FOXBORO, Mass. — A lot happens when you cover the New England Patriots throughout the week.
You get at least three Jerod Mayo news conferences, a presser with the starting quarterback, multiple locker room availabilities, and access to a few practices. Some takeaways become individual stories, while other quotes and nuggets are left on the cutting room floor.
With that in mind, my Patriots notebook publishing Friday for the rest of the season rolls on. These pieces mostly focus on top Patriots storylines and leftovers from each week but also include a non-football thought or two — because I’m a dork who likes to talk about other stuff.
So, let’s get into it.
Is Rookie TE Jaheim Bell Nearing a Breakout?
As a seventh-round rookie, tight end Jaheim Bell entered the season with low expectations. In fact, considering he carried off-field concerns into the 2024 NFL Draft, it was fair to wonder whether Bell even would land a roster spot after training camp.
However, the Florida State product showed steady improvement throughout the summer and, after barely seeing the field in the first five weeks, could be nearing a breakout.
Bell saw just one offensive snap over the first five games. But he played six snaps in Week 6, eight snaps in Week 8, and three snaps in the Week 9 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Last Sunday’s game also saw Bell make his first NFL catch, albeit a checkdown in the flat that went for just a yard.
“It was great,” Bell told MassLive’s Mark Daniels this week when asked about making his first catch. “I didn’t get the reaction that I wanted out of it as far as getting down the field to show the ability with the ball in my hand, but it was great to get my first catch.”
The #Patriots deployed all three of their TEs for the first time this season on National Tight End Day
All three snaps came on the #Patriots complementary opening to Q3, including an impressive sideline grab out of empty and a physical run from Rhamondre Stevenson pic.twitter.com/uookdcVUCH
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) October 28, 2024
Obviously, Bell isn’t on track for a Sam LaPorta-like rookie season. But the 6’2″, 241-pound tight end has done enough behind the scenes to increase his role and impress his coaches and teammates.
“Huge growth from Bell,” offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said on Thursday. “Have seen him grow as a pro. … Really proud of the way he’s grown this season.”
Tight end Hunter Henry added: “He’s been great in the room. He’s learning a ton — asks great questions. We love having him in the room. He’s a tremendous talent that we feel like we need to get going in some capacity and he’s starting to show up on the field — show up in good ways. … He’s just continuing to get better.”
The comments made their way back to Bell, who’s starting to see the rewards of his hard work.
“It means a lot,” the 23-year-old told Daniels. “It just goes to show how hard I’ve been working. When my number gets called, you all will see what I can do.”
Bell still has a long way to go before challenging Henry or Austin Hooper for snaps on game days. His hands were inconsistent during the summer, and, like most receiving-first tight ends, he must improve his blocking.
Still, Bell has the size, strength, and freakish athleticism to develop into a late-round steal for the Patriots. If he continues to prove himself in practice, New England should give Bell extra run during games so he can develop chemistry with rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
How Pass Catchers Are Adjusting to Drake Maye’s Mobility
Excluding Cam Newton, Maye has more mobility than any other Patriots quarterback in the post-Tom Brady era. Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, and Jacoby Brissett all are capable of extending plays, but none are close to matching Maye’s dual-threat talents.
Maye’s ability to make plays with his legs was on full display last week when he scrambled for 11.82 seconds before finding Rhamondre Stevenson for a game-tying touchdown.
We took the L but made some awesome memories. Go Pats ❤️🤍💙 pic.twitter.com/MKMr7pd4du
— Josh Shank (Shedeur Sanders) (@JTShank_10) November 3, 2024
Patriots pass catchers who’ve been with the team since 2021 might not have much experience with a quarterback like Maye. As such, developing the subtle chemistry required to make something out of nothing on scramble drills and other broken plays could take a while.
Ultimately, players must trust their instincts.
“It’s a mixture of instinct and knowing if you see somebody low, you don’t run to the same area,” receiver Kendrick Bourne recently told Pro Football Network. ” … It’s just about having awareness, savviness. We kind of work on it, but we kind of just let it happen naturally at practice, too.”
Stevenson, fresh off delivering arguably the most memorable scramble-drill catch in recent Patriots history, gave a similar answer.
“You can work on it a little bit,” he told PFN. “But I think, with an athletic quarterback like Drake, he can get away from the rush and extend plays. So, it’s kind of just a feel thing.”
When you watch players such as Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce deliver so frequently on broken plays, it’s hard not to wonder whether they’ve incorporated any signals or specific strategies for those situations. Bourne said such highlights provide more inspiration than teaching points.
“You kind of let it happen,” he said. “Watching the games — like, you don’t watch on film to look for scramble drills. … It’s just about having a good feel for it. Just being a fan of the game, you see that there’s big plays. So, if we can add that in our game and be a strength, it can be huge for us.”
Stevenson added: “It kind of just plays out. I imagine over the weeks and the years with Drake, there will be some chemistry on scramble plays. … But right now, it’s just intuition and trying to make plays.”
Another Position Change for Mike Onwenu?
After a wretched start to the season, the Patriots’ offensive line showed significant progress in Weeks 6 through 8. Most importantly, the injury-ravaged group established continuity after numerous lineup changes throughout the first month.
Now, for seemingly no good reason, Patriots coaches are throwing the line back into the blender.
Onwenu played right guard, his best position, during the aforementioned three-game stretch. But in Week 9, the Patriots moved him back to right tackle while starting rookie Layden Robinson at right guard. Predictably, the line struggled while allowing star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to dominate in the first half.
The Patriots then benched Robinson at halftime and moved Onwenu back to right guard. The line stabilized and largely kept Simmons in check the rest of the way. So, New England will stick with the same lineup for Week 10, right?
Wrong!
Onwenu was spotted at left guard, a position he hasn’t played since 2021, during practice on Wednesday and Thursday. And all signs point toward him starting over Michael Jordan this Sunday when the Patriots visit the Chicago Bears.
Van Pelt offered an explanation on Thursday.
“Mike’s our best offensive lineman so we’re going to put him where he can be successful for us,” Van Pelt said. “He’s been very versatile. We’ll see what happens this week, but I feel really good about Mike’s play. He needs to be available wherever he needs to be.
“So, if he plays left guard, he plays right guard, he plays right tackle, again, he’s our best offensive lineman. We’re going to put him in an area where we need him.”
Onwenu, who signed a three-year extension during the offseason, began the spring at right tackle but was at right guard by the end of training camp. However, due to injuries, he moved back to right tackle for the season opener. For the season, the fifth-year pro has played 241 snaps at right guard and 329 snaps at right tackle, per TruMedia.
So, how does Onwenu feel about all of this? It’s hard to tell, but I wouldn’t say he was beaming with excitement when he met with reporters before Thursday’s practice.
“It’s hard to say,” Onwenu said when asked whether he’s changed positions too often. ” … We’re making it work.”
Onwenu downplayed the difficulty of moving to the other side of the line.
“Just gotta practice at it,” he said. “ … It is pretty much the opposite. But just body mechanics. As long as I think about it mentally, I should be all right physically.”
Onwenu undoubtedly is New England’s best offensive lineman. But he readily admits he hasn’t played up to his standard this season.
“I’m not really that happy with how the season’s gone for me, personally,” Onwenu said. “I definitely think I can play better and just be a better player all around. So that’s what I’m looking forward to doing, and really just strapping up for these last couple weeks of the season.
” … Just feel like I haven’t been as dominant as I’m used to being. Some of that could be the movement, some that could just be mental. So just looking forward to putting better film on tape.”
Have position changes contributed to his struggles?
“I would say it hasn’t really been affecting me that much,” Onwenu said. “But I would just say, just in terms of style of play can be better. A lot of moving parts can just change how you play and change how you go about getting into blocks. Obviously, I’m more comfortable on the right side.”
I try to give Patriots coaches the benefit of the doubt, as they obviously know more about football than anyone covering the team. But I just can’t see how moving Onwenu to left guard, where he was benched in 2021, is the best thing for him or the line.
Rhamondre Stevenson’s Reaction to Saquon Barkley’s Hurdle
In case you missed it, here’s a replay of Saquon Barkley’s outrageous backward hurdle from last week:
SAQUON BARKLEY IS NOT OF THIS WORLD.
📺: #JAXvsPHI on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/UtCENDw6no— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024
Shortly before Thursday’s Patriots practice, PFN asked Stevenson for his reaction to Barkley’s hurdle.
“The first thing I thought is I would never do that,” Stevenson said with a laugh. “Like, I would never even think of doing that.”
Stevenson said Barkley’s unique abilities enable him to do things other running backs can’t.
“Saquon — I feel like he’s just a different type of player,” Stevenson said. “He’s super athletic, and he can make plays like that.”
Stevenson said that, aside from a few hurdles, he’s rarely tried any particularly crazy moves on the gridiron.
“My hurdles I did in the past [come to mind],” he said. ” … I like keeping my feet on the floor.”
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Barkley’s hurdle was the “best play” he’d ever seen. And, honestly, I feel the same way. At the very least, it might be the coolest play I’ve ever seen.
The Logjam at Receiver
Something has to give in the wide receiver room.
The Patriots now have seven wideouts on the depth chart: DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, K.J. Osborn, Kayshon Boutte, and Tyquan Thornton.
Osborn and Thornton were mentioned in trade rumors before Tuesday’s deadline but weren’t moved. The Patriots could release either receiver, but as of this writing, they still were on the roster.
Polk, despite his rookie struggles, is a roster lock. So, too, is Baker. And Douglas, Bourne, and Boutte aren’t going anywhere.
Are the Patriots really going to healthy-scratch two to three receivers the rest of the way? I doubt it.
Tales From the Locker Room
Mayo has enacted a more laid-back approach to governing players than his predecessor, Bill Belichick.
One notable change: players taking naps in the locker room before practice.
I never saw players napping during my three seasons covering the Patriots while Belichick was in charge. This year, multiple players have been napping in their locker stalls during nearly every pre-practice media availability. I can’t think of the last time I walked into the locker room and didn’t see Keion White napping on an inflatable sleeping pad.
It’s neither good nor bad; it’s just different.
Non-Football Thought No. 1: Big-Wave Surfing
I’m super late to this party, but I need to recommend HBO’s series “100 Foot Wave.”
Now through two seasons, the show follows legendary surfer Garrett McNamara and other fearless surfers searching for, well, a 100-foot wave. Most of the series is set in Nazaré, Portugal, where multiple world records have been set.
If you enjoyed “Free Solo,” you’ll love this show.
Non-Football Thought No. 2: Song of the Week
The pick this week is “El Paso” by Marty Robbins.
I’m one of the biggest haters of modern country music you’ll ever meet. It’s not country music; it’s pop music with a forced southern accent. And that’s fine — it’s just not for me.
However, I’m a big fan of old-school country music, which my parents and grandparents constantly played while I was growing up. And, personally, “El Paso” (released in 1959) is my favorite country song.
Side note: Robbins, who died in 1982, might be the coolest American of all time. He was a musician, NASCAR driver, author, and actor. Shout-out Marty Robbins.