The Patriots and Eagles had two productive days of joint practices this week, with New England's star players taking center stage. Drake Maye's offensive line consistently gave him clean pockets, enabling the third-year quarterback and last year's MVP runner-up to make numerous plays in the passing game, many of which went to A.J. Brown.

Two years after getting dominated by the Eagles in a similar joint practice, the Patriots showed they now have all the pieces to compete with the best teams in the NFL.

Defensively, the Patriots exhibited a notable improvement from the first joint practice to the second. Their run defense tightened up and the big plays dried up. It was a positive turnaround and one that showed defensive progress.

Similarly, the Eagles defense made things a little tougher on Maye and the Patriots offense on Thursday, but both were competitive practices loaded with positives for New England.

Really, the biggest question facing the Patriots is depth. That means Saturday night's preseason contest will be another great chance for players to seize important roles on special teams and as subs on offense and defense.

Here are three spots to keep an eye on as New England looks to round out their roster underneath a talented top-line group.

1. Solidifying the O-Line

Last week's preseason game against the Colts saw the Patriots lose two of their top backup linemen. Andrew Rupcich was sent to Injured Reserve, while Mike Vrabel said top interior swing option Ben Brown would miss multiple weeks.

For an offensive line that already was lacking NFL-experienced depth, the injuries forced the team to immediately add two more rookies, Joe Michalski and Darian Dalcourt, before adding veteran Greg Van Roten later in the week. That's three new linemen arrivals in a week. Look for all of them to jump right into the mix on Saturday night.

Van Roten has 144 career games played with 44 starts, which included all 17 games with the Giants last season. His experience is reassuring just as things were getting critically thin along the interior.

First-round rookie Caleb Lomu is also one to watch. Lomu got another heavy dose of NFL action this week as he continued to see time at right tackle. The interior backup situation got blown up last week in the game, but the tackle depth, with Lomu, second-year player Marcus Bryant and rookie Dametrious Crownover, has a lot of promise.

As we saw in the two practices, when Maye is protected, he will make all kinds of big plays. Developing a deep offensive line is a critical goal for the summer and the key area to monitor against Philly.

2. Roster Opportunity

Time is running out on the preseason. The Patriots will have just two more practices before their final tilt of the summer with the Cleveland Browns next Thursday, meaning for players currently on the bubble, there will be limited opportunities to make their case for a roster spot. Come Saturday night, there will be no time to waste. Every rep could mean the difference between a spot on the 53-man roster, a practice squad slot or a search for other opportunities outside of New England and perhaps the NFL.

Running back and cornerback are among the most interesting positions as we enter the final two preseason games.

Hassan Haskins has made the most of his first week in New England, jumping into last week's game against the Colts, then building off a solid performance with some hard runs in padded and joint practices. Haskins and Jam Miller appear to be in close competition for the third running back spot.

Christian Gonzalez's absence opened the door for more opportunities for others at the cornerback position. Charles Woods returned from injury and has the inside track on the fourth cornerback spot, but Kindle Vildor also made some plays during joint practices that could help his case. Rookie Karon Prunty and second-year Kobee Minor have also flashed at times, as has undrafted rookie Channing Canada. Marcellas Dial has shown up with some plays from the slot.

It's hard to sort it all out behind Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III and Marcus Jones. With just over a week until cutdown day, the door still seems wide open at cornerback. How a player can contribute to special teams could be the deciding factor.

3. Pass Rushers Rising

While Harold Landry III continues to be on the PUP list, the young Patriots pass rushers have seen a lot of reps over the summer. Gabe Jacas got a late start, but has shown marked improvement over the last week, flashing power against the Eagles pass protectors and racking up some pressures in team drills.

Elijah Ponder and Dre'Mont Jones figure to be the top edge options until Landry re-enters the mix, and that means there's gameday roles available to players like Jacas, Bradyn Swinson, Quintayvious Hutchins and Jesse Luketa if they can make the most of these final days of August. That foursome will get plenty of playing time against the Eagles.

There aren't many standout weaknesses on this Patriots roster, but edge is a concern that starts with the uncertainty surrounding Landry. In a perfect world, one or two of the young pass rushers emerges to provide some third-down juice to get after the quarterback.

If that happens, one of the biggest questions of the summer will be answered.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer