Devin McCourty:
McCourty is entering his third season after a disappointing follow up to his impressive start as a rookie. McCourty's inconsistencies threatened to cost him his starting position at cornerback for this year but he enters camp with as good a chance as anyone to be a starter.
Kyle Arrington:
Arrington may be seeing his role with the team change this year depending on how the other players at his position pan out in training camp. Arrington would be an excellent nickel cornerback for the Patriots if two outside cornerbacks can step up to afford him that opportunity. Arrington's starting position will need to be stripped from him if he is to be relegated at all. His role as the nickel cornerback will most likely just be in situational defenses.
Ras-I Dowling:
Dowling had an impressive start to his rookie season, however that start only lasted for one game before he landed on IR. Dowling needs to prove both his health and ability in this camp to try and earn a starting spot in the Patriots' secondary. As a big physical cornerback, he offers the team's defense something that they didn't have last year.
Sterling Moore:
After a strong finish to his rookie year, Sterling Moore will be hoping to kick on and earn a greater role with the team this season. He is still developing as an all around football player but has the talent to make a mark in training camp. He and Dowling will most likely be competing for the third spot on the depth chart at cornerback.
Alfonzo Dennard:
Alfonzo Dennard enters his first training camp as a late round draft pick who fell in the draft because of off-the-field issues. If Dennard can show up on the field, and keep his nose clean off of it, Bill Belichick will have no hesitation in playing him. However, Dennard needs to prove he was worth the risk before he can even consider stepping inside the gridiron.
Steve Gregory:
Gregory is a veteran who was signed from the San Diego Chargers this off-season. He is a reliable veteran but not a game changer on the back-end. He should help the Patriots defense as a whole but not massively. He enters training camp as the starter at safety with Patrick Chung.
Patrick Chung:
Chung has quickly become one of the more experienced players on the Patriots' defense. He needs to stay healthy and develop an understanding with Gregory ahead of this season if he is to fully reach his potential.
Tavon Wilson:
The Patriots' surprise second round pick will have to force his way into the starting safety spot ahead of Steve Gregory. Wilson may not even feature in sub packages as rookie if he is unable to beat out veteran James Ihedigbo.
James Ihedigbo:
Ihedigbo has been relegated to the bench after being a starter for the team last year. He wasn't very impressive in the starting lineup but did enough to be re-signed in the off-season. Ihedigbo's future is somewhat out of his control has he was likely only re-signed as an insurance policy if Wilson struggles to pick up the defense initially.
McCourty is entering his third season after a disappointing follow up to his impressive start as a rookie. McCourty's inconsistencies threatened to cost him his starting position at cornerback for this year but he enters camp with as good a chance as anyone to be a starter.
Kyle Arrington:
Arrington may be seeing his role with the team change this year depending on how the other players at his position pan out in training camp. Arrington would be an excellent nickel cornerback for the Patriots if two outside cornerbacks can step up to afford him that opportunity. Arrington's starting position will need to be stripped from him if he is to be relegated at all. His role as the nickel cornerback will most likely just be in situational defenses.
Ras-I Dowling:
Dowling had an impressive start to his rookie season, however that start only lasted for one game before he landed on IR. Dowling needs to prove both his health and ability in this camp to try and earn a starting spot in the Patriots' secondary. As a big physical cornerback, he offers the team's defense something that they didn't have last year.
Sterling Moore:
After a strong finish to his rookie year, Sterling Moore will be hoping to kick on and earn a greater role with the team this season. He is still developing as an all around football player but has the talent to make a mark in training camp. He and Dowling will most likely be competing for the third spot on the depth chart at cornerback.
Alfonzo Dennard:
Alfonzo Dennard enters his first training camp as a late round draft pick who fell in the draft because of off-the-field issues. If Dennard can show up on the field, and keep his nose clean off of it, Bill Belichick will have no hesitation in playing him. However, Dennard needs to prove he was worth the risk before he can even consider stepping inside the gridiron.
Steve Gregory:
Gregory is a veteran who was signed from the San Diego Chargers this off-season. He is a reliable veteran but not a game changer on the back-end. He should help the Patriots defense as a whole but not massively. He enters training camp as the starter at safety with Patrick Chung.
Patrick Chung:
Chung has quickly become one of the more experienced players on the Patriots' defense. He needs to stay healthy and develop an understanding with Gregory ahead of this season if he is to fully reach his potential.
Tavon Wilson:
The Patriots' surprise second round pick will have to force his way into the starting safety spot ahead of Steve Gregory. Wilson may not even feature in sub packages as rookie if he is unable to beat out veteran James Ihedigbo.
James Ihedigbo:
Ihedigbo has been relegated to the bench after being a starter for the team last year. He wasn't very impressive in the starting lineup but did enough to be re-signed in the off-season. Ihedigbo's future is somewhat out of his control has he was likely only re-signed as an insurance policy if Wilson struggles to pick up the defense initially.
Comments