The Patriots and Commanders will wrap up the NFL’s 2024 preseason on Sunday Night Football as the league looks to market the second and third-overall picks from last April’s draft. Jayden Daniels has been announced as Washington’s regular-season starter, so he might not play, but for the Patriots, Jerod Mayo said anyone who is healthy will play.
That means an extended look at not only those on the roster bubble but those starters looking to get their games on track. Injuries have complicated things in a couple of spots, including edge and tight end, as young players like Jaheim Bell should get extended opportunities to demonstrate how they’ve progressed through training camp, while two new arrivals are likely be thrown right into the fire.
With the regular season opener in Cincinnati rapidly approaching, here are 10 things to watch in the Patriots final preseason action of the summer.
Drake Maye: Maye saw his snaps jump from six to 25 in his second preseason game and should be expected to match a similar total in Washington. His positive performance against the Eagles helped spark a solid week of practice from Maye, as he continues to look more comfortable running a pro offense while still delivering some well-placed deep balls. This could be the last look any of us have at Maye until he ends up in his first regular season game, and it’s a final chance for the rookie QB to show his development from the spring and summer.
Kevin Harris/JaMycal Hasty – Harris and Hasty have been a nice backup one-two punch this preseason, with Harris grinding out the tough yards and Hasty showing he could be an effective receiving back in the offense. There’s little question that Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson are atop the depth chart for those two roles, but at least one other back should get some rotational carries once the regular season arrives. It could be Harris, Hasty or both. And while his action will likely be once again limited to the second half, undrafted rookie Terrell Jennings is a wild card in the group and one who could make a practice squad case for himself with a strong performance against the Commanders.
Vederian Lowe (if he can go) and Caedan Wallace – Lowe has been the team’s top left tackle for nearly all of the summer, but on Wednesday he left practice, thrusting rookie Caedan Wallace back into the left tackle spot. No matter who is at the left tackle spot it’s one of the biggest positions to watch. Lowe was making strides while Wallace still has unknown potential. One of the two will be the starter in just over two weeks and this will be the last chance to get live reps and stack some experience, something both potential blindside blockers need.
