Players haven't entered the facility yet as a team and the Patriots are already having to shuffle their lineups.
According to reports, starting linebacker Dont'a Hightower, starting right tackle Marcus Cannon, starting fullback Dan Vitale and backups at center (Najee Toran) and running back (Brandon Boldin) have decided to opt out of this season due to Covid-19 concerns. Hightower was reported by ESPN. Cannon's decision was reported by Jim Murray of 98.5 The SportsHub and Karen Guregian of the Herald, and Toran was reported by Jim McBride of the Boston Globe. Leigh Steinberg, Vitale's agent, confirmed his client's decision to USA Today. WEEI reported Boldin.
UPDATE: Patrick Chung has told Mike Reiss of ESPN that he will also be opting out.
Cannon should be in the high-risk category ($350,000 stipend and an accrued season) due to the non-Hodgkins lymphoma he battled in college. Vitale and his wife just had a newborn. Hightower, Vitale, Bolden and Toran are believed to be voluntary ($150,000 stipend salary advance and no accrued season). Their contracts will toll for this season.
“Me and my fiancée are just more concerned with the health of our family than football — especially the new addition to our family," Hightower said in a statement to NFL Media.
https://twitter.com/zeus30hightower/status/1288213091847741442
The good news is the Patriots should recover about $16 million in cap space for this season.
The bad news? They need new starters at impact linebacker, right tackle and fullback, and they might need a veteran backup option at center.
What will they do at each spot?
LINEBACKER
Hightower is a massive blow. There's no other way around it. We just got done talking about how Ja'Whaun Bentley was on the spot — and that was with Hightower. Now without No. 54? There are no fallback options. And there are very few easy replacements — certainly none on the roster.
The Patriots are going to have to gauge the trade and cut market as training camp goes along. Alec Ogletree, Clay Matthews, oft-suspended Vontaze Burfict and Albert McClellan would be the players who could give the Patriots some options. But, again, very few players can fill as many spots for the Patriots as Hightower. The best plug-and-play option may be to trade for Jamie Collins from the Lions.
The other part of a Hightower opt-out is that he's a major leader and other players, like the McCourtys and Stephon Gilmore, could elect to do the same. Hightower did just have a child, which makes his situation unique.
SAFETY
This one is a little easier because Chung was already contemplating retirement in the offseason and the Patriots are deep with the signing of Adrian Phillips and the drafting of Kyle Dugger.
Actually, the drafting of Dugger so high makes perfect sense now. Perhaps the Patriots knew this was a possibility?
Plus, Jason McCourty and Jonathan Jones have each played safety at some point.
Losing Chung's experience and toughness is a blow, for sure. But Phillips should be a real asset for this defense and slide right into that veteran second safety role.
RIGHT TACKLE
There's no easy option here since the only ready options haven't played very much, if at all: 2019 third-round pick Yodny Cajuste and Korey Cunningham, who was acquired from the Cardinals for a sixth-round pick last year and never contributed with 14 inactives, including the playoff game.
A competition would ensue between both of them, but one or two players will be brought in. Former Patriot LaAdrian Waddle would likely get the first call. Former Bills and Bengals tackle Cordy Glenn is available and was a good starter when healthy — he had issues with Cincinnati after a concussion last season. Marshall Newhouse, Jared Veldheer (who "retired" from the Patriots last year only to sign on with the Packers) and veteran Demar Dotson would be the top other names available.
But the Patriots drafted Cajuste for a reason, and Cunningham should get a strong look.
2020 sixth-round pick Justin Herron will get a glimpse, but it's unknown whether or not his future is at tackle or guard.
Cannon's absence is a blow — if he was going to come back at play at his 2018 level and with a chip on his shoulder. Cannon was not as good last season and if that was a downward trend, he was a candidate to get released if someone like Cajuste won the job.
The Patriots could decide to move Joe Thuney to tackle — they're already paying him tackle money on the tag, so they might as well get their money's worth. That could be either at right tackle, or at left tackle, meaning Isaiah Wynn would move to left guard or right tackle.
But Cajuste/Cunningham with a veteran backup would seem to be Option A. The last thing the Patriots want to do is start moving people all over the line and weakening themselves at multiple spots instead of one.
FULLBACK
With James Develin retired, the Patriots moved purposely to become more athletic at the position with the signing of Dan Vitale from the Packers, and the drafting of tight end/H-back Dalton Keene. They might have to rethink a little of that because there aren't many athletic fullbacks around.
Jakob Johnson showed promise as a sledgehammer before his season-ending injury last year after Develin was injured. Tight end Jake Burt is also known for his blocking.
The status quo is likely here with Keene taking on an increased role.
BACKUP CENTER
The Patriots were already playing with fire not securing a veteran backup for David Andrews as he comes back from blood clots. According to sources, Toran was the backup option on the roster while seventh-round pick Dustin Woodard would be given a chance to hit.
Now, Woodard is the default backup center but a veteran signing will be likely. Hopefully, the Patriots do better than James Ferentz, who struggled last season. There aren't very good options on the street.
______________________
The Patriots made official many of the coaching staff changes that we previously reported at BSJ:
Jedd Fisch, quarterbacks coach (new)
Mick Lombardi, receivers (former assistant QBs)
Cole Popovich and Carmen Bricillo, offensive line (assistant RBs and assistant OL, respectively, in '19)
DeMarcus Covington, defensive line (outside LBs)
New alterations:
Troy Brown, RBs/kick returners
Tyler Hughes, offensive assitant
Steve Belichick, outside linebackers (safeties/secondary)
Brian Belichick, safeties
Joe Houston, special teams assistant
Brown's full-time role seems to setting the stage for Ivan Fears to retire at some point.
Patriots also re-signed WR Will Hastings, a UDFA and former Auburn teammate of Jarrett Stidham's, back to the roster.
