New England Patriots: 5 Players Whose Stock Is on the Rise After OTAs

As slow as it may be, the discourse surrounding the New England Patriots will eventually turn to on-field activities.  With OTAs commencing this past week, there's finally an opportunity to discuss more than air pressure and suspensions surrounding the defending champs.

These voluntary OTAs comprise Phase 3 of the offseason workout program.  According to NFL.com, no live contact is allowed, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills will provide the first semblance of on-field work.  The Pats will have 10 of these OTA practices, with the mandatory minicamp to follow in mid-June.

We're still in the nascent stages of positional competitions, but with the first week of OTAs in the books, there are a few early hints regarding which players could emerge, especially given the significant number of absences at Friday's session that was open to the media, per NESN's Doug Kyed. 

Here's a look at a few players who garnered positive headlines after Week 1 OTAs.

Scott Chandler

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In an offseason that was mostly about controversy and defection, former Buffalo Bills tight end Scott Chandler was one of New England's better value signings.  I've already highlighted the 6'7" tight end as the team's most underrated X-factor, given his receiving ability and the Patriots potentially incorporating more "12" personnel.  ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss noted (courtesy of NFL.com NFL Insider Field Yates' observations) that Chandler's size was one of the most distinct body types that stood out when viewing the players in person:

"

One of the things that was passed along was to eye body types and see if any players appeared to be bigger/smaller than 2014, or if they simply stood out. Along those lines, 6-foot-7, 260-pound tight end Scott Chandler was hard to miss.

For the last five seasons, it’s pretty much been 6-foot-6, 265-pound Rob Gronkowski towering over the Patriots' TE corps, but Chandler – who is longer but lankier – gives Gronkowski a run for the money.

"

The most obvious implication of a potential twin towers pairing with Rob Gronkowski is in the red zone.  Despite having Gronk healthy last season, the Pats were surprisingly mediocre as a red-zone passing team.

According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Tom Brady posted a 77.2 passer rating inside the opponents' 20, tossing two touchdowns to three interceptions.  Brady's passer rating ranked 16th out of 25 players with at least 50 red-zone passing attempts.

Passer rating isn't exactly the best indication of quarterback efficacy, but there's no way to place a positive spin on that number, even if a small sample size probably makes things appear worse than they were.  Regardless, Chandler is another weapon who could potentially goose New England's passing game, helping recreate the two-tight end mismatches that wreaked havoc from 2010-2012.

Aaron Dobson and Brian Tyms

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The Pats don't possess the best raw talent at wide receiver, but the top trio of Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell and even Danny Amendola have assimilated well into New England's byzantine passing scheme.  Given that New England will probably lean heavier on tight ends this year, there might only be one or two more roster spots open at the position.  At Friday's OTAs, two players firmly on the bubble made their first case for those positions, as the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe pointed out:

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Gronk and Edelman had some dominant moments. Good day for Tyms and Dobson in LaFell's absence.

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) May 29, 2015"

Dobson's name might come as a surprise to many after the Marshall product caught just three passes over four games in an injury-riddled 2014 campaign.  The former second-rounder never quite clicked with Brady his rookie year, and considering his lack of value on special teams, he'll need to click with Brady and/or Jimmy Garoppolo soon to stick around. 

Tyms was a surprise inclusion on the roster last season and mostly spent the year running 9-routes as a surplus receiver.  He did shine in New England's Week 6 win over Buffalo, snagging a 43-yard touchdown, but was largely anonymous otherwise.  Neither Tyms nor Dobson has any practice-squad eligibility left, so it will be 53-man roster or bust for two players who could very well be competing directly against each other.

Logan Ryan and Dax Swanson

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This is the first of what will surely be millions of updates (OK, slight exaggeration) on the cornerback race, so take this with heaping grains of salt.  Still, with Malcolm Butler sitting out Friday's practice, NESN's Doug Kyed reported that Logan Ryan and third-year pro Dax Swanson were the primary beneficiaries in snap allocation:

"Cornerback Malcolm Butler also was out of practice, and Logan Ryan and Daxton Swanson saw increased reps at the position. That could be because Ryan and Swanson have the most experience in New England’s defense out of all the Patriots cornerbacks."

It's no surprise to see Ryan getting reps.  Despite regressing his sophomore campaign, Ryan should benefit from more off coverage and zone principles, where he can use his instincts and speed. 

It's not entirely clear where he'll play—Ryan's skill set should theoretically play well in the slot or as a safety next to Devin McCourty in two-high coverages—but it's hard not to imagine the former third-rounder receiving first dibs on some meaningful role.

Swanson is a more intriguing surprise, given that he spent his 2014 season shuttling on and off the Patriots practice squad.  The 5'11", 185-pound corner is on the smaller side, but he performed well last preseason.

According to Pro Football Focus, Swanson posted a plus-2.6 grade in pass coverage, though he played just 69 snaps over three games.  The Pats clearly saw enough to keep him around for the year, and with uncertainty throughout the cornerback depth chart, perhaps Swanson can leapfrog the likes of Robert McClain and Darryl Roberts for a roster spot.

Tre' Jackson

These practices are all about reading into tea leaves, so something as ostensibly trivial as jersey numbers can become cause for speculation.  Based on the numbers the Patriots handed out to their rookies, the most significant takeaway is a potential succession plan at guard, as Rich Hill of Pats Pulpit discussed :

"

#Patriots gave Dan Connolly's #63 to rookie Tre Jackson. Thinking a reunion isn't as likely at this point (barring injuries)

— Rich Hill (@PP_Rich_Hill) May 29, 2015"

The Dan Connolly rumor mill has been quiet for weeks now, and unlike Brandon Spikes or Dane Fletcher, the Pats didn't jump to sign Connolly after the May 12 deadline for compensatory draft formulation.  In other words, Connolly can no longer count against New England's compensatory pick formula for 2016, yet the Pats still haven't attempted to sign a player who has started 67 games the past five seasons.

Tre' Jackson was a right guard at Florida State, so it'll be interesting to see if the Pats keep him there to compete with Ryan Wendell or if Jackson shifts over to the left side. 

New England will probably work him at both spots for versatility's sake, but unless Shaq Mason, Jordan Devey or Josh Kline emerges, the Pats have no real answer at left guard sans Connolly.  If the Patriots really have moved on from Connolly, they could be parting the way for an immediate entry into the starting lineup for Jackson.

Jimmy Garoppolo

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Individually, Jimmy Garoppolo is New England's biggest winner this offseason.  Though it's unlikely he can show enough over four games to do what Tom Brady did to Drew Bledsoe 14 years ago, Garoppolo has a prime opportunity to earn himself millions and a stable starting role.

The path to that endgame started in OTAs, as Garoppolo splitting reps with Brady.  The Patriots' top signal-caller has been notoriously stingy about divvying up practice reps, and while New England did not employ a totally even split, the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe illustrated a roughly 2-to-1 distribution in Brady's favor:

"

7 on 7: Brady: 11 of 18 Garoppolo: 8 of 11 11 on 11: Brady: 7 of 11 Garoppolo: 8 of 11

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) May 29, 2015"

It's hard to remember a time when Brady's backup made that large a dent into his practice reps, but such is the nature of this highly unusual offseason.  There's no point dissecting Garoppolo's performance too much, especially without contact allowed, but there will be ample time to obsess over the 2014 second-rounder. 

For now, consider Friday's practice the beginning of a quarterback management situation the Patriots have yet to face during the Bill Belichick era.