Inside The Playbook

Patriots Off-Season Position Battles

By: Lily Zhao

As the NFL Draft draws near, Bill Belichick and his staff will be evaluating which positions which will need the most help. What this means is players are not guaranteed anything until the start of the season.

Guys like Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez pretty much have their positions set in stone. But what about the rest of the team? These position battles will be changed even more as more players get drafted in late April, but as now, here are some key position battles to pay attention to heading into the summer.

(Kelvin Ma)

Wide Receiver: Following the team's Super Bowl controversy, Belichick took a deep look at his receiving corps and signed Brandon Lloyd, Anthony Gonzalez and re-signed Deion Branch to give Tom Brady some more targets to throw to this season. New England has nine receivers, with only two--Wes Welker and Lloyd--guaranteed to make the starting roster. Matthew Slater and Julian Edelman are coming into their own, but the rest of the receiving corps has been inconsistent. Chad Ochocinco has not lived up to the enormous expectations he had coming into New England, Donte Stallworth's production has declined to the point where he's only caught 41 passes since leaving the team in 2007, and Anthony Gonzalez is injury prone. Tiquan Underwood was released days before the Super Bowl and Britt Davis, the late-season practice squad pickup, faces even longer odds of making his presence on the field. This summer, can Stallworth prove he still has the speed and quickness he used to possess? Can Ochocinco learn the Patriots playbook by heart? Those are some of the key questions heading into the summer.

Running Back: BenJarvus Green-Ellis was the workhorse Belichick needed running the ball. Now that he's gone to Cincinnati, that leaves Stevan Ridley, Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen at the position. It seems Ridley will be the best option to replace Green-Ellis. A star at LSU, Ridley played substantial minutes last season, averaging over 4 yards per carry. He has a similar physical running style as Green-Ellis; however, fumbles have been his issue. If Ridley can hold onto the ball, he could challenge Woodhead for the starting position.

(nfldotcom.com)

Cornerback: Having the second-worst pass defense in the league last season has forced Belichick to upgrade the secondary completely. Kyle Arrington, Devin McCourty and Ras-I Dowling are the top three favorites heading into training camp to be the starter. However, upstart Sterling Moore could dial up the competition at the cornerback position. The undrafted rookie will have to prove his Cinderella rookie season wasn't just a one and done deal. The Patriots also signed Will Allen from the Miami Dolphins. At 33, Allen still has the quickness and hands necessary to compete in the backfield. Rumors are also swirling in New England about the possibility of signing Northern Alabama's Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins was a sure first rounder when he was at Florida, but a slew of run-ins with the law make him a risky pick.