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Patriots Preseason Opener To Give Idea Of Depth At Key Positions

By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- While most of the Patriots' biggest names and most important players won't see the field Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints in their first preseason action of the season, there will still be plenty to watch for in terms of depth at some important positions.

The Patriots will need to figure out the middle-to-bottom of the depth chart at certain positional groups for one of two reasons: to see who can seize key roles at positions that lack clear frontrunners, and to have an idea of what they have in the event of key departures from the team. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald posted a column Thursday listing 18 total Patriots players confirmed out for Thursday's game, and many of the absences will open up opportunities at roster spots that are either there for the taking right now or could be as soon as next year.

One position where the Patriots do not have a clear starter or early-down role is running back. After making minimal offseason additions, the Patriots need to see what could be in store at that position both now and in the future. Dion Lewis, who remains on the physically unable to perform list, can't play every down, and LeGarrette Blount enters camp fighting for his job. Donald Brown has earned high praise from Bill Belichick, but hasn't participated in team drills for over a week and is not expected to play. The same goes for undrafted free agent D.J. Foster, who hasn't played in drills since August 3rd.

That leaves Blount competing for snaps with Tyler Gaffney, who signed a one-year deal with the Patriots in the offseason. The 25-year-old Gaffney has turned heads in camp acting as the primary ball carrier for the offense. If he can prove to be serviceable or better, that could spell trouble for both Blount and Brown and perhaps give the Patriots more certainty at what is easily their most uncertain positional group.

Elsewhere on offense, the wide receivers beyond Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and Chris Hogan still have a battle to fight. With those three and Keshawn Martin (no team drills since July 30th) out for Thursday night, expect Malcolm Mitchell to get plenty of looks from Jimmy Garoppolo, while Chris Harper, DeAndre Carter, and Aaron Dobson will all likely see some time as well. With at least four guys competing for what's likely going to be two roster spots, the competition for the WR depth chart will be interesting to monitor, especially to have an idea of what the team has at that position should they lose Edelman or Amendola again.

The offensive line, as is tradition, will also be a group to watch as they get their first game action since being torched in the AFC Championship Game in Denver. It will be intriguing, to say the least, to see how the line performs if presumed starter Nate Solder is in at left tackle. Only Sebastian Vollmer, Jonathan Cooper, and Tre' Jackson are definitely out, so the team could be fielding a near-complete version of this year's O-line. Rookie Joe Thuney, whom the Patriots drafted with one of their selections acquired via trading the second-round pick they got for Chandler Jones, has impressed in camp so far and is one particular name to watch as the line works its way toward better stability after a disappointing 2015.

As important as it will be to shake out positional battles on offense, it may be even more important on defense, certainly on the defensive line. On the edge, there are major voids to be filled, one left by the departure of Jones to Arizona and another left by Rob Ninkovich's triceps injury. No. 50 isn't expected to miss much regular season time, but could have trouble regaining full strength over the course of the season. Jabaal Sheard figures to have one defensive end spot locked up, but Trey Flowers, Chris Long, Shea McClellin and Geneo Grissom are all candidates for the other end spot. Flowers, in particular, has already shown flashes of high-end talent but has not been able to stay on the field.

On the interior of the defensive line, only offseason addition Frank Kearse is guaranteed to sit out Thursday night's game. With Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Terrance Knighton, and Vincent Valentine all competing for the two starting spots, it will be one of the more intriguing positional battles to watch for starting Thursday night. Brown, in particular, sounds ready to make a big leap forward in his second year.

As for the top-heavy linebacker group, there are two big-time players in Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins who have developed into true game-changers at the linebacker position, but will the Patriots be able to sign both of them to long-term deals at fair value? It's because of that uncertainty that the team will need to start figuring out what they really have behind those two at that position. 2016 sixth-round pick Kamu Grugier-Hill, who has impressed in training camp and may have already sewn up a spot on special teams, will be one player worth watching at that spot.

If the Patriots end up losing one out of Hightower and Collins, it could be because they had to extend themselves to keep cornerback Malcolm Butler around. However, if Butler takes another step forward and actually looks like an elite-level corner, perhaps he becomes too expensive for the Patriots to lock up long-term. So what would the team be left with? There's Logan Ryan (who is not playing Thursday), but he will also become an unrestricted free agent after 2016. That's why rookie second-rounder Cyrus Jones is one of the most important players to watch for in the preseason and beyond, and undrafted rookie Jonathan Jones and second-year corner Darryl Roberts are sure to get plenty of snaps as well.

Preseason results may ultimately be meaningless, but it's usually not hard to tell who's playing well and who's playing poorly, independent of the performance of their teammates. No, you won't see most of the starters, but you will get a glimpse of what could be the future of the team at several spots. That's always worth checking out - plus, it's football. You know you want some football.

Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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