New England Patriots Training Camp: Week 2 Stock Report

The New England Patriots opened training camp with a number of questions that needed to be answered.

Who will be the starting cornerbacks? Who will be the top grouping on the offensive line, particularly at the guard spots? What will become of last year's rookies needing to make a jump in their second year? What about some of the big-name offseason additions? 

Those answers will manifest themselves over the course of a month in training camp, and now that we've reached the halfway point, we seem to be getting closer to resolutions. 

Position battles at running back, defensive tackle, cornerback and other spots are still taking shape. Some players are setting themselves apart with breakout performances, while others are falling to the wayside because of injuries or an inability to capitalize on their opportunities. 

There are still two weeks of training camp and nearly a full month left until the regular season, so players have some time for things to change. There is also some danger in minute-to-minute analysis of practices for a couple of reasons:

1. Practices are not the same as games, and although padded practices come close to approximating a real-game experience, nothing will substitute for live game action.
2. A smaller sample size means more of a focus on the highs and lows, which have more context with a full body of work. 

With all that in mind, here's a look at some players who have stood out through the first two weeks of practice. 

Stock Up: Malcolm Butler

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Pick a day of the week and it's a good bet that Malcolm Butler is making plays in practice.

At this time last year, Butler first introduced himself to Patriots fans in the same manner, by simply being consistent every day at practice. He's certainly not resting on his laurels now that he's a Super Bowl hero. 

On Monday, Butler made a spectacular one-handed interception off Tom Brady on a crossing pattern that was intended for Josh Boyce. Butler had no business making that interception but reached all the way across Boyce while running behind the receiver and grabbed the pass with his fingertips. He also added two more pass breakups to his summer total, which has to be upward of 10 at this point.

There's no doubt in anyone's mind at this point that Butler is the top cornerback on the Patriots depth chart. All that's left to determine is who will be playing alongside him in the first-team defense. 

Stock Down: David Andrews

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

By all accounts, rookie center David Andrews is performing well at training camp. He has been the primary backup center behind Bryan Stork and has fared well in one-on-one pass-rush drills. 

Therefore, it's confusing that backup guard Josh Kline took the reps snapping to Tom Brady in practice with Stork out with an injury.

Backup centers are important, and perhaps the Patriots were just giving someone else an opportunity to practice at center in the event of an emergency. That being said, wouldn't it make sense for Kline to work with Jimmy Garoppolo and other backups in a setting that is notably less pressurized?

Andrews is still the Patriots' second-best option at center, but his positional versatility hurts him with regard to getting opportunities at other spots on the line. 

Stock Up: Dominique Easley

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If defensive tackle Dominique Easley's performance in Monday's practice was a microcosm of his career, big things are ahead for the Patriots' 2014 first-round pick.

Easley got off to a slow start, failing to get past the pass blocking of rookie guard Tre' Jackson and others on most of his early attempts. Whether it was a spin move, a bull rush or a counter move, the Patriots' interior linemen had stonewalled him at every turn. 

Then, it seemed Easley flipped a switch. Suddenly, he was moving linemen to the side, getting through gaps to put pressure on quarterbacks and even bull-rushing people to the ground. That was the kind of "disruptive" nature that Bill Belichick spoke about when drafting him—the kind of disruptive ability we didn't see much of from Easley as a rookie. That's been consistent of him this summer, as he has started slow and finished strong in a number of practices. 

Easley spent last summer rehabbing from ACL surgery and didn't make his return to practice until mid-August. His early return to the field this summer (he missed just two days of practice at the start of training camp) is a positive sign that he's rehabbing and will be ready to contribute early and often. 

Stock Down: Travaris Cadet

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Make no mistake: Travaris Cadet has performed well when he's been on the field. He's been earning opportunities on offense and as a kickoff and punt returner, an area which the Patriots have needed an explosive threat for years.

The only problem is that now his positive momentum of the first two weeks of camp has been stymied by an apparent leg injury that has kept him out of the past couple of practices. 

Cadet's signature traits have been his quickness and explosiveness, but the injury could hinder those traits. Hamstring and hip issues are the kinds of problems that can linger, and it won't just be a matter of a couple of days off from practice for Cadet to get back to full health. 

If this was a precautionary measure, there's no cause for alarm. If it was something more serious, though, the Patriots may be back to the drawing board in their search for a scatback. 

Stock Up: Brandon Bolden

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

One goes down, another steps up.

The Patriots may have lost Travaris Cadet to injury, but no one is waiting around for him to come back. Cadet isn't the only one dealing with injury, as LeGarrette Blount has been on and off the practice field with various ailments. Meanwhile, veteran running back Brandon Bolden has made the most of his increased opportunities over the past couple of days.  

Bolden has been taking handoffs from Tom Brady in 11-on-11 work during practices, and he's also been catching passes out of the backfield. We've seen Bolden get some opportunities in the passing game in years past, and he has actually earned a majority of his playing time in the passing game over the past two years (262 pass plays, 107 run plays per Pro Football Focus). 

With Blount serving a one-game suspension, Bolden may get an opportunity to do it all for the Patriots in the first game of the regular season. 

Unless otherwise noted, all practice notes and quotes obtained firsthand.