{"id":29975,"date":"2025-08-08T23:10:45","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T23:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=29975"},"modified":"2025-08-08T23:10:45","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T23:10:45","slug":"six-players-to-watch-in-patriots-preseason-opener-vs-commanders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=29975","title":{"rendered":"Six Players To Watch In Patriots’ Preseason Opener Vs. Commanders"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Six<\/p>\n

The New England Patriots will kickstart their preseason schedule with a matchup against the Washington Commanders on Friday.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a night that will be headlined by Tom Brady\u2019s statue unveiling that is scheduled to take place just prior to kickoff at Gillette Stadium, but the true sickos will have their eyes on a collection of underperforming veterans, undrafted free agents and talented players who need to translate what they\u2019ve done in practice into a game setting.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve written about players who fit those archetypes throughout the offseason, but now is the time to keep your eyes on a few in particular:<\/p>\n

RB Lan Larison (No. 34)<\/h4>\n

Larison was anointed before he ever put the pads on, which was patently ridiculous, but there\u2019s a reason why fans were so excited about an undrafted rookie running back who never played against any real competition.<\/p>\n

I think\u2026<\/p>\n

The Patriots clearly like their top three in the running back room, with TreVeyon Henderson suddenly headlining a group that also includes successful veterans Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. It\u2019d be difficult for anyone to work their way into the mix, but strong preseason performances could cause the organization to try and protect a player by keeping him on the active roster \u2014 at least early on. Larison needs to star in these games if he wants to be factored into plans.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

WR Ja\u2019Lynn Polk (No. 1)<\/h4>\n

Polk\u2019s early training camp absences might have told us everything we need to know about his standing within the wide receiver room.<\/p>\n

New England has moved into a direction where it clearly doesn\u2019t need<\/em> the former second-round pick, so perhaps they give him preseason opportunities to display value before potentially shipping him elsewhere. I\u2019d be unsurprised to see him play all four quarters in this one, and if he does, you can count on a roster move following shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n

CB DJ James (No. 30)<\/h4>\n

\u201cDJ James\u00a0always gets around the ball.\u201d \u2013 DJ James on July 31.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see, kid.<\/p>\n

S Kyle Dugger (No. 23)<\/h4>\n

Dugger is a veteran leader who will obviously have a role on this club, but will it be as large as it has been in previous seasons?<\/p>\n

The Patriots\u2019 new coaching staff clearly likes the idea of utilizing a pretty sizable rotation at safety, with rookie Craig Woodson and veteran Jabrill Peppers being the primary options in base packages. It\u2019ll be interesting to see how much \u2014 and where \u2014 Dugger plays in the preseason opener.<\/p>\n

EDGE Elijah Ponder (No. 91)<\/h4>\n

Ponder has been a better pass-rusher than Bradyn Swinson and Anfernee Jennings to this point in training camp, and if he continues to get pressure in a game setting, we might have to have a serious conversation about whether or not he\u2019ll be suiting up in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders.<\/p>\n

TE CJ Dippre (No. 82)<\/h4>\n

Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper likely won\u2019t be seeing the field very much this preseason, which opens up a gigantic opportunity for the young tight ends on the roster \u2014 Dippre, Gee Scott, Jaheim Bell, Jack Westover \u2014 to make some noise.<\/p>\n

Dippre\u2019s ability to serve in multiple roles makes him the most intriguing option, in my estimation. How much will they put on his plate early on?<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots have some interesting players to keep an eye on during their preseason opener against the Washington Commanders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\nSix Players To Watch In Patriots' Preseason Opener Vs. Commanders - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=29975\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Six Players To Watch In Patriots' Preseason Opener Vs. 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