Some Patriots news on this Friday:
Stefon Diggs’ comments that appeared in this space yesterday were interesting, where he discussed the nuances of Josh McDaniels’ offense as he continues getting more comfortable learning things ahead of training camp.
Former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak talked about it yesterday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak and Bertrand, and Zolak noted that Diggs’ attention to detail is one of the things that separates him from someone like second-year wideout, Ja’Lynn Polk.
“A receiver talking about, ‘Man, I got two or three seconds to get open. I got to find a contour of the defense. I’m already looking when I’m breaking a huddle,'” said Zolak, referring to Diggs’ comments. “Other guys just like, Ja’Lynn Polk. ‘I just got to line up over here. One, two, three, four. Okay. Right foot back, hands down, look in at the quarterback. Okay. Oh, what’s my route?’ No, dude. Give me the alpha. Give me alphas all day. That’s an alpha.”
Co-host Mark Dondero also believes that DeMario Douglas should be poised for a big season, and Zolak agreed. Zolak even took it a step further and said that Douglas could have been more productive last year, but there were issues under Alex Van Pelt that he believes held the young wideout back. Zolak talked about the fact that there were multiple times last season where spacing was an issue, which he’s hopeful won’t be a problem this year.
“I think Pop last year got caught up in the lack of spacing, the lack of coaching,” said Zolak. “Josh’s structure to the offense and the spacing, it’s going to be so precise. ‘I need you here at three, three and a half. Do not go inside the numbers. You’re going to sit and stay there.’ There were so many times last year where I saw four guys in about a three-yard area, and it was frustrating to watch because that’s how the quarterback gets in trouble. Why is Hunter Henry running down the middle, running into Austin Hooper? And then here comes Polk on a dig cut, runs right into him. That should never happen, ever. Josh is going to be very precise, and I think that’s going to benefit Pop [Douglas], too.”
This is a big year for Douglas, who finished tied for the team lead in receptions in 2024 with 66 with Hunter Henry, with Douglas also hauling in 621 yards and three touchdowns. Zolak believes this should be the season we finally see a breakout year from the former sixth-round pick out of Liberty.
“I said about a month ago, as we were talking to the receiver, I said, Pop’s got to do something,” said Zolak. “It’s time to get off the pot. It’s time. It’s time we got to see something from him. Hopefully, he’s bought in with this offense, and he understands it with Josh, and it seems like he’s working his ass off, so that’s good.”
Christian Gonzalez
(PHOTO: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)
Christian Gonzalez has been a player who has flown under the radar around the league since the team drafted him at 17th overall in 2023, but he finally got some well-deserved recognition.
The third year defensive back appeared in the NFL’s top 100 players of 2025, coming in at #84 among the group.
He was highly touted coming out of college at Oregon and his selection by the Patriots was relatively well-received here in New England, with the club seemingly snagging a future lock-down corner. Defensive backs are typically among the higher-paid players in the league, and landing a player like Gonzalez on a rookie contract felt like a home run.
However, he had some bad luck in his first season, with the rookie going down with a torn labrum following a tackle in Week 4 during a disastrous 38-3 blowout loss to Dallas, which saw him end up on injured reserve. That ended his first year before it really got started.
Still, in 2024, he came back strong, staying healthy for the entire year while ending up with 11 pass deflections, two interceptions, and an electric fumble recovery against Miami in Week 12. That play was impressive, with Gonzalez showing off his athleticism and alertness as he swooped in and scooped up a fumble forced by Marte Mapu, with the second-year cornerback then taking off and blowing by everyone for a touchdown. The 33rd Team also had him having allowed a 69.3 passer rating when targeted last season, which came in third-lowest among defensive backs who were targeted 75 or more times in 2024.
It’s unfortunate that the Patriots have gone through two-straight 4-13 seasons, seemingly squandering two campaigns where they’ve got Gonzalez on a rookie deal. They’ve got him under contract for this year and next year, with the option for a fifth-year beyond that. But given how these situations tend to play out, the odds are pretty good that this year could potentially set the stage for an extension next offseason.
That will likely add a little bit of motivation for Gonzalez this season, who will also have the luxury of playing opposite a pretty good veteran in Carlton Davis, who the club signed this past offseason.
Gonzalez also has a knowledgeable and experienced defensive head coach in Mike Vrabel, and it should be interesting to see if he takes another step forward this season.
Tyquan Thornton
(PHOTO: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Meanwhile, one name that popped up in recent weeks is former Patriots receiver Tyquan Thornton, who heads into training camp in Kansas City hoping to carve out a role for himself.
After finally being waived last November by the Patriots, the former 2022 2nd-round pick out of Baylor landed on the Chiefs’ practice squad, with Kansas City bringing him back after he signed a reserve/future contract back in February.
During a minicamp press conference last month, head coach Andy Reid praised the progress of the young wideout during offseason workouts.
“I like Tyquan (Thornton), I like the way he’s approached things,” said Reid via USA TODAY’s Ed Easton Jr. “He’s got the quarterback’s trust, which is a positive thing. You have valuable reps in here. The other guys could see that he’s a talented guy. So, so far, so good again. I’d like to see him in a game situation, how he held. I would anticipate him doing a nice job and see where we are with that.”
Thornton’s speed was the attribute that landed him his initial opportunity with the Patriots, with Thornton running a 4.28 40 yard dash at the NFL combine. Thornton admitted that metric definitely changed things. He said during an interview during March that year that his phone started blowing up after putting up that number, which definitely seemed to get everyone’s attention heading into the draft.
Tyquan Thornton
(PHOTO: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
But despite having decent size at 6’2″, his thin 181 pound frame didn’t hold up during his first training camp, with Thornton suffering a fractured collarbone during the team’s second exhibition game against Carolina. He seemingly suffered the injury early in the second quarter after the rookie caught a 13-yard pass from Brian Hoyer, with Panthers defenders swarming him and wrapping him up before Carolina linebacker Brandon Smith drove him into the ground.
Thornton remained in the game and was even in on the punt team, but left shortly after. He didn’t return and was later ruled “OUT” with a shoulder injury. He did return midseason that year, but he never really became the player many hoped he would be.
His biggest issue seemed to be the fact he struggled getting out into his routes, not quite having the strength to get off press coverage against the bigger and more physical NFL receivers. He also suffered with drops, which another area that seemed to hurt him was the fact he does have smaller hands that some players.
Despite putting on weight on his upper body ahead of last season, his struggles continued, and the club opted to move on from him.
Now the hope in Kansas City is that he can become the speedy threat the Chiefs are certainly looking for, especially coming off a Super Bowl loss this past February against Philadelphia.
(PHOTO: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)
With newcomers Robert Spillane, Harold Landry and Jack Gibbens, along with draft pick Bradyn Swinson, the linebacker position is one that is expected to be competive in the coming weeks.
The club has a total of 10 linebackers on the roster heading into training camp, which is tied with cornerback for the second-highest total at a position group behind the wide receivers (12).
One name that is going to be interesting to watch is Jahlani Tavai, who is heading into his first season under new head coach Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams.
Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal talked about Tavai recently, and he’s not sure how he’s going to fit in with this current group of players. He also believes Tavai could be someone the Patriots explore moving at some point.
“I still think he could get dealt,” said Bedard. “I want to say, and I’m going to have to see more about this team on the field now, I’m trying to remember… There’s a lot of snaps in there doing a lot of different things. I want to say the easiest solution and probably why they brought them in, and maybe there was a reason, maybe they wanted to give snaps to Monte Rice and also Cam Riley at middle linebacker.”
“I don’t remember Jack Gibbens playing a ton of middle linebacker during the offseason practices, but both Gibbens and Rice have a background with the Titans and the scheme. They know them really well. I want to say Monte Rice is more the middle linebacker, but I think Gibbens can do both. And I’ll be interested to see in training camp how many snaps he gets as middle linebacker.”
Bedard believes that if either Gibbens or Rice can put together a solid preseason, it could lead to some difficult decisions, which could potentially be bad for Tavai.
“If they feel good about Gibbens and/or Monte Rice, which it would not be a shock, I have both of those guys on my roster for this reason where they’re just like, ‘All right, well, if something happens, Gibbens and Rice can play both inside linebacker spots, and we can be okay,'” said Bedard. “But I do wonder if they give a healthy Jahlani Tavai, a little bit more of an opportunity to perhaps prove that he could be.”
He also noted that Tavai appears to be a little lighter heading into training camp, which he also believes might help him as he competes to maintain his spot with the club.
“Give Tavai credit. It looks like he’s cut some weight,” said Bedard. “He’s gotten into better shape. We know his versatility. He can play his best attribute, probably his versatility is very similar to Kyle Van Noy, who Tavai replaced, where he can play inside linebacker, he can play weakside linebacker, he can play edge if you need them to. I don’t think Gibbens, Rice, [Christian] Ellis, none of those guys had that potential.”
“Is that enough to grab a roster spot for Tavai? Possibly. But as of right now, I think the the new Patriots coaches see him, the more they’re going to realize that he’s not really a fit for them, and that maybe a more veteran team, maybe somebody that suffers an injury decides, You know what? Let’s go get Tavai to make sure we’re covered. He’s a veteran. He’s seen a lot. He’s won a lot of games with the Patriots at times. So maybe he would be better. I still think he’s trade bait.”
About Ian Logue
Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
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