Biggest Questions Facing New England Patriots with Training Camp Underway

For the New England Patriots as a franchise, there's one big question hovering over the 2017 season—can the team win another Super Bowl? For the Patriots to answer that big question with a "yes," there are lots of smaller questions that must be answered.

Can Tom Brady continue to play at an elite level at age 40? Will the new pieces the team added in the offseason blend with the championship roster? Can tight end Rob Gronkowski remain healthy for an entire 16-game season?

These are questions that can't be answered right away because it's going to take the entirety of the season to answer them. However, there are some important questions that can and must be answered before the 2017 regular season begins. These are the questions New England will be seeking answers for during training camp and the preseason.

With Patriots camp now officially underway, we're going to dive into these burning preseason questions.

Who Will Be the Lead Running Back?

Associated Press

Mike Gillislee

The Patriots don't have LeGarrette Blount to lead their rushing attack anymore. That means they'll be looking to replace a guy who racked up 1,161 yards rushing and 18 rushing touchdowns last season.

New England brought in former Buffalo Bills back Mike Gillislee and former Cincinnati Bengals back Rex Burkhead this offseason to help replace him. They join receiving/utility backs Dion Lewis and James White. Brandon Bolden, D.J. Foster and rookie LeShun Daniels are also in the mix.

While the Patriots already know they have capable receivers in their backfield with White and Lewis, someone from the group is going to have to take over the role of leading rusher. Sure, the Patriots can and probably will use a committee approach, but even running back committees have a lead dog.

Gillislee is probably the favorite for that role. He averaged an impressive 5.7 yards per carry last year while scoring eight touchdowns on 101 carries. He is the only back of the bunch to have produced over 100 carries in a single season.

Burkhead also has to get consideration. He and Gillislee were the league's two most efficient backs on a per-play basis last season, according to Pro Football Outsiders.

Of course, these are the Patriots we're talking about. How or when the team acquired a player doesn't matter nearly as much as his performance on the field. It wouldn't be totally shocking to see a rookie like Daniels or a special teamer like Bolden take control of the job before the end of camp.

Who Will Be the No. 3 Receiver?

Associated Press

Chris Hogan

Wide receiver Brandin Cooks was New England's highest-profile addition this offseason for a couple of reasons. The team traded away a first-round pick to acquire him, and his addition gives Brady a true home run hitter on the outside.

Cooks should start opposite Julian Edelman in two-receiver sets. What New England needs to determine is which player to put on the outside in three-receiver formations when Edelman slides into the slot. This player will be New England's de facto No. 3 receiver, even though the Patriots will utilize multiple configurations.

There are plenty of candidates for the No. 3 role. Danny Amendola has been an offensive mainstay for the past four years. The Patriots brought in Chris Hogan and drafted Malcolm Mitchell last season. One of those three is likely to earn the job, but players like Devin Lucien and rookie Austin Carr will be in the mix as well.

Can the Patriots Extend Malcolm Butler?

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Perhaps a better question is whether or not the Patriots want to extend star cornerback Malcolm Butler before the season. If the team is interested in keeping Butler long-term, it should.

The first reason why it would make sense to get a deal done now is to make Butler happy. While he seems at peace with the idea of playing for New England on a one-year restricted free-agent deal, he surely isn't thrilled about it. The Patriots chose not to give him a lucrative long-term deal and instead gave a five-year, $65 million deal to free-agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

Giving Butler a new deal would help prevent distractions for a corner who was rated fifth at his position by Pro Football Focus last season. That can't possibly be a bad idea.

The other reason is that the longer Butler goes without a new deal, the more likely it becomes he'll land with another team next offseason. He should be one of the top free agents on the market in 2018, and his value will only increase with another strong season.

With Gilmore playing opposite him, Butler should be in store for a value-increasing campaign. Locking him up now would potentially help the Patriots get themselves some value while keeping Butler away from the open market and on the team for the foreseeable future.

How Healthy Is Gronkowski?

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

Tight end Rob Gronkowski is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the entire NFL. Unfortunately, he also has an extensive injury history. He's only played two full 16-game seasons in his career and is coming off season-ending back surgery.

As a practical matter, Gronkowski is completely healthy once again.

"He doesn't have limits that I know of," head coach Bill Belichick said, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

Gronkowski is back on the practice field, but how healthy is he really? Is he ready to take on a full workload and be fully reincorporated into the offense? These are questions the Patriots will want to answer before meaningful games get underway.

The Patriots survived Gronkowski's absence last season largely due to the presence of Martellus Bennett. Bennett is gone, though, and Dwayne Allen hasn't exactly shined in offseason practices, per Reiss. If the Patriots don't believe Gronkowski is 100 percent his normal self, they may decide to utilize him in a limited role early in the season.

Who Will Become the No. 2 Pass-Rusher?

Associated Press

Deatrich Wise (91) and Derek Rivers (95)

A poor pass rush was one of the few weaknesses of the Patriots defense in 2016. As a team, New England produced just 34 sacks, tied for 16th in the NFL. Defensive end Trey Flowers led the team with a mere seven sacks on the year.

The Patriots need to find another sack-producer to complement Flowers. Last season, there was essentially a three-man rotation at defensive end involving Flowers, Jabaal Sheard and Chris Long. The latter two players produced just nine sacks between them.

Ideally, New England will find a legitimate tandem that can produce the 16 sacks produced by those three last year. One player is likely Flowers. The other will likely come from the players brought in this offseason.

New England drafted defensive ends Derek Rivers and Deatrich Wise. The team also signed defensive end Lawrence Guy and traded for Kony Ealy. Can one of them emerge and be Flowers' sack-mate? If so, which one?

The Patriots will hope to find out before the start of the season.

Can Stephon Gilmore Adapt to the Patriots System?

Steven Senne/Associated Press

The Patriots brought in a number of players this offseason. Alongside Cooks, cornerback Stephen Gilmore is one of the most notable. The team inked him to a massive five-year, $65 million contract, with $40 million guaranteed.

Gilmore is just 26 years old and is coming off his first season as a Pro Bowler. He'll obviously be a part of the team's future. The question is how quickly can he adapt to New England's defensive schemes. If he can adjust quickly, the Patriots will end up with the powerful cornerback duo they want.

If Gilmore struggles, however, the secondary could take a step back early on.

The good news is that veteran players like Butler are helping Gilmore make the transition in training camp.

"They talk with me all the time," Gilmore explained, per Conor Ryan of MassLive.com. "They help me along the way. Some of the calls are different...different names, so I'm getting used to it and they're helping me along the way."

The Patriots will know a lot more about how Gilmore operates in coordinator Matt Patricia's defense by the end of the preseason. Hopefully, the team gets the answer it's looking for.

Who Will Be the Defensive Leaders?

Associated Press

Devin McCourty

This is definitely one of the biggest questions the Patriots need to answer before the start of the season. The team's defense, which allowed just 15.6 points per game, was tremendous last year. However, many of the established leaders of that unit are gone.

Sheard and Long are out of the defensive end rotation. Cornerback Logan Ryan left via free agency. Rob Ninkovich, an 11-year veteran, announced his retirement on Monday. His loss will certainly be felt.

"You can see the testament of everyone here, what Rob means to all of us," Belichick said after Ninkovich's retirement press conference, which many teammates chose to attend.

Without a new contract and a certain future in New England, Butler may not have much interest in being a true defensive leader either. That could be an issue with Ryan out and newcomer Gilmore playing opposite him in the secondary.

Yes, the Patriots defense has gotten quite a bit younger, but it lacks a lot of the experience and leadership the unit boasted last year. Defensive captain Dont'a Hightower is obviously one of the remaining leaders. Fellow captain Devin McCourty is another. Over the next few weeks, the Patriots will look to fill in the leadership gaps with younger or newer players.

Can the Patriots Block Out the 19-0 Chatter?

Steven Senne/Associated Press

If there's one thing the Patriots always try to do—at least publicly—it's block out the noise. Belichick doesn't like distractions and he doesn't like his players being distracted. Keeping everyone 100 percent focused on the coming season could be a challenge, though, because it almost seems as if the Patriots are already destined to win another Lombardi Trophy.

The Patriots are huge favorites to win Super Bowl LII—OddsShark.com has them at 15-4—and there's even been talk of the team going undefeated. With such high expectations and a Super Bowl in the immediate rear view, can the Patriots really prepare like this is business as usual?

For some of the players, perhaps.

"I think it's quite foolish to believe and to buy into some of the things that are being said about our football team right now," longtime special teams ace Matthew Slater said, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. "We have yet to go out and have a competitive practice in pads in 2017, so I think we need to remember that and understand that it's hard to have success in this league."

The fact that players like Slater even have to address a hypothetical situation means this is already somewhat of a distraction. In 2007, the Patriots went undefeated before losing in the Super Bowl, but the 19-0 talk was a constant presence.

How the players respond throughout camp could be indicative of how the team handles the potential distraction during the season. If they can ignore the noise now, the Patriots will be taking a major first step.