After five weeks of lighter on-field workouts for the Patriots, the offseason program hits another gear when phase three begins with New England's first OTA session on Wednesday.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will lead nine voluntary organized team activities over the next three weeks, culminating in a three-day mandatory veteran minicamp from June 15-17. Although attendance at OTAs is not mandatory for players, three of the Pats OTAs will be open to the media, including the first session on May 27. As always, the scribes will take attendance and monitor some important participation-based storylines this spring.

One storyline is the whereabouts of starting WR Kayshon Boutte. To this point, reports (ESPN's Mike Reiss) have him not being present at the team facility while rumors swirl, both about Boutte being traded and the Patriots potentially making a run at Eagles star wideout A.J. Brown. There was some buzz that Boutte could be traded on draft weekend but he remains on New England's roster.

Last season, Boutte was third on the Patriots in receiving yards (551) and second in receiving touchdowns (6). He also ranked fourth in the NFL in yards per catch (16.7), becoming a go-to deep threat for QB Drake Maye. As a 2023 sixth-round draft choice, Boutte is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Plus, if a Brown trade is in the Pats future, there are some redundancies in Brown and Boutte's games.

Along with Boutte, second-rounder Gabe Jacas and third-round draft pick Eli Raridon sat out the lone open practice of rookie minicamp earlier this month. Jacas was present for the session but didn't participate in the 75-minute practice and hasn't signed his rookie contract. Jacas was managing a hamstring injury during the pre-draft process. He sat out the combine and Illinois' Pro Day before holding a private workout for teams in early April. Raridon has signed his rookie deal but wasn't spotted at the Saturday workout.

Before getting into any football-related topics, practice participation is always top of mind this time of year. Now, let's discuss the biggest on-field storylines around the Patriots this spring.

(Reminder: Although team drills are allowed, no pads or live contact are permitted at spring OTA practices. These are generally considered passing camps without any live contact.)

1. Where Does First-Round Pick Caleb Lomu Fit into the Offensive Line?

When the Patriots selected Lomu with the 28th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, they did so knowing their first-rounder might be headed for a redshirt year. Currently, the Pats don't have an open starting spot on their offensive line, with their projected configuration being LT Will Campbell, LG Alijah Vera-Tucker, C Jared Wilson, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Morgan Moses.

Lomu's first season could look like former Pats left tackle Nate Solder's rookie campaign in 2011. Solder was drafted in the first round to be the successor to Patriots Hall of Famer Matt Light, who retired following the 2011 season. As the top backup, Solder ended up starting games at right tackle for an injured Sebastian Vollmer and was used as a "jumbo" tight end in six O-Line packages. Lomu, who presumably was drafted to succeed 35-year-old Morgan Moses at right tackle, could follow a similar developmental plan as Solder. However, with Lomu having played virtually his entire college career at left tackle, it's reasonable to think the Patriots will give him time this spring at both the right and left side.

The Patriots made positive strides to become an above-average offensive line last season, but the postseason showed the work isn't done. As a result, New England signed Vera-Tucker in free agency to plug in at left guard, is moving second-year pro Jared Wilson to his natural position at center, and drafted Lomu in the first round – it'll be interesting to see how that all shakes out in the spring and summer.

2. Way-Too-Early Returns on the Drake Maye-to-Romeo Doubs Connection

While a potential A.J. Brown trade looms large, the Patriots big swing in free agency was swapping top wideout Stefon Diggs for Doubs. The 26-year-old former Packer is a similar chain-moving receiver who had 41 first-down receptions in Green Bay last season. In comparison, Diggs moved the chains a team-high 51 times in 2025. In theory, Doubs's ability to separate against single coverage, move around the formation, and work in high-traffic areas should offer something similar to what Diggs did for the Patriots last season.

Although jumping to any conclusions based on spring practices would be premature, this will be our first look at the Maye-to-Doubs connection. The hope is that Doubs will bring a similar level of production while being younger than Diggs (32), thus having a longer runway to play alongside Maye. However, there's no guarantee that it'll be an even swap given that Diggs led the Pats in receptions (85) and receiving yards (1,013), while posting an insane 83.3% catch rate. Replicating the efficiency that Diggs and Maye had last season won't be easy.

3. Sorting Out the Backend of the Depth Chart Competition at Wide Receiver

Now that we've discussed the top of the Patriots wide receiver depth chart, a training camp battle is brewing between several Pats wideouts to secure the final few roster spots. If there's a Brown trade, there could be seven receivers competing for five or six spots: Brown, Doubs, Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism III. This could work itself out if Boutte is dealt in conjunction with the Brown trade. But if Boutte is in camp with the Patriots, the wide receiver room will be very crowded.

From this perspective, Hollins's comfort level with Maye, coupled with his versatility and willingness to do the dirty work in the run game, makes him a valuable piece. Plus, as a third-round pick in the 2025 draft, it would be premature to give up on Williams. Therefore, the battle for the last roster spot could come down to Douglas and Chism. Although they both play slot receiver, Douglas wins more down the field, while Chism profiles as more of a quick-hitting underneath receiver. The battle between Chism and Douglas could tell us where the Patriots are trending with the slot role in their offense.

4. The RB3 Competition Between Terrell Jennings, Lan Larison, Jam Miller, etc.

The next notable position battle for the Patriots offense is the third running back spot behind core contributors Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. The Pats opted not to add a veteran back in free agency, so it'll come down to a roster competition between Jennings, Larison, Miller, and undrafted rookie Myles Montgomery. Jennings is the only back in that group with NFL experience, playing 77 offensive snaps and 69 special teams snaps in his first two seasons.

Jennings's pro experience might give him an early advantage, but I still have my beachfront property on Larison Island. The UC Davis product looked the part of a sub-package back as an underneath receiver out of the backfield, and he also showed well with seven carries for 35 rushing yards and a touchdown in limited preseason action last summer. The Pats then selected Miller in the seventh round and gave Montgomery a nice deal in undrafted free agency, so there's some investment there as well.

One thing to keep in mind in this competition is kickoff return upside, as the Pats RB3 was used frequently as a returner last season, whether it was Jennings, Antonio Gibson, or D'Ernest Johnson. Whoever wins the job out of camp will likely return kickoffs, so showing well in that role could be the deciding factor.

5. First Look at Patriots OC Josh McDaniels's New 'Regular' Package

At each checkpoint this offseason, head coach Mike Vrabel has spoken about wanting to be more consistent running the ball next season. Although the Pats were sixth in average rushing yards (126.8) and 14th in yards per rush (4.4), their situational running and rushing efficiency wasn't great last season, with big runs inflating their season averages. New England finished 25th in rush EPA and power success rate, which measures efficiency on short-yardage and goal-line runs.

​In free agency, the Patriots made a point to upgrade their run blocking and overall physicality on offense. Along with signing Vera-Tucker, they also added FB Reggie Gilliam and blocking tight end Julian Hill. The idea is to feature more two-back runs out of 'regular' or 21-personnel (2 WR, 1 TE, 1 FB, 1 RB). Last season, the Pats made do with converted TE Jack Westover at fullback, but their two-back runs were inconsistent. The hope is they'll be a more dynamic two-back base offense with Gilliam as a lead blocker.

6. Building Out Depth on Defense at Corner, Safety, Linebacker, and D-Tackle

We're not trying to short-change the defense, but honestly, the Patriots are back to having first-world NFL problems on this side of the ball. I'm pretty bullish on their projected starting defense, which now includes free-agent additions Dre'Mont Jones and Kevin Byard, and second-rounder Gabe Jacas. The Pats added those three to a group that dominated the first three rounds of the playoffs a year ago.

The challenge will be to build out depth across the defense, mainly at linebacker and safety. At linebacker, the Pats parted ways with Jack Gibbens, Jahlani Tavai, and Marte Mapu this offseason. That means free-agent addition K.J. Britt, Chad Muma, and sixth-rounder Namdi Obiazor will need to provide quality depth options. The Pats regularly used three 'backers last season with Spillane, Elliss, and Gibbens as their primary options. So, at least one of Britt, Muma, Obiazor, or undrafted rookie Khalil Jacobs will need to step up.

Third-year pro Dell Pettus has the inside track to be the first layer of depth, with newcomer Mike Brown and undrafted rookie Peter Manuma also in the hunt. Along with providing depth, the Patriots could lean more into the three-safety package revolution that took over the league last season, with the Pats primarily being a three-corner nickel defense. They'll need Brown, Manuma, or Pettus to push for playing time to field three-safety groupings. Overall, the Patriots defense looks poised for a big year if their depth holds up.

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