual drills, a high one for team drills.
■ Memorize the roster and jersey numbers cold.
■ Take note of the pairings and combinations.
■ Grade the one-on-one battles, and be descriptive.
■ Take note of the game situations.
■ Listen to what the coaches are telling the players.
Top story lines
Can Mac Jones and the offense rebound?
A promising rookie season for Jones gave way to a sophomore slump in 2022, with the quarterback’s struggles exacerbated by his Week 3 ankle injury and a messy play-calling situation with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge running the offense.
The Patriots went from the sixth-best scoring offense in 2021 to 17 th in 2022, the main culprit in their missing the playoffs.
The return of Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator gives the Patriots a far more accomplished play-caller (and one who worked with Jones at Alabama), and should bring significantly more clarity to that side of the ball. Rhamondre Stevenson looks like a potential star in the backfield, but Jones is still a little short on true weapons in the passing game.
Conventional wisdom is that the coaching staff let Jones down in a key development year. Can O’Brien revive the promise of 2021?
A revolving door on the offensive line
The game, they say, is won and lost in the trenches, and the Patriots have been lacking stability up front.
They used five combinations on the offensive line last season, accounted for largely by four starters at right tackle, where the revolving door has been spinning for years. Isaiah Wynn, oftmaligned at that spot in 2022, is off to Miami, and the Patriots brought in Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff likely to compete for the role.
The rest of the lineup seems fairly straightforward; from left to right, you would expect to see Trent Brown, Cole Strange, David Andrews, Michael Onwenu, and whoever locks down the right tackle spot.
Much like the offense in general, the line lacked coherence last season. Patricia, strangely, was not only calling plays but also coaching the offensive line, despite most of his NFL coaching career being focused on the defensive side of the ball. The arrival of assistant coach Adrian Klemm to handle the line should be another area of improved clarity.
Replacing McCourty is no easy task
Short of Belichick, there has been no more steadying presence in the organization than McCourty, who directed the secondary for more than a decade before calling it a career in March.
“You can’t just replace a guy like Devin,” safety Kyle Dugger said. “We’re just going to have to make sure we’re communicating and talking. Communication will be important and help tremendously.”
McCourty leaves behind a position room that at least boasts some talent. Dugger and Adrian Phillips have experience as safeties in New England’s system; Jabrill Peppers remains a Swiss Army knife; and first-round draft choice Christian Gonzalez is the most exciting of a young, promising group of cornerbacks.
Still, McCourty leaves a significant void, and it will take players stepping up on all fronts to fill it.
Key NFL dates
Aug. 4: Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Las Vegas Raiders vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 8 p.m. (NBC).
Aug. 29: Roster cut-down to 53 players. In one of the major changes, there will be only one cut-down date, with teams allowed to carry 90 players before cutting down Aug. 29.
Preseason schedule
The Patriots will play three preseason games — one at Gillette Stadium — all of which will be broadcast on WBZ-TV.
Aug. 10 vs. Houston Texans, 7 p.m.
Aug. 19 at Green Bay Packers, 8 p.m.
Aug. 25 at Tennessee Titans, 8:15 p.m.
The road trips will include joint practices, first with the Packers Aug. 16-17, then with the Titans Aug. 22-23. No joint practices will be held in Foxborough.
Fan guidelines
■ Parking and admission are free. Practices are on the fields behind Gillette Stadium.
■ The schedule is subject to change. Fans planning to attend should check Patriots.com for daily updates or call the training camp hotline at 508-549-0001.
■ When the Patriots practice indoors because of inclement weather or poor field conditions, practices will be closed to the public.
■ There are concessions around the practice fields and the Fan Zone, as well as exhibits from the Patriots Hall of Fame. There will be appearances by Pat Patriot, Patriots cheerleaders, and Patriots alumni.
■ All fans entering the facility with a view of the practice fields will be screened with metal detectors and have all bags screened by security personnel. Fans are encouraged to use clear bags for speed of inspection.
■ Prohibited items: Animals (except service animals assisting those with disabilities), alcohol, beach balls, bullhorns and air horns, coolers, fireworks or pyrotechnics, helium balloons, illegal drugs or any other illegal substances, laser pens, noisemakers, video cameras, weapons of any kind (including knives), unmanned aircraft systems, remotely controlled model aircraft, selfie sticks, and GoPro cameras. Flags are allowed, but flagpoles cannot be more than 2 feet in length.
Driving directions
■ From Boston and farther north: Take I-95 South to Exit 9. Follow Route 1 South approximately 3 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the left).
■ From Cape Cod: Take I-495 North to Exit 14A. Follow Route 1 North about 4 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the right).
■ From southern Connecticut and Rhode Island: Take I-95 North to I-495 North to Exit 14A. Follow Route 1 North about 4 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the right).
■ From northern Connecticut, Vermont, and upstate New York: Take I-90 East to I-495 South to Exit 14A. Follow Route 1 North about 4 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the right).