Mystery grows for opener
Agholor, Mills questionable for Sunday vs. Miami
There’s never more mystery surrounding NFL football than Week 1.
Thanks to a couple of key injuries, that mystery has only heightened for the Patriots’ season opener this Sunday.
Wide receiver Nelson Agholor and defensive back Jalen Mills increased their participation in Friday’s practice and were listed as questionable on the Pats’ final practice report. Both players sat out Thursday’s session with ankle injuries after being limited on Wednesday. The Patriots also listed rookie linebacker Ronnie Perkins (shoulder) and offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste (hamstring) as questionable.
New wideout Malcolm Perry, a former Dolphin, was ruled out with a new foot injury.
Mills was expected to start at cornerback opposite J.C. Jackson until his new ankle injury reportedly forced him to leave practice early Wednesday, and the Patriots to suddenly consider other options. Third-year defensive back Joejuan Williams, who transitioned to safety last year, is a candidate after spending most of the summer back at corner. The Pats also traded for fifth-round rookie Shaun Wade last month.
The Patriots might also promote second-year defensive back Myles Bryant, who was released on cutdown day and re-signed after playing nickelback and safety as a rookie. The Pats can promote two practice-squad players to the game day rosters. It reasons backup quarterback Brian Hoyer will receive one of the promotions, with first-round rookie Mac Jones being the only quarterback on the active roster.
At wide receiver, the Patriots should start Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne, with their No. 3 receiver spot now a complete question mark. The lack of depth will likely nudge them toward running more twotight end personnel through star free-agent signings Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.
Wide receiver Preston Williams was the only player listed on Miami’s injury report. He is questionable with a foot injury.
Folk on the radar
After Cam Newton, the Patriots’ most noteworthy decision on cutdown day was retaining undrafted rookie kicker Quinn Nordin over veteran Nick Folk.
Nordin made just 66% of his kicks in the preseason between field goals and extra points. Meanwhile, Folk was released after a summer interrupted by injury. The 36-year-old is coming off a career year, when he drilled two game-winning kicks of 50 yards or more as time expired.
Bill Belichick was asked Friday about the possibility of promoting Folk from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
“I think there’s a lot of merit to it,” Belichick said. “That’s why he’s on the practice squad, and, as all the players are, with the two standard activations that teams are allowed to have, that’s a lot different than it was going back to ’19 where it was a whole different set of rules. There’s certainly more flexibility, and I feel like right now we have two good kickers combined in our total roster, and to me, that’s a good thing.”
White ready to put 2020 troubles behind
As far as the Patriots go, no one endured more during a difficult 2020 season than James White.
The Pats’ longtime offensive captain lost his father in a fatal September car accident that also sent his mother to the hospital. He produced career-worst statistics across the board. And he struggled in a key area the Patriots have trusted him for years: pass protection.
On Friday, White spoke about his woes in blitz pickup, where he allowed 10 pressures in 14 games last season. This year, his job as the Pats’ primary thirddown back will be even more vital, considering White will be protecting Jones, the present and future of the franchsise.
“It’s just all about improvement. And obviously last year definitely wasn’t my best year in any aspect, so definitely a lot of improvement, especially with the blitz pickup. Just being more physical, using your technique, and that’s all it really is,” White said. “It’s nothing major. Just all about the will to get it done, and just gotta get it done and block the guy in front of you and allow the quarterback to get the ball off.”