Pats Pulpit
Their preseason opener versus the visiting Washington Commanders was a first chance for the new-look New England Patriots to show themselves to their fans in a game setting. It also was an opportunity for their players to keep building their cases for the 53-man roster.
Mike Vrabel and the rest of the coaching staff have plenty to work with in that regard: all but 12 members of their current team took the field at some point on Friday night. While there were differences in usage and exposure between different players, the game is another data point for the staff to consider with the roster cutdown deadline looming large.
“Felt everybody played, which I’m excited for,” Vrabel said after the game. “We talked about [that] there were some players that didn’t get to play or practice on Wednesday, they were going to get an opportunity on Friday night. I was happy to see them take advantage of it and proud that they could be excited about it.”
Here is our full snap count report from the Patriots’ 48-18 win at Gillette Stadium.
Total snaps: 64 | Time on the field: 28:25
LT/RT Demontrey Jacobs (46; 72%), RT/LT Marcus Bryant* (43; 67%), C/LG Ben Brown (33; 52%), WR Efton Chism III (32; 50%), WR Javon Baker (26; 41%), LG/RG Cole Strange (25; 39%), C Alec Lindstrom (25; 39%), LG Mehki Butler (25; 39%), RG Layden Robinson (25; 39%), RT Jack Conley (25; 39%), QB Joshua Dobbs (25; 39%), WR Kyle Williams (25; 39%), QB Ben Wooldridge (25; 39%), RB Lan Larison (23; 36%), RG/LG Tyrese Robinson (18; 28%), TE Cole Fotheringham (18; 28%), TE Gee Scott Jr. (18; 28%), WR Jeremiah Webb (18; 28%), WR John Jiles (17; 27%), TE C.J. Dippre (15; 23%), WR Ja’Lynn Polk (15; 23%), LG Jared Wilson* (14; 22%), RG Mike Onwenu* (14; 22%), RB Terrell Jennings (14; 22%), LT Will Campbell* (14; 22%), QB Drake Maye* (14; 22%), TE/FB Jack Westover* (13; 20%), C Garrett Bradbury* (13; 20%), WR Mack Hollins* (12; 19%), RB Antonio Gibson (11; 17%), WR DeMario Douglas (11; 17%), WR Kayshon Boutte (11; 17%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson* (10; 16%), TE Jaheim Bell (9; 14%), TE Austin Hooper* (9; 14%), RB TreVeyon Henderson (7; 11%), TE Hunter Henry* (6; 9%)
*denotes starter
The Patriots used their starting offense to kick off the game, with Drake Maye and company on the field for two series; the first resulted in a fumble lost by the starting quarterback, the second in a 5-yard run by the second-year QB. While the supporting cast around Maye looked as expected, three names stand out.
At right tackle, seventh-round rookie Marcus Bryant was the top option with Morgan Moses out and continued playing deep into the game. At center, Ben Brown entered the top lineup for the second series in place of starter Garrett Bradbury. Finally, in the backfield, tight end Jack Westover was part of the starting lineup as a fullback — a role he played...
