New England Patriots: 3 Things to watch in Preseason Week 2

The New England Patriots will host the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl rematch that doesn’t mean much but there some things to look for in this week two preseason match up. 

On Thursday, Week 2 of the 2018 NFL preseason will kick off with a Super Bowl LII grudge match. The New England Patriots will welcome the champion Philadelphia Eagles to Gillette Stadium for an exhibition contest.

Certain guys aren’t expected to do much in a game where the win loss result means almost nothing. However, this is still a learning process for teams and, subsequently, for fans in the preseason. There is plenty to watch for with the Patriots.

As such, there are a few things fans should look out for on Thursday night.

1. Isaiah Wynn and the offensive line 

In the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected Georgia offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn. Throughout offseason workouts and training camp practices to this point, Wynn has played three different positions on the line. Early on, he was at left tackle, then at left guard. And most recently, the Patriots decided to plug him on the right side at tackle. The issue is, Wynn never played right tackle at all for Georgia so there’s some discomfort with moving from left to right, which he told to NESN:

"“It’s just everything is flipped around… If you’re right-handed, try writing with your left… I know me. I always want to step up to the plate. Whatever challenge it is… Really, it’s wherever they need me at, I’m going to be at.”"

The switch happened because of an injury to right tackle Marcus Cannon. Wynn didn’t play in their first preseason game, so we’ll see if they line him up at right or will they continue to play LaAdrian Waddle. On the left side is NFL veteran Trent Brown, who can also play right tackle. It’ll be interesting to see how the combination of Wynn, Brown and Waddle gel during the preseason. 

2. Pass-catchers catching passes 

The frustration from the great Tom Brady was palpable during the most recent Patriots practice. Brady punted the ball into the stands amid his frustration over bad play and dropped passes by the receivers and tight ends. In fact, Patriots beat writer Doug Kyed tweeted the shocking number of drops during practice on Monday.

One of the notable pass-droppers was Eric Decker, who the Patriots recently brought in. So far, Decker hasn’t done anything to impress. As a matter of fact, he’s had six drops over the last three practices. It appears that the Patriots have the case of the drops, and we’ll see if the sickness carries over into their Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles. Maybe the lingering affects of Brady’s dropped pass in the Super Bowl is hovering over the team. 

3. The battle of the defensive tackles 

The Patriots are loaded at defensive tackle. They traded for the run-stuffing Danny Shelton, who should help their run defense immediately. Next to him, they need a guy who can rush the passer. The top three guys to win the job are Malcom Brown, Adam Butler and Lawrence Guy. All three men possess the ability to rush the passer from the interior.

Butler has dropped a lot of weight, going from 320 pounds down to 295 in an effort to be a more effective upfield rusher. Brown is an effective tackle who can play multiple positions along the line, a true Pats player who brings versatility.

Guy is a 305-pound upfield rusher with speed and quickness who can also play end. Additionally, defensive end Keionta Harris is getting playing time at defensive tackle as a rush specialist. The competition is heating up and guys like John Atkins, Frank Herron and Vincent Valentine have to step up and this week.