Patriots' Position Battles to Watch Ahead of 2023 NFL Season

The New England Patriots have plenty of offensive questions to answer around Mac Jones ahead of the 2023 NFL season.

Competitions for the backup running back spot, the No. 3 wide receiver and right tackle could shape the team's success.

The Patriots have to find the right protection for Jones on the opposite end of the offensive line from Trent Brown. Three veteran players are vying for the spot left open by Isaiah Wynn.

The wide receiver hierarchy appears to start with JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker, but after that, the depth is a bit murky.

Kendrick Bourne is coming off a bad season, and his roster spot could be in jeopardy if Tyquan Thornton develops as a playmaker.

New England faces a big decision in the backfield as well. It needs to provide support for Rhamondre Stevenson, and that will come in the form of either James Robinson, Ty Montgomery or Pierre Strong Jr.

Right Tackle

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Riley Reiff

New England opted to go with a trio of veterans to compete for the right tackle spot in training camp.

Riley Reiff, Conor McDermott and Calvin Anderson are the candidates to start opposite Brown.

Reiff could be viewed as the front-runner because of his 149 NFL starts between four franchises. He spent last year with the Chicago Bears.

His experience in Chicago last year with Justin Fields and with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 with Joe Burrow should help with protecting a young quarterback in New England.

Anderson and McDermott have 19 NFL starts between them, so it seems like the training camp battle will be an uphill climb for both players.

There is always the chance that Reiff struggles in camp and either Anderson or McDermott takes the starting job.

The Patriots could also explore the free-agent or trade markets if they believe no member of the trio is good enough to start at right tackle.

No. 3 Wide Receiver

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Kendrick Bourne

The preseason would be the perfect time for Thornton to officially take over for Bourne as the team's No. 3 wideout.

Bourne's production dropped off significantly in 2022. He only had 434 receiving yards and one touchdown after posting 800 receiving yards and five scores in 2021.

Thornton had three fewer targets than Bourne last season, and he found the end zone on one more occasion.

The 2022 second-round pick needs a good preseason to eclipse Bourne on the depth chart for good and potentially force the Patriots to make a tough decision on the veteran wideout by the end of training camp.

If Thornton beats out Bourne, the seventh-year pro would be relegated to the No. 4 role. There is a chance 2023 sixth-round pick Kayshon Boutte shines enough in preseason to push him past Bourne.

That scenario is dependent on how the No. 3 wide receiver battle shakes out. Bourne could also prove that 2022 was just a down year and that he can return to his 2021 form.

No. 2 Running Back

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James Robinson

Robinson can be lumped into the same category as Bourne as a player who needs to rediscover his previous form to be an impact player.

Robinson was shipped out of Jacksonville last season after Travis Etienne starred in his return from injury.

The fourth-year pro never found a consistent rhythm with the New York Jets and signed with the Patriots with the hope of finding a more regular role.

New England needs a No. 2 running back to replace Damien Harris. The Patriots can't put all of the production on Stevenson's shoulders.

Robinson broke out in 2020 with 10 total touchdowns and a 1,000-yard rushing season. He will not be asked to reach those high totals, but a 500- to 600-yard campaign with a handful of touchdowns would be a welcome sight to the Patriots.

He has to fight for the backup role with Strong, who was a fourth-round pick in 2022. The second-year player was an FCS star at South Dakota State and could beat out Robinson with his dual-threat abilities.

Strong earned 10 carries and seven receptions in his rookie season behind Stevenson and Harris. The Patriots would be smart to see what he can do with a larger workload.

Montgomery is on the roster as a veteran presence, and while he could compete for the No. 2 running back spot, he may be more valuable on special teams.