It’s preseason week 2, and yet again all I truly care about this week is staying healthy. Aside from that it should be an interesting game, as a number of significant players are dealing with seemingly minor injuries that should hold them out of action. That means the trickle down effect should give quite a few under-the-radar types a chance to shine in more prominent roles.
Here are the five guys who I’ll be watching most closely.
5. Chris Hogan: With Hogan losing the red jersey this week he appears to be fully recovered from a minor shoulder injury that kept him out of last week’s game. Praise for Hogan during camp has been pretty consistent. Many commented it appeared Hogan had an early grasp of the offense and was getting himself where Tom Brady wanted him to be more often than not. After not getting much out of Brandon LaFell at the X-receiver spot last season, Hogan has a chance to elevate the offense past the level they were at in 2015. LaFell’s performance in 2014 should be the model for what the Patriots would love to get out of Hogan — consistent hands, all-around game with blocking and coming through in the clutch as LaFell did with the game-winning touchdown in the AFC Divisional game and the first touchdown of Super Bowl 49. I’m excited to see how Hogan looks in a game, especially if it’s Tom Brady throwing him the ball.
4. Aaron Dobson: This really might be Dobson’s last hurrah. He played a ton against the Saints and was praised for a key block on James White‘s screen. He’ll need more standout plays like that against the Bears. The problem was that Dobson just wasn’t getting open enough early on against the Bears. As much as I love posting killed decleating blocks, I’d much rather be posting long catch-and-runs as far as Dobson is concerned. With Malcolm Mitchell already back at practice, Dobson is still very much on the bubble for a roster spot. With so many wide receivers unlikely to dress, Dobson should get a ton of snaps against the Bears. If those hurt receivers return next week, Dobson’s snaps, and chance to make an impression, will be depleted.
Best block of preseason..Aaron Dobson decleating Craig Robertson and screen to White goes for 56 pic.twitter.com/wh2uWWsOpN
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 13, 2016
3. Jonathan Freeny: With Shea McClellin missing the last three practices, it’s unlikely he’s going to play, meaning Freeny, just removed from the red jersey, could see significant time. I was hard on Freeny last year, and made upgrading him at middle linebacker a top priority for the offseason. We thought McClellin would be that middle linebacker. Instead the Pats made him an outside linebacker/defensive end and made Hightower the de facto Mike. Now with McClellin out, what happens? Does Freeny go back to his Mike spot, shifting Hightower to SLB? Or do they give Freeny a try at SLB? Linebacker depth was tenuous before McClellin went down, much to my chagrin, now we’ll see if Freeny made any strides in the offseason. He’s still just 27, but struggled to get off blocks and make plays when he was thrust into action last season. There’s a good chance the Pats could have to rely on him again, and I’m hoping he’s better.
2. Trey Flowers: With Jabaal Sheard unlikely to play, it looks like Flowers should get first unit snaps at defensive end with Chris Long. We’ve seen plenty of splash plays out of Flowers in both preseasons of his young career, but often against reserves. Now we get a chance to really see what Flowers has got against the top offensive line. For every game Rob Ninkovich is out, the Patriots are going to need Flowers to spell Sheard and Long. He’s an important piece, and his development could be vital to the Patriots in the long term. This will be another step in his progression.
1. Tyler Gaffney: Yup, I had Gaffney here last week and here is again. Everyone remembers the long touchdown run,
but outside of that I thought Gaffney was nothing more than okay. Of course this was his first game since the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2014. So he gets somewhat of a pass. But at the same time, he’s got to show some progression if he’s going to be a real part of the offense this year. That means grinding out tough yards and consistently making an impact with his carries. He set the table with his long run last week, now he has to build on that and show he can be trusted.