{"id":2001,"date":"2026-06-05T11:03:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T11:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2001"},"modified":"2026-06-05T11:03:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T11:03:54","slug":"four-things-to-think-about-while-waiting-for-the-patriots-to-start-minicamp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2001","title":{"rendered":"Four things to think about while waiting for the Patriots to start minicamp"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>Four thoughts on the Patriots ahead of mandatory minicamp . . .<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>1. On the same day they traded for star wide receiver A.J. Brown, the Patriots also placed tight end Julian Hill on injured reserve.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1999\">\u2018One of my best birthday gifts\u2019: Forty years later, Bruins legend Cam Neely looks back on the trade that brought  him to Boston<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>Brown\u2019s addition naturally overshadowed the second piece of news.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Hill, who signed a three-year, $15 million deal this offseason, is not a super recognizable player. He played college football at Campbell. He went undrafted in 2023. In his three NFL seasons, all with the Dolphins, he caught a total of 33 passes for 288 yards and zero touchdowns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But Hill is a major loss for the Patriots, even if he doesn\u2019t light up the stat sheet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Patriots signed Hill as part of their offseason effort to bolster their run game, with hopes of upping its efficiency and consistency. At 6 feet 4 inches and 251 pounds, Hill boasts size and plays with an impressive level of physicality.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><span>Get Starting Point<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><label>Enter Email<\/label><\/p>\n<div><button>Sign Up<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>\u201cI think there were points in the season where we didn\u2019t run the ball as we would have liked last year, for a variety of reasons,\u201d executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said in March following the initial wave of free agent signings. \u201cI think adding the fullback, guard, and a tight end who\u2019s primarily been a blocker in his career certainly was intentional, trying to get some toughness and some identity guys for coach [Mike] Vrabel in that offense.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Vrabel did not share details on Hill\u2019s injury, only that it happened during practice and will cause him to miss the entire season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Patriots are now left with Hunter Henry as the only veteran tight end on their roster. Henry, who maintains a significant role as a pass catcher, played just 48.6 percent of his offensive snaps inline during the regular season last year. Hill, meanwhile, played 70 percent of his offensive snaps inline while with the Dolphins.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So, who can fill Hill\u2019s role?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The current options are only young and inexperienced players. Rookie Eli Raridon, drafted in the third round out of Notre Dame, has high potential, but probably needs time to develop. The rest of the depth chart features C.J. Dippre, who played 20 offensive snaps last season; Jack Westover, who switched positions to fullback; and undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If the Patriots want to sign a veteran free agent, some of the available players include Jonnu Smith, Will Dissly, Tucker Fisk, and Pharaoh Brown.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>2. One question I have been meaning to ask Vrabel is why hasn\u2019t rookie edge rusher Gabe Jacas been practicing? Jacas, drafted in the second round, was not on the field during the organized team activity sessions open to the media. Nor was he present during the lone rookie minicamp practice open to the media.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s possible Jacas is sidelined as a precautionary measure to ensure a full recovery from a lingering hamstring issue. Jacas did not participate during the scouting combine and Illinois Pro Day (March 12) because of a right hamstring strain. He instead held a workout for NFL teams on April 2, when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds with a 1.59-second 10-yard split. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1997\">In this sad Red Sox spring of 2026, they\u2019re no longer the talk of the town, and other thoughts<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s also possible Jacas isn\u2019t taking the field until he signs his contract. The proportion of guaranteed money included in a second-round pick\u2019s contract became a hot topic last year, after the Texans made wide receiver Jayden Higgins the first second-round pick in NFL history to receive a fully guaranteed contract.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Draft picks can practice during OTAs, but not training camp, while unsigned. First-round pick Caleb Lomu, for example, has not signed his contract but has been practicing this spring. Unlike second-round picks, however, all first-rounders have fully guaranteed contracts. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Given the Patriots\u2019 glaring need on the edge, and the absence of veteran Harold Landry, Jacas has a fairly open opportunity to play meaningful snaps this season. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>3. All eyes will be looking for cornerback Christian Gonzalez when mandatory minicamp begins next Tuesday. Vrabel said he \u201cwould imagine\u201d that Gonzalez, who has yet to practice while awaiting a contract extension, reports next week. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If Gonzalez does not report, he will face fines exceeding $100,000. He could circumvent the financial penalty, and still \u201chold out,\u201d by showing up for practice but not participating. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Amid the contract negotiations, Gonzalez has stayed connected with his teammates. He participated in Drake Maye\u2019s inaugural celebrity softball game last weekend and is hosting his own celebrity basketball game this weekend. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Gonzalez\u2019s event, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday at his old high school in Texas, is expected to feature a number of Patriots, including Brown, Carlton Davis, DeMario Douglas, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Kyle Williams. Three former Patriots (Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley, Matthew Judon, and Keion White) are also on the list, as is Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Another name to look for next Tuesday is wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who has been working out away from the team. Boutte, entering the final year of his rookie contract, is likely seeking a trade following the acquisitions of Brown and Romeo Doubs. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>4. Losing Khyiris Tonga this offseason is a big hit to New England\u2019s interior defense, but there\u2019s a reason the team didn\u2019t make any additional moves at defensive tackle. Leonard Taylor, the hero of the AFC Championship game for blocking Will Lutz\u2019s potentially game-tying field goal, and Cory Durden both seem ready for larger roles, while Eric Gregory and 2025 fourth-round pick Joshua Farmer round out the depth chart.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThere\u2019ll be a competition in training camp, but I think that\u2019s a good group,\u201d Vrabel said. \u201cThe lines of scrimmage are critical. When we talk about our defensive line and our offensive linemen, they have to be our identity soldiers and the warriors that carry the message in the way that they play.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1996\">Three records fall, including the state triple-jump mark, during first day of Meet of Champions<\/a><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the Patriots traded for A.J. Brown, they had a corresponding roster move, placing tight end Julian Hill on injured reserve. That is a much bigger lost for the team than one might think by just looking at statistics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Four things to think about while waiting for the Patriots to start minicamp - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2001\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Four things to think about while waiting for the Patriots to start minicamp - Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When the Patriots traded for A.J. 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