Patriots notes, quotes, and anecdotes: 5 Patriots to watch in preseason finale vs. Commanders

Good morning, happy Sunday, and welcome back into another edition of ‘Patriots notes, quotes, & anecdotes’. We’re back with another column hitting on all of the happenings surrounding the New England Patriots.

This week, we’re putting an added spin on the column, taking a look at some players to keep an eye on as the Patriots head to Washington to take on the Commanders and put a bow on their 2024 preseason.

Here at CLNS, we put a bow on our training camp crossover episodes on Pats Daily X Patriots Beat. Take a look:

Now that camp is complete, New England’s squad has one final opportunity on Sunday night to show their stuff. On Tuesday — NFL rosters must be cut from 90 to 53 players.

Here’s a look at 5 of them that could use a solid showing on Sunday:

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5 – WR Kayshon Boutte

Though the Patriots still don’t have a true No. 1 wide receiver, they still have a crowded room to try and cut down before next week. Virtual locks include defacto starters DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, and Tyquan Thornton, as well as rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker.

On the bubble? Kick return specialist Jalen Reagor — and second-year pro Kayshon Boutte.

New England drafted Boutte in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and after a lackluster rookie year, he’s bounced back nicely this preseason. The 22-year-old leads the Patriots in both yards (76) and catches (6) through their first two exhibition games.

With another quality performance on Sunday night, Boutte could truly force the team’s hand into keeping 7 wide receivers on their 53-man roster.

4 – CB Marcellas Dial

Another player who could make the Patriots over-extend at their position with a solid showing this weekend is cornerback Marcellas Dial.

The former South Carolina Gamecock was drafted by New England in the sixth round of this past April’s draft, and at the time was looked at as someone who could add depth to both their cornerback and safety rooms — two positions he played in the SEC.

Since he’s been in Foxborough, however, the Patriots have shoehorned Dial in strictly as a cornerback behind the likes of Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, Shaun Wade, Isaiah Bolden, and Marco Wilson. A lineup that’s pretty tough to crack.

So, to give him a fair chance to make the roster, New England has made Dial a mainstay on their special teams unit this summer. More specifically, as a gunner on the punt team.

“In college I played a little bit of it, but here it’s been a big part of my identity,” Dial explained of his new role after the Patriots’ final training camp practice on Friday. “So it’s become a part of me, of what I do. I’ve been learning from [Brenden] Schooler, [Tom] Quinn, and just trying to take it all in… Slater [has] been helping me out as well. So just trying to take it all in and learn everything I can to be the best at that position.”

Perhaps this newfound special teams versatility is what can keep him around.

3 – OL Chukwuma Okorafor

New England’s offensive line has become one of the team’s many focal points this preseason. After what looked to be an open tryout at the left tackle position, the Patriots looked to have locked in their starting five as follows:

LT – Vederian Lowe
LG – Sidy Sow
C – David Andrews
RG – Mike Onwenu
RT – Chukwuma Okorafor

These five worked together for the better part of the past month and, despite some struggles, were a consistent group that would be given the chance to learn and grow with the skill position arsenal behind them.

This unfortunately all changed this past Wednesday when Lowe left practice with what MassLive’s Mark Daniels reported is a “minor oblique injury.”

Lowe’s ailment caused yet another shuffle — and sprung Chuks Okorafor back to the left tackle position he started training camp at. Okorafor was then moved over to the right side during the aforementioned “open tryout” before an undisclosed injury briefly sent him to the bench. The 27-year-old has now gone full circle back to the quarterback’s blindside.

If he can play well on Sunday, perhaps it’s enough to lock down the prime position for the long haul, and now just as a stop-gap for the inconsistent Lowe.

2 – S Dell Pettus

From 2004 to 2023, the Patriots had held a 19-year-long streak of an undrafted rookie free agent making their initial 53-man roster. Players to make the cut have included C David Andrews, QB Brian Hoyer, WR Jakobi Meyers, CB Jonathan Jones, CB J.C. Jackson, ST Brenden Schooler, and P Ryan Allen.

While the streak was broken during last August’s final roster cuts, there’s seemingly a decent chance that it will re-continue this season. The man who can do so? Dell Pettus.

“He’s done a fantastic job,” head coach Jerod Mayo said of the undrafted safety out of Troy. “There’s been a lot of conversation around him, but he’s done a fantastic job up until this point. But it is important that those guys go out here and realize, ‘I can play at this level.’ There’s always this imposter syndrome where, ‘Am I good enough, or am I not good enough?’ For a guy like Dell Pettus, for example, to go out and make those plays just continues to boost his confidence.”

Pettus has notched 10 total tackles throughout New England’s first two preseason games and has been at the giving end of countless pass breakups and interceptions throughout training camp. Though part of a crowded safety room with the likes of Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers, the 23-year-old has given himself a real shot to make the team.

“He’s definitely making a case for himself,” Mayo said on Wednesday. “Not only defensively, but also on special teams. That’s going to be a hard decision there, but he’s doing a good job for us.”

1 – QB Drake Maye

While Maye isn’t on the roster bubble heading into Sunday, his performance is arguably the most important. After seeing just one drive in New England’s preseason opener, Maye led the Patriots to 10 points on four scoring drives last Thursday against the Eagles. Overall, he completed six of his 11 pass attempts for 47 yards, scored a rushing touchdown, and his best pass actually came on a dropped post-route by WR Javon Baker.

So, why is Maye’s performance on Sunday against the Commanders so important? Does he have a chance to win New England’s starting quarterback job ahead of Week 1?

Not exactly.

While Jerod Mayo said this week that their rookie signal-caller could “absolutely be QB1,” offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt pumped the breaks on that sentiment on Thursday.

“I’m sure there’s a chance,” he explained. “But I think as you go in there’s still a process of how you bring a rookie quarterback along. So I think that’s important to remember as well.”

Like Mayo said about the game itself, Maye’s performance against the Commanders doesn’t count, but it matters. It could go a long way in telling us when the rookie may be ready to take the reigns.

— Roster moves

Before we go, here’s a look at the roster moves the Patriots made this past week:

• Signed LBs Kobe Jones, Christian McCarroll
• Claimed WR Matt Landers off waivers
• Placed WR JaQuae Jackson on injured reserve

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Thanks for reading! We’ll talk to ya next week.

Follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!