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Five things to watch in the Patriots-Eagles preseason game

Boston Herald · Andrew Callahan · 2026-08-22T10:04:13+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Two days after the Patriots and Eagles wrapped up their second and final joint practice outside Gillette Stadium, they’ll share the field again Saturday night under the bright lights. But don’t expect the game to look like those practices. The Pats and Eagles both ran their starters for dozens of snaps in team drills Wednesday and Thursday, setting the stage for an exhibition that will feature backups throughout. Third-string rookie quarterback Behren Morton was all but relegated to ball-boy duties in practice, indicating he should see plenty of game reps. Morton is one of a handful of players on the roster bubble with a shaky case for a spot on the 53-man roster, though an impressive performance Saturday could change that. In addition to Morton, here are five things we’ll be watching from the Patriots in their second preseason game: 1. Who will be out wide? Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte got the start last week, while Efton Chism and Kyle Williams were next off the bench. Williams impressed, catching one touchdown and another pass against the Colts, but the others were less productive. Mike Vrabel said outright the Patriots are comfortable keeping seven receivers on their active roster, which would indicate all of them are safe come cutdown day. But if the Pats are still trying to trade Boutte, might he get more snaps to showcase his talents for the rest of the league? And if Chism disappoints, is there any chance he might inch closer to the roster bubble? 2. Can Caleb Lomu rebound? It was a rough couple of practices for the first-round rookie, who increasingly looks less ready for regular-season action at his new position of right tackle. Granted, it was only a year ago Will Campbell rode a roller-coaster of a training camp, and then proved to be a serviceable left tackle for most of the regular season. But Lomu was not the same caliber of prospect, and his position change forced him to split time at both tackle spots. The Patriots should have liked what they saw from Lomu versus Indianapolis, when he allowed just one pressure, but the Eagles own one of the deepest defensive lines in football. Whether he’s at left or right tackle, Lomu must pass-protect well to inspire more confidence heading into the regular season that he deserves consideration to be their swing tackle in 2026. If not, that job might fall to Marcus Bryant, a seventh-round pick from last year. 3. The Day 2 rookies Fifth-round rookie cornerback Karon Prunty and sixth-round linebacker Namdi Obiazor may leave their marks on the upcoming season, but it’s far more likely second-round pick Gabe Jacas and third-round tight end Eli Raridon will have greater influence over this team. Both play positions of need, and took first-team reps during joint practices with the Eagles. Raridon worked through a quiet couple of days, catching zero passes in team drills Thursday, while Jacas tallied two would-be sacks Wednesday and won his matchups in a 1-on-1 pass rush period. Jacas had several poor moments in the preseason opener, over-running plays and recording zero pressures, but already showed marked improvement since then as he catches up after missing the entire spring and start of training camp. Can he carry that momentum into Saturday? And will Raridon re-assert himself as a threat over the middle of the field? 4. Edge defender depth So far this summer, the Patriots’ outside linebackers have performed to expectations. Dre’Mont Jones is solid, but unspectacular. Elijah Ponder flashed several times ahead of an anticipated Year 2 leap (see: a sack and pass breakup in Thursday’s joint practice). And Jacas looks like a rookie still getting his feet under him whose potential peeks through here and there. That leaves just three guaranteed roster spots at the position, excluding Harold Landry who remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list and therefore appears to be increasingly doubtful for the Patriots’ season opener now less than three weeks away in Seattle. It’s possible the Patriots do not intend to keep any other reserves on their 53-man roster and plan to acquire some backups via trade. But there’s still time for players like Bradyn Swinson, a fifth-round pick last year, seventh-round rookie Quintayvious Hutchins and free-agent addition Jesse Luketa to change their minds. A big game tonight would go a long way to making that happen, and potentially assuage concerns about one of the shallowest positions on the roster. 5. Andy Borregales’s field goals Since missing three field goals in the preseason opener, Patriots kicker Andy Borregales has been sharp in practices. He made three field goals of longer than 50 yards Wednesday, and made most of his kicks at practices on Monday and Tuesday while aiming at the skinny field goal posts, which are roughly half as wide as the regulation ones. Vrabel intentionally put Borregales under that pressure to test him after a disastrous preseason debut. After opening the door to exploring other options at kicker in his postgame press conference, Vrabel then softened his stance this week, seemingly blaming a new long snapper for Borregales’ struggles. “Again, I don’t want to make excuses, but we were trying to take a look at another snapper. Julian (Ashby) was dealing with something, so we felt like it would be a good opportunity to take a look at another snapper,” Vrabel said Wednesday. “You just understand how critical that operation is, the snap, the laces, all the other things. Yes, we have to make them. But I felt like, to Andy’s credit, he had a great day in front of the team and was able to make the one there at the end, after the two-minute drill.” But since Ashby, the team’s starting long snapper, should be back tonight, any errant field goals after a clean operation will be entirely on Borregales. So, will he make or miss?