Life without a Patriots minicamp

It was around this time last year that we had a sneak peak of the Patriots. Last year, the Pats wrapped up their 2019 offseason workout schedule with a three-day mandatory minicamp. It ran from June 4 to 6 on the Gillette Stadium practice fields. This occurred after a series of OTAs, or organized team activities. In the end, it was a solid prelude to what was about to happen during the training camp in August.

This year?

We have zero sense of the 2020 Patriots.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, NFL teams won’t meet and practice until training camp, at the earliest. Although OTAs and minicamps are glorified touch football practices, the events still serve a purpose.

So, what exactly did we miss this offseason?

First and foremost, this year’s OTAs and minicamp sessions would have been the first look at the Patriots’ offense without Tom Brady. The biggest storyline this spring would have been how quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer, J'Mar Smith and Brian Lewerke managed the system. Would we have seen Stidham work with the Patriots first-team offense? Or would head coach Bill Belichick let Hoyer handle those duties because he’s a veteran? On top of that, this would have been the first time we would hear from Stidham and Hoyer about the prospects of replacing Brady.

Last year, Stidham worked with the third-team offense in minicamp. He finished the three practices completing 59% (13 for 22) of his passes. Hoyer worked mainly with the second team and finished the week completing 66% (19 for 29) of his passes, with an interception. Seeing Stidham in OTAs and minicamp also allowed observers to see his progress during the latter part of last offseason. In the spring, it was clear that Hoyer was ahead of him in the quarterback depth chart.

During the summer, Stidham started to improve. Before we knew it, the rookie had played better, bypassed Hoyer and beat him out for the backup quarterback role.

Aside from the quarterback play, the spring is when observers get to see new Patriots for the first time. Although the depth chart fluctuates during these practices, it’s always interesting to see what newcomers are working with the first-team offense and defense. Would new receivers Damiere Byrd or Marqise Lee see reps with the first-team offense? How would they compare to N'Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers? Would new fullback Danny Vitale show off his athleticism in the passing game?

Practices such as these were when we first saw receiver Chris Hogan catch on with Tom Brady, when tight end Martellus Bennett showed he could dominate a practice and it was noticeable that running back Dion Lewis looked a lot faster than everyone on the roster.

On defense, would new defensive tackle Beau Allen slide in with the starters? How about linebacker Brandon Copeland? Does he start to replace Kyle Van Noy or Jamie Collins? At safety, it would have been interesting to see whether Adrian Phillips saw time with the starters, or in a spot that was formerly occupied by Duron Harmon. Considering that there is no tackling, these sessions provided a great chance to analyze the cornerbacks and safeties.

The best parts of watching minicamp and these types of practices are the first looks at rookies such as safety Kyle Dugger and tight ends Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene. Minicamps were when fans and media first noticed undrafted free agents like Malcolm Butler, Jonathan Jones and J.C. Jackson. In fact, two years ago, all were surprised to see Jackson lining up with the first-team defense. That was the first sign that the Patriots saw something special in him.

Of course, a minicamp doesn’t tell the entire story. Last year, receiver Maurice Harris looked like the best of the group. He ended up fizzling out during training camp as undrafted rookie Jakobi Meyers started to rise up. It was similar in 2014 with Butler. Although he stuck out in minicamp, undrafted cornerback Dax Swanson looked better. It wasn’t until the pads were donned in August that Butler truly rose to the top.

We all understand why the Patriots and other NFL teams didn’t practice this spring. In the end, that makes the 2020 Patriots team even more mysterious heading into summer. There are already plenty of unknowns with this Brady-less group. There’s even more now because of the pandemic.

If anything, it’ll make the Patriots that much more intriguing when August arrives.