By Jordan Long
The New England Patriots have started organized team activities (OTA’s) today. These are voluntary. Even though these are optional, there are still plenty of roster battles to watch.
The biggest one is quarterback. The Patriots will use OTA’s to have an idea of who could be the back up quarterback to Tom Brady this season between Brian Hoyer and Danny Etling. One of them is going to throw the football if Brady decides not to show up to OTA’s. Hoyer has the inside track since he has been part of the New England Patriots for 4 of his 9 NFL seasons.
The tight end position behind Rob Gronkowski is wide open. The other tight end should be Dwayne Allen with his NFL experience. After that Jacob Hollister, Will Tye, Ryan Izzo, Troy Niklas and Shane Wimann, are going to compete for one or two spots depending on how many tight ends the Patriots want to keep.
Another position is running back after Rex Burkhead and James White. The way New England will be successful this year is by having some sort of running game. The running game will open up the passing game. Defenses won’t know if the Patriots are going to run or throw the football. Those looking to make an impression are Brandon Bolden, Jeremy Hill, Mike Gillislee and Ralph Webb. There might only be room for two of them.
These are just a few of the positions to look for during OTA’s. The OTA’s give players a chance to work with the coaching staff. Of course training camp in July will mean more as well as preseason games when the athletes on the bubble to make the roster show they deserve a spot.
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