The 90-man roster will soon become a 53-man roster for the New England Patriots. But on the last Sunday night of August, one final game was to be played.
This resulted in a 20-10 defeat Washington generals.
Head coach Jerrod Mayo, executive vice president of player personnel at Elliott Wolf & Co. Before the NFL’s cut-down deadline opens, take a closer look at the previous season.
When Brissett leaves, Maye gets a third audition
The case for the Week 1 starter continued at Commander’s Field, where the home team declared 34 inactive players.
Jacoby Brissett received a pass and saw a streak. It resulted in a punt after the senior quarterback sustained a sack that left his right shoulder checked. Listed as questionable to return, he completed 2-of-4 passes for 19 yards before taking the No. 3 overall pick out of the University of North Carolina.
Drake Maye went 5-for-6 in his home run. That included a scramble for 29 yards and a third and 14 for 16 yards and 17 yards. It ended up in the end zone from a quick pass shotgun to Flatt. His arm, movement and downstream eyes are elevated above his pass protection. He was hit hard but never sacked, finishing 13-of-20 for 126 yards with an official touchdown. A deep scoring strike was called back by a penalty while running a two-minute offense. Fellow rookie Joe Milton III entered at the 10:28 mark of the third quarter. Bailey Chappe followed with 2:58 left in the fourth quarter.
Ugly night for the latest O-line combination
After an oblique injury blindly sidelined Wederian Lowe, the Patriots switched to a different top lineup in practice. By Sunday, four of the five offensive linemen were gone, with the lone exception being the retired captain in David Andrews.
The starters include Chukwuma Okorafor at left tackle, Citi Chou at left guard, Nick Leverett at center, rookie Layton Robinson at right guard and Mike Onwenu at right tackle. Washington’s K.J. Henry’s early excuse was set before a New England conflict. There were also a pair of patch snaps from the center. But the ugly exodus didn’t end there. There would be a holding penalty from the left guard, a false start and a holding call from the right guard, and four illegal layups from the books. After a pair of sacks against Okorafor, another pair broke off a 48-yard touchdown.
Michael Jordan entered the lineup with a minute left before halftime. A 13-game starter last campaign, he entered the blue medical tent and was sidelined with an ankle injury. A holding call was soon assigned to replace him.
Having six or seven widths
With Kendrick Bourne physically unable to make the roster for all of training camp, seven wide receivers could be beyond Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline.
Demario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton and K.J. Osborne started in the preseason finale, catching six passes for 35 yards. They are in the program. The same goes for rookies.
Jalyn Polk looked ready-made on Sunday as well. No. The 37 overall pick recorded two receptions for 33 yards, including 29 as a crosser. Meanwhile, Javon Baker served as a gunner on the punt unit and added two catches for 33 yards. Seven goals. The No. 110 overall pick worked in the second half. Keyshon Bode and Jalen Rekord could also be chasing the same spot. Matt Landers, a member Cleveland Browns Until last week, he used his length and speed to slide over the top for 34 yards in the final quarter.
One last push
Jamaican hasty brings a different dimension to the room led by Rammondre Stevenson. But being different will help the 5-foot-8, 205-pounder stick on special teams and in the screen game.
Antonio Gibson’s waiver claim last November would be next after he gained 30 scrimmage yards on his opening drive against his former club. With more efficiency, Hasty managed four carries for 21 yards and three catches for 24 yards.
Kevin Harris also had his moment. The 2022 draft pick out of South Carolina put the Patriots on the board in the first quarter with an 18-yard diving catch and run over the right pylon for a touchdown. Undrafted free agents Deshaun Fenwick and Terrell Jennings handled the block after halftime. The latter freshman had six rushes for a team-best 36 yards.
Bell gets the start at tight end
The next tight end after Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper is still not in Foxborough. But on Sunday, another opportunity opened up as both players looked on.
Rookie Jaheim Bell started in the “11” personnel. The last pick of April’s Patriots draft class caught his opening target for six yards over the middle. A crosser for 16 yards by the flex tight end came through South Carolina and Florida State in the fourth quarter.
Mitchell Wilcox recently went from being a limited practice participant to an observer for the depth chart.
Giles-Harris, Ellis leads the Patriots in tackles
Joe Giles-Harris left a mark on the night with a sack by defensive end Keion White.
The prospect, signed off New England’s 2023 practice squad, dropped deep into his coverage with 8:22 to go before halftime. From there at midfield, he read Washington quarterback Jeff Driskell’s eyes and intercepted a pass toward wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley.
An off-the-ball starter Christian Ellis was not lost in the linebacker mix next to Jahlani Tawai on Sunday. The 2021 UDFA from Idaho capped off a strong preseason with a team-high 11 tackles and one tackle for a loss. However, he went to the sideline late in the third period after being hit on the helmet and suffered a head injury.
Around the corner for New England
Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones and incumbent Jonathan Jones are locked in at cornerback as September approaches. All but the third name from that list started for the Patriots on Sunday.
The secondary for the summer finale included corner Marco Wilson, who made a quick-advance third-and-10 tackle, while safeties Joshua Bledsoe and Jaylin Hawkins both got their hands on passes.
Isaiah Bolton, Alex Austin and rookie Marcellus dialed in the logjam to stay out of the season. Shaun Wade added an out-of-bounds tackle to force a punt for three wickets. Elsewhere, it was a long evening for Aziz Hearn, whose coverage resulted in 64 total yards of defensive pass interference and eventual points.
Sly goes on for a long time
Joey Sly appeared in 40 games with Washington and set a franchise record with a 61-yard field goal last year. He returned to New England on Sunday.
The well-traveled kicker split kickoff duties and missed both field goals he attempted. The first came from 64 yards out at halftime. The second came from 60 yards out as the season expired.
Chad Ryland scored his extra point late in the contest. The sophomore would convert from 38 yards out in the third quarter by Eastern Michigan and Maryland.
