The New England Patriots played their second preseason game of the summer Saturday night at Gillette Stadium and once again decided not to use their starters. Naturally, with the reserves in the game, the roster competition was the main event against the Philadelphia Eagles. Let’s find out what we learned about them, and the overall state of the roster, during the Patriots’ 24-21 win. Behren Morton does it all. Rookie Behren Morton had a solid night at quarterback for the Patriots and led the team to two touchdown drives to turn a 14-10 halftime deficit into a 24-21 victory. The first of those drives began late in the third quarter, and the second proved to be the winning play late in the quarter. Morton himself was prepared and seemed confident throwing the ball. If that had been their entire night, it would have been really good. Of course it wasn’t, because he also had three punts for an average of 44.3 yards per kick. Bryce Baringer apparently wasn’t feeling too well after his second punt in the second period, so Morton was sent to punt, something he hadn’t done since he was in high school (Baringer, meanwhile, remained the team’s starter). It makes sense for the Patriots to only keep two quarterbacks with the roster looking the way it is, but I can see a world where they decide to keep Morton as their emergency QB3. He looked decent last week and looked solid this week, even though he didn’t have a single joint practice rep against the Colts or Eagles. Therefore, I still think it’s a long shot for him to make the roster on the reduced day. A tough decision awaits on the receiver. Mike Vrabel has made it pretty clear that Kyle Williams will be a big part of his plans this year. He showed why late in the first half, when he caught a 69-yard touchdown pass from Tommy DeVito. Simply put, if you get a guy to pressure him without any safety help over the top, he’s a good candidate to take any pass to the house. Having a guy with his throw that possesses natural speed and ball-tracking skills is invaluable to an offense. Sure, he only does one thing, but he does it very well and there is enough talent on the roster now for him to be able to do that thanks to the guys in front of him. Meanwhile, Efton Chism was a demon underneath and caught all four of his targets for 45 yards. He looked slick with the ball in his hands, and that’s exactly the type of thing Patriots fans hope he can bring to the roster. He may not be a Pro Bowl-caliber player, but he has proven to be a legitimate NFL talent. The Patriots will have to make tough decisions on downsizing day with the receiver position. I’m starting to think they’ll end up keeping all seven of their wide receivers and maybe just stick with two tight ends, knowing that CJ Dippre or Tanner Arkin will probably clear waivers and end up on the practice squad as potential game-day promotion candidates. Nick DeGennaro bursts onto the scene. Speaking of looking slick with the ball in his hands, James Madison rookie Nick DeGennaro had a big night on Saturday. He caught four passes for 61 yards and had a 37-yard touchdown to win the game, when he got behind former Patriot Isaiah Bolden for a score. With the receivers room as full as it is, I can’t imagine him making the active roster, but he could have secured a spot on the practice squad with his performance on Saturday. His ability to work out of the slot and also play on the outside was impressive, and that’s something the team may want to keep. Cameron Dorner, who finished with two catches and also received two flags when he beat his guy pretty decisively, also looks like an option for the practice squad with the way he performed throughout camp. No running room for offense The Patriots had a tough time handling the ball Saturday night. If you remove their longest runs of 20 and 10 yards, respectively, Jam Miller had 10 carries for 16 yards and Lan Larison had eight for 23. I thought they both ran hard, but they had nowhere to go most of the night. The offensive line was made up entirely of backups, yes, but the Eagles also had no starters, so you’d like to think they could have some level of success. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Running back is one of the more intriguing positions on the roster right now because there are four guys competing for what appears to be a single roster spot, and all of them have looked good at times. On Saturday night, Lan Larison looked the best of the group. He ran hard between the tackles, including on a 4th-and-1 where he was hit in the backfield but kept his legs pumping to bounce off a would-be tackler and advance for the conversion. Larison also looked good catching the ball out of the backfield, with his best plays being a 28-yard screen pass in the first quarter that saw him dance down the sideline and a very good recovery on 3rd and 6 where he had to fight for the last few yards. Jam Miller also ran hard, even though there wasn’t much available to him. He’s not super explosive, but he has good vision and takes what is given to him. He’s similar to Terrell Jennings, who appeared to be the favorite for the RB3 job before being placed on injured reserve and later released from it. Hassan Haskins didn’t get the amount of snaps the first two got, while JaMichael Hasty looked good catching the ball and protecting the pass, but a fumble in the second half could keep him from making the roster. Hasty has been on and off the team the last few years, so even if he doesn’t make the 53-man roster or even the practice squad, the Patriots have shown a willingness to bring him back early to help out in a pinch. Overall, it looks like Larison might have taken a small lead Saturday night. We’ll see how he develops, but his willingness and ability to run between the tackles and contribute in the passing game could have him on the inside track right now. James Hudson Had a Bad Night Tackle turned guard James Hudson didn’t have his best day at the office on Saturday. The veteran offseason signing had multiple holding penalties and was beaten on multiple occasions in both the running and passing game. The Patriots added Greg Van Roten, who appears to be in a good position to make the roster, but the internal depth is still not great. Hudson might have the flexibility to play both tackle and guard, but he doesn’t do it particularly well, so you have to assume he won’t make the roster. Chad Muma is not the answer at linebacker. The Patriots have been in need of quality linebacker depth for several years, prompting them to bring in a good number of veteran players to try to address the issue. Chad Muma was one of those players; He arrived in New England as part of the practice squad from the Colts last December. While he offers an intriguing athletic skill set and vast special teams experience, he hasn’t looked impressive in training camp so far. Meanwhile, he had a forgettable night on Saturday and found himself outplayed on multiple plays. He then left the game late in the fourth quarter due to injury. It’s not cool. Kindle Vildor makes a bid for roster spot The Patriots need cornerback depth, and it appears Kindle Vildor and Karon Prunty are right in the mix for the reserve spots. Prunty had a consistent game against the Eagles; He wasn’t flashy, but he did a decent job in coverage and the run game. Vildor, on the other hand, had one of the best drives you will see in a corner. The offseason signing beat the receiver to the point on a cutback and would have had an interception if not for Gabe Jacas breaking up the passer penalty. On the next play he did the same, but was unable to retain the pass despite a diving effort. Then, on third down, he timed his break perfectly and knocked the ball out of the receiver’s hands to force a punt. Vildor has looked mostly solid in camp and should be in line for a roster spot. Is it time to worry about Gonzo? I’ve been saying for five months that I wasn’t going to start worrying about Christian Gonzalez’s contract situation until a week after Devon Witherspoon signed his contract. Well, here we are, and it looks like the two sides aren’t particularly close to reaching an agreement yet. The Patriots have a chance to be an elite team this year and, specifically, an elite defense. That plan, however, does not work without Christian González being fully committed. Whatever the delay, the priority should be getting this deal done in 2026, so the Patriots can focus on getting Drake Maye done next year. There’s still time to do it, and maybe they’ll get it done in the nearly two weeks between the end of preseason and the season opener in Seattle, but I need to be consistent and tell you that it might be time to start worrying. It’s not time to panic yet, but we could get there if this continues much longer. I also have to assume that the Patriots wouldn’t entertain the idea of trading him instead of paying him, similar to how the Cowboys moved on from Micah Parsons. Because the Patriots are simply better managed than the Cowboys, right? Starters in the spotlight this week The Patriots will close out their preseason with a short week and a Thursday night game in Cleveland. As noted above, this will give them almost two full weeks of rest before their first regular season game in Seattle. Yes, it’s the last preseason game, but I wonder if we’ll see Drake Maye and some of the other starters in a series or two, just to get them ready for the regular season. Maybe the Patriots think their three joint practices will replace their three preseason games, but I’d still like to see Maye and Co. get some time to gel on the field in an actual game. It may not be worth the risk of injury, but I would consider it, at least for a series or two, a calculation Mike Vrabel is also currently making. It’s also the last time the guys prove they belong on the roster, or at least the practice squad, so you know the team will work hard to try to make plays, which could lead to some exciting moments. Who gets your Patriots vs. Eagles? If you had to pick one player, who would be your pick from England’s 24-21 win against the Eagles on Saturday? Take our survey and share your thoughts with the community below.Closes in 3 days • 103 total votesView resultsQB/P Behren MortonRB Lan LarisonWR Kyle WilliamsWR Nick DeGennaroED Quintayvious HutchinsOtherRec 1CommentsFine Stroke Comment Icon BubbleReplyRead 3 Replies
