When the New England Patriots kick off their 2026 preseason tonight, the majority of the starters won’t be on the field. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be anything interesting to watch for, however. In fact, Drake Maye and company being held out means that some of the Patriots’ lesser-known players might get valuable time in the spotlight.
Here are a few of them that I’m going to be focused on tonight — and you should be as well (on top of the players Brian Hines already highlighted in his story).
WR Cameron Dorner
The Patriots have seven wide receivers that could make the team, and then there is a clear break among tiers. The guy at the very top of the next tier is Cameron Dorner. The undrafted rookie has looked fluid running routes, has consistently made plays while on the field, and won his 1-on-1 matchups in joint practice on Tuesday. He plays mostly on the third team but has earned the occasional rep with the second team.
With Drake Maye not playing, there are sure to be a few receivers not playing as well, which should give us an extended look at the depth at the position. If Dorner can perform in the games like he has at training camp, the fan base is going to fall in love with him, and he will be the latest UDFA that everyone is pulling for to make the team. It seems unlikely, with the depth the Patriots have, that he’s going to make the team out of camp, but I do believe that he looks to have the potential to develop into a real NFL receiver.
Whether that is in New England or somewhere else might be decided by what other teams see in preseason games, or, in the case of the Colts and Eagles, while practicing against him. I have a feeling that a lot more Patriots fans are going to know Dorner’s name by Friday morning, though.
OT Marcus Bryant
Chances are a good amount of the starting offensive linemen are going to be out alongside Drake Maye on Thursday. That will give us a chance to watch the backups, and Marcus Bryant is one of them.
Now in his second year, Bryan had been working as the top backup on the left side early before switching places with Caleb Lomu and moving to the right. He was with the team last year, but it seemed significant that, when the Patriots were looking for an extra blocker, they brought up Thayer Munford Jr. instead of Bryant. Will Bryant be able to step into a backup role this year and make the active roster? Thursday night will be a good test to see if he can do that.
OL JonDarius Morgan
Morgan is an undrafted rookie out of UAB who has seen most of his work with the third-stringer’s in camp. The interior line depth is very suspect right now, so he has a chance to show that he deserves one of the spots on the practice squad or even the 53-man roster, because no one has really claimed one yet (outside of de facto roster lock to begin with Ben Brown).
Morgan and Bryant have two very different stories and paths to the roster, but I am very interested in what we will see from both of them.
ED Xavier Holmes
Holmes was a rookie minicamp invite by the Patriots, who the Patriots liked enough to sign afterwards. He has popped in practice, and, while most reporters have been talking about Khalil Jacobs — who has looked very good too — I’ve been more impressed with Holmes. The Patriots have nothing but questions when it comes to rushing the passer, so Holmes showing that he can do it at a consistent level against backups would go a long way to him sticking around.
Putting on a good performance Thursday night would be a great step towards that happening, whether it be on the practice squad or indeed the active roster.
CB Karon Prunty
The Patriots have three very good cornerbacks at the top of their depth chart, but there are some serious questions as to who is going to step up after that. Charles Woods has been the fourth guy in the rotation, and he has done a decent job before recently getting banged up, while Prunty has shown marked improvement in the last week or so.
The fifth-round pick, who most considered a reach at the time, has a chance to carve out a role. Showing out on Thursday would help quite a bit in what is a tight race for the fifth and sixth spots on the cornerback depth chart.
S John Saunders Jr. and S Peter Manuma
The Patriots have two extremely talented players starting for them at safety this year. Unfortunately, after Craig Woodson and Kevin Byard, the talent drops off quite a bit. Dell Pettus has looked very good in camp, and should have solidified a spot on the team, but they are probably going to need more than three safeties.
Enter JohnSaunders Jr. and Peter Manuma. Saunders Jr.was on Miami’s practice squad last season, until the Patriots scooped him up and signed him to their active roster, later moving him back to their own practice squad. Manuma, like Holmes, was a rookie minicamp invite who earned a contract with his play in the camp.
Both guys flashed a few times in the joint practice against the Colts, with Manuma forcing an incompletion on a deep ball and Saunders Jr. coming away with a tip-drill interception. Outside of that, the two of them have had a hard time sticking out in practice. However, with Mike Brown banged up and not playing well even when he was healthy, there is a roster spot that could be wrestled away from the veteran free agent.
Both Saunders Jr. and Manuma are in position to fight for it, and Thursday is a great chance for them to prove that they belong on the roster. They should have plenty of opportunities to prove it.