While the final score may not matter in the preseason, there are still winners and losers in these exhibition games. Players are fighting for their jobs and increased roles once the regular season rolls around. Several of New England’s rookies had big games, but nobody was better than edge defender Chase Winovich.
Chase Winovich Stars in New England Patriots Second Preseason Game
Winners
Chase Winovich
Chase Winovich is too good to play against backups. The third-round rookie is playing well above his draft stock and deserves a higher spot on the depth chart. Winovich picked up where he left off against Detroit, recording two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss during his first series on the field. On the next drive, he recorded a sack and drew a holding penalty.
Pro Football Focus had Chase Winovich as a first-round talent, and the Patriots got him in the third. Winovich is playing up to that first-round assessment, which is fantastic news for New England. If Winovich can keep this up, he has a chance to make an impact right out of the gate and could start opposite Michael Bennett.
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Joejuan Williams
Second-round cornerback Joejuan Williams is one of the most intriguing players on the roster. He’s not the type of player who can match up against anyone, but he’s supposed to be a guy capable of winning physical matchups against big receivers. That’s exactly what he did Saturday against wide receiver Corey Davis. Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota targeted this matchup twice, and each time Williams used his size to make a play on the ball. This is a great early sign for the second-round defensive back.
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Damien Harris
Damien Harris didn’t suit up in New England’s first preseason matchup, but he had quite the showing against the Titans. Harris earned the start with the first-team offense and made a good first impression. In the first half, the rookie recorded 41 yards on seven carries and added an additional two yards for 15 yards. He demonstrated impressive vision against Tennessee’s first-team defense and showed an ability to break tackles in both the pass and run game. It’s obviously a small sample, but Harris looked like he belongs in the NFL. With Harris, Sony Michel, and James White, New England could have one of the deepest running back rooms in the league.
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Jakobi Meyers
Losers
Braxton Berrios
Josh Gordon is back, which means that the battle for wide receiver depth just got a lot tougher. Braxton Berrios had a chance to cement his status on this team, but the second-year pro didn’t step up. Berrios didn’t catch a single pass and only saw one target in the first half. Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, N’Keal Harry, and Jakobi Meyers are all locks, leaving the rest of the depth chart battling for one or two spots. Right now, Berrios might be on the outside looking in.
Mike Pennel
Mike Pennel was supposed to be New England’s hand-selected replacement for Malcom Brown. The former Jet had a solid season in 2018 and should have been an easy fill in along the defensive line. That hasn’t happened, as the free-agent signee appears to be buried on the depth chart. Danny Shelton earned the start, and Pennel played into the second half. This is when guys on the roster bubble are supposed to be playing, and this implies that Pennel might not even be safe to make the team.
Jarrett Stidham
It’s time to pump the brakes on the Jarrett Stidham hype train. The fourth-round rookie looked like a superstar last week, but he came back to Earth against the Titans. While his final numbers weren’t terrible, he threw quite a few passes which should have been intercepted. Stidham had a chance to usurp Brian Hoyer for the backup position, but right now he’s still looking like a third-string arm. That said, he still showed the ability to make some pretty throws with a late go-ahead touchdown pass.
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Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
