New England Patriots OTAs: Latest Player Reports and Analysis
The New England Patriots don't officially open their organized team activities until May 26, so you would think that there wouldn't be much news coming out of Foxborough in the interim.
Think again.
Of course, there's plenty to talk about with regard to the inflation of footballs, and how it may or may not affect the availability of one Thomas Edward Patrick Brady at the beginning of the 2015 season. Beyond that, there are plenty of competitions for roster spots and other storylines to follow.
How are the new additions shaking up the roster? Who will emerge from the heat of the summer with a bigger role? Are any veterans safe?
Here's a look at some of the news around the Patriots heading into OTAs.
Patriots Release CB Chimdi Chekwa
1 of 5
The Patriots competition at cornerback keeps getting thinner and thinner. Over the past month, the Patriots have released Alfonzo Dennard and Kyle Arrington, and now you can add Chimdi Chekwa to the list of pre-training camp cuts, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.
Yes, that's the same Chimdi Chekwa who signed with the Patriots just about two months ago. The 2011 fourth-round pick played four years with the Oakland Raiders, and he's played with a pretty sizable bull's eye on his back. According to Pro Football Focus, he has yielded 31 completions on 43 passes thrown his way (72.1 percent).
The Patriots apparently had a change of heart regarding Chekwa's ability to fit in their defense, and now their depth chart has been whittled down to only four noteworthy names: Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler, Bradley Fletcher and Robert McClain. Daxton Swanson, Brandon King, Jimmy Jean and Justin Green will all get opportunities to play for snaps, and Chekwa's departure eases the competition for those four.
If other news is any indication, though, the Patriots may add another name to the mix at cornerback.
Patriots Work Out Free-Agent CB C.J. Spillman
2 of 5
The free-agency frenzy is way in the rear-view mirror, and the NFL draft has already come and gone as well, so there aren't many opportunities left to add players to the roster. That being said, the Patriots don't look like they're done making moves just yet.
According to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss, the Patriots hosted free-agent cornerback C.J. Spillman for a workout on Wednesday.
The six-year veteran has primarily made his presence felt on special teams, where he had seven tackles in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus. He has logged 15 or more special teams tackles in three of the past five years, but has not played 60 or more snaps in pass coverage in any of those seasons.
Spillman may not be more than a camp body, but in a battle where it will be important to show some versatility within the roster between cornerback and special teams, his presence could push the younger players on the roster to do their best when covering kicks and punts.
Patriots Host Veteran CB Tarell Brown for a Visit
3 of 5
The Patriots have some kind of unexplainable fascination with former Raiders cornerbacks. Chimdi Chekwa has already been in and out of the Patriots locker room, and now, it looks like the Patriots have their eye on Tarell Brown.
According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, the 5'11", 190-pound cornerback visited the Patriots on Tuesday. The 30-year-old eight-year veteran has played 114 games with 61 starts and has notched 11 interceptions. Brown has been running around with a neon "target me" sign over his head for the past few years, yielding 162 receptions on 263 targets (61.6 percent), according to Pro Football Focus.
The Patriots may not be hoping for anything more than an experienced backup, and given Brown's experience, that's just about what they would get.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Patriots Re-Sign LB Brandon Spikes
4 of 5
Brandon Spikes, welcome back. Your dreams were your ticket out—actually it was an unceremonious exit that preceded a few big hits on the Patriots on Twitter.
The Patriots have signed back the veteran linebacker and former second-round pick to a one-year deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Field Yates.
With Jamie Collins, Dont'a Hightower and Jerod Mayo at the top of the depth chart, Spikes will likely slot into a role as a rotational run-stuffing linebacker. He has never been as capable moving backwards in coverage as he has been when he's crashing toward the line of scrimmage.
Spikes left on strange terms following the 2013 season. He dealt with a nagging knee injury all year long, but he was placed on injured reserve before the divisional round playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts after missing a team meeting during the bye week. His agent claimed that Spikes wanted to keep playing and denied that Spikes missed that meeting.
But all that is in the past now. Spikes will have an opportunity to write a new legacy in New England, but this time around, he will have to do so while coming in off the bench.
RB LeGarrette Blount's Role Should Be Safe
5 of 5
The Patriots created some competitions with their draft picks, but they also showed confidence in certain players by not making selections at their particular positions. One player who should be feeling good about his playing time and opportunities in 2015 is LeGarrette Blount.
Adam Levitan of Rotoworld accurately paints Blount as one of the winners of the draft due to the Patriots' decision to stand pat at the running back position.
"[The Patriots] used none of their 11 picks at RB despite moving on from Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen this offseason. Bill Belichick clearly wasn’t worried about the position, where Blount will dominate big-back duties. In Blount’s last 18 games as a Patriot (including playoffs), he’s scored 16 touchdowns.
"
The Patriots have stocked up on running backs over the past year, adding Jonas Gray, James White, Travaris Cadet and Tyler Gaffney while re-signing Brandon Bolden to a contract extension and bringing back Blount. Between the six of them, Blount is the most likely to be a bell cow on first and second downs, but everyone will get their opportunities to contribute in the Patriots' backfield.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
