FOXBOROUGH, MA
Brendan Howe Teams across the NFL are gearing up for another season. There will be surprise cuts, injuries and standouts. The Patriots have had all of those thus far, but we like to focus on the positives. So, without further ado, here are the standouts from the first 5 practices of Patriots camp. Julian Edelman WR Edelman has sparkled throughout the first part of training camp. He's looking as healthy as ever, being able to make jump cuts, start and stop on a dime, and even run with some authority. All those things are positives and re-assuring for the Patriots coaching staff, just 11 months removed from seeing their #1 receiver tear his ACL on a non-contact injury in the pre-season. However, Edelman will need to get in as much work as possible seeing he is serving a 4-game suspension to open the season. Phillip Dorsett WR Dorsett is starting to find his way into the Brady 'circle of trust' as he's had a very impressive start to camp. With Edelman out for the first quarter of the season, Chris Hogan will become the #1 receiver, and Dorsett could very well find his way on the field for a majority of the snaps at the #2 slot. He's flashed big play potential early on, catching a couple deep shots from Brady. Dorsett has shown the potential to fill in for Brandin Cooks on the outside. Deatrich Wise DE Speaking of gaining trust, Wise is a guy on the defensive front that has definitely opened the eyes of Bill Belichick. Wise had a great rookie campaign, totaling 5 sacks, and he's been treated like a veteran in the early part of camp. He's gained a lot of reps with starters Adrian Clayborn and Trey Flowers. Wise also rocked Jeremy Hill back on Saturday during a contact drill after Isaiah Wynn missed a block. Eric Rowe CB Rowe appears to be on pace to become the starter at the No. 2 corner alongside Stephon Gilmore. His competition in camp is newly acquired Jason McCourty and rookie Duke Dawson. Rowe has been on the field with the first string defense in the majority of drills. The pre-season will give the coaching staff a better look to see if Rowe is equipped for the role, but for now, that's where it appears he stands. Ryan Lewis CB This one may come as a bit of a head-scratcher, and you may be saying to yourself, who the heck is Ryan Lewis? Well, he went un-drafted last season and the Patriots picked him up by signing him to the practice squad. Lewis has really impressed in camp, with his best performance coming in the in-stadium practice on Monday night. In 11v11 drills, he ran stride for stride with Cordarelle Patterson and ultimately ended up making a tumbling interception off Tom Brady. That effort drew a bit of an applause from the crowd on hand, and then he followed it up by knocking down a pass from Brian Hoyer intended for Julian Edelman over the middle. The Pats feature a young group of corners at camp, and Lewis certainly has competition, but if he puts up some more performances like the one he had Monday night, he'll for sure have a shot at the final 53-man roster.
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