Patriots Pre-Training Camp Depth Chart: SPECIAL TEAMS

Can New England return to special teams prominence after an uncharacteristically subpar performance in 2021?

FOXBORO - The New England Patriots and special teams prowess have been largely synonymous throughout the tenure of head coach Bill Belichick.

However, the Pats typically exemplary unit struggled a bit in 2021. From costly penalties to breakdowns in coverage, several factors contributed to New England’s special teams taking a step back last season.

The 2022 offseason has represented something of a crossroads for the Patriots third-phase. While New England was quick to retain the services of longtime team captain Matthew Slater, as well as kicker Nick Folk, it has also suffered some notable losses. Among those special teams stalwarts taking their talents outside of Foxboro for 2022 are return specialist Gunner Olszewski and running back Brandon Bolden.

As the Patriots march forward to the 2022 NFL season, here is a look at the team’s depth prior to the start of training camp July 27 in Foxboro.

CAPTAIN

Matthew Slater

As an 11-time team captain, Slater is one of the Patriots’ most revered leaders. He is also one of the NFL’s most respected players, both on and off the field. In 2021, Slater was selected to his fifth All-Pro squad, as the special teams selection on the Second Team. He was chosen for the first team in 2016 and 2019, and made the second team in 2017 and 2020. The 36-year-old appeared in all 17 of New England’s regular season games, logging 11 combined special teams tackles, second on the team behind only Cody Davis’ 15.

KICKER

Starter: Nick Folk

Reserve: Tristan Vizcaino

Injured Reserve: Quinn Nordin

Folk finished the season tied for first in the NFL in points scored, second in field goals made and sixth in field-goal percentage (92.3 percent). He made 36 of 39 field goals, with his longest coming from 53 yards. Since arriving in New England, the 37-year-old has made 90.5 percent of his 84 field goal attempts. In fact, only three kickers [with a minimum of 70 attempts] in the NFL have a better overall field goal percentage. In addition to his reliability, he has also shown an ability to kick for distance, connecting from beyond 50 yards in several clutch situations.

Vizcaino joins the Pats as a proverbial camp body, with the potential of earning a spot on the team’s practice squad. He suited up for one game with the San Francisco 49ers in 2020, and appeared in six games for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021. He has connected on 9 of his 10 field goal attempts at the pro level, as well as 12 of 17 extra points. He also logged one punt last year with Los Angeles.

Following his release earlier this month, Nordin cleared waivers with a non-football injury designation, and has reverted back to the Patriots on the reserve/NFI list. As a result, he remains a potential future option for the Patriots in the years following Folk’s tenure.

PUNTER

Starter: Jake Bailey

Reserve: Jake Julien

Since arriving in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Jake Bailey has been one of the top punters in the NFL. Over his three seasons in New England, the Stanford product has booted 185 punts, amassing 8,632 yards, averaging 46.7 yards per punt. In 2020, Bailey was named a First Team All-Pro, while also earning a Pro Bowl selection. He is also quite adept as the Pats kickoff specialist, averaging a 53.7 touchback percentage from 227 career kickoffs. Still, Bailey will be looking to improve upon his 2021 performance — a season in which he struggled with accuracy and had three punts blocked.

Julien spent five seasons punting for the Eagles. He averaged 43.4 yard per punt across his career. The Canadian-born right footer is expected to compete for a spot on the Pats practice squad, with Bailey highly-likely to remain in the starting role.

LONG SNAPPER

Starter: Joe Cardona

Reserve: Ross Reiter

The Pats long snapping duties have been manned by Joe Cardona since 2015. The former Navy Midshipman is one of the most respected players on the roster and is fully expected to retain his starting job in 2022. However, Reiter provides intriguing potential. He served as the long snapper on all punts and place kicks for four seasons at Colorado State. The 6-foot, 235-pounder earned second team All-American honors from Rubio Long Snapping.

COVERAGE

Justin Bethel, Cody Davis.

Davis led all Patriots with 15 tackles in 2021, while Bethel remains one of the team’s best coverage specialists. As such, their roles are all but guaranteed for 2022. Still, the team faces a challenge in filling the void left behind by former special teams stalwarts Brandon Bolden and Brandon King.

Newly-acquired Ty Montgomery may help to fill the void left behind by Bolden. However, Bolden’s experience and field awareness will be missed.

King’s role may prove to be equally as tough to replicate. Linebackers Harvey Langi and Jahlani Tavai are potential candidates based on their previous special teams duties. Still, much like Bolden, King has been a staple on the unit for much of the team’s recent history. Whoever steps into King’s shoes will have a hard time filling it from both an on-field and leadership standpoint.

RETURNER

Punt Returner: Marcus Jones

Kick Returner: Ty Montgomery

Following the departure of Gunner Olszewski in the offseason, the Patriots find themselves in need of a return specialist. Kyle Dugger, Myles Bryant, Jack Jones, Tre Nixon, Kendrick Bourne and Malcolm Perry received some work returning punts during minicamp.

However, another rookie cornerback named Jones may still be in line to inherit the duties — assuming his health progresses in the right direction. Third-round selection Marcus Jones’ elite return skills make him an intriguing option for the Patriots. In 2020, Jones was named to the first team, All-American Athletic Conference as a return specialist for the Houston Cougars after leading the nation with 337 yards on 17 punt returns. He also returned one for a touchdown. If healthy, look for Jones to get the lion’s share of the punt return attempts during training camp.

Though several Patriots may be capable of taking on kickoff return responsibilities, two members of the team seem to have the inside track, rookie running back Pierre Strong and veteran hybrid receiver/runner Ty Montgomery. While Strong possesses the intangibles to be the team’s full-time kick returner of the future, Montgomery’s experience may make him the more effective option heading into 2022. Throughout his career, the ex-New Orleans Saint has gained 1,274 yards on 57 attempts, averaging 22.4 yards per return. His cumulative special teams acumen may help his case, as he took 48 percent of the Saints’ snaps a year ago, both as a kick returner and on coverage teams.