New England Patriots

Examining New England Patriots rookies snap counts through Week 3

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Malcolm Mitchell (19) of the New England Patriots. Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Three of 16 New England Patriots games in 2016 are in the books, giving us enough of a sample size to start analyzing the contributions of rookies this season.

Let’s take a closer look at the snap counts of the eight Patriots rookies on the roster, starting with those who have played the least.

[Editor’s note: All snap counts statistics come by way of Pro Football Reference.]

9. Jonathan Jones (UFA signing)

Total snaps: 0

Percentage of total defensive snaps: 0%

Week 1 snaps: 0

Week 2 snaps: 0

Week 3 snaps: 0

After making the final roster over fellow undrafted rookies Cre’Von LeBlanc and V’Angelo Bentley, as well as veterans Darryl Roberts and E.J. Biggers, Jonathan Jones has yet to touch the field.

When the Patriots bring additional defensive backs onto the field outside of Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung, it goes in this order: Duron Harmon, Justin Coleman and Cyrus Jones. The other Jones rookie is in the same boat as Jordan Richards in that the Patriots will rarely use him unless injuries start to rack up.

So at this point, it looks like the Auburn product will have to wait his turn, just like 2015 Auburn undrafted rookie Brandon King did last year.

D.J. Foster (27) of the New England Patriots. Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

8. D.J. Foster (UFA signing)

Total snaps: 4

Percentage of total offensive snaps: 1.86%

Week 1 snaps: 0

Week 2 snaps: 4

Week 3 snaps: 0

Between the strong running of LeGarrette Blount and the change-of-pace already provided by James White, D.J. Foster has been seldom used thus far in the 2016 season, appearing in just four offensive snaps. In that action, Foster has rushed the ball once for seven yards and caught a pass for two yards.

Unfortunately for the Arizona State product, his chances of seeing action will only further dwindle upon the return of Dion Lewis in under three weeks. White isn’t going anywhere, so it will be Foster who the Patriots will most likely demote unless they decide to carry an additional running back.

The Foster project will not be entirely abandoned, however. There’s a reason the Patriots brought Foster on the active roster to start the year; he possesses a high ceiling in terms of receiving ability out of the backfield, so he could become a Shane Vereen/White/Lewis type down the road.

Elandon Roberts (52) of the New England Patriots. Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

7. Elandon Roberts (UFA signing)

Total snaps: 6

Percentage of total defensive snaps: 3.05%

Week 1 snaps: 0

Week 2 snaps: 6

Week 3 snaps: 0

All six of Elandon Roberts’ defensive snaps up to this point came in Week 2, and he assisted in a tackle in that game to crack the stat sheet.

It seems as though the Patriots are grooming Roberts to become their next Jonathan Freeny type. After all, Freeny is the guy who stands above Roberts on a depth chart headed by Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins.

Although a bit undersized for an interior linebacker, Roberts makes up for his diminutive stature with excellent tackling ability, as evidenced by his 88 solo tackles in 2015 that led the FBS. The Patriots clearly like the Houston product.

However, Roberts could be a possible demotion when Tom Brady returns to the active roster in Week 5, as the Patriots will need to bump a non-contributor to make room for their true starting quarterback.

Cyrus Jones (24) of the New England Patriots. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

6. Cyrus Jones (2nd round pick)

Total snaps: 46

Percentage of total defensive snaps: 23.35%

Week 1 snaps: 5

Week 2 snaps: 8

Week 3 snaps: 33

Cyrus Jones has made two tackles on settled defense thus far, with the majority of his contributions to the team coming via special teams. The Alabama product has returned two kickoffs for 24 and 26 yards, as well as three punt returns with an average of 11.0 yards per return. He hasn’t always displayed the surest hands returning punts, but that can probably be chalked up to rookie nerves.

We saw Jones’ playing time increase substantially in Week 3 with 33 snaps against the Texans. That could be an indication that the Patriots want to slip Jones into the No. 3 cornerback role ahead of sophomore pro Coleman.

Going forward, we’re hoping to see Jones crack open a punt return and make his presence felt more on pass defense. Reasonable goals for Jones this season include a punt return touchdown and a few interceptions.

Vincent Valentine (98) is now a rookie with the New England Patriots. Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

5. Vincent Valentine (3rd round pick)

Total snaps: 57

Percentage of total defensive snaps: 28.93%

Week 1 snaps: 20

Week 2 snaps: 17

Week 3 snaps: 20

Vincent Valentine has been a pleasant surprise through the first three games, seeing a consistent amount of carries week to week and delivering. The Nebraska product has seven total tackles and a sack from Week 1 on his 2016 stat sheet.

As noted by Pro Football Focus, Valentine put forth a very strong performance in the first half against the Houston Texans:

Top-graded #Patriots DEF players 1H
LB Jamie Collins 89.8
DT Malcom Brown 75.1
DT Vincent Valentine 74.3
S Devin McCourty 74.2#HOUvsNE

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) September 23, 2016

Going forward, expect to keep seeing Valentine as the No. 3 defensive tackle behind Malcom Brown and Alan Branch. Thankfully, the Patriots cut veterans Terrance Knighton and Markus Kuhn before Week 1, as Valentine is a promising young player.

Malcolm Mitchell (19) of the New England Patriots. Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

4. Malcolm Mitchell (4th round pick)

Total snaps: 87

Percentage of total offensive snaps: 40.47%

Week 1 snaps: 39

Week 2 snaps: 31

Week 3 snaps: 17

In those 87 snaps, Malcolm Mitchell has caught four passes for 75 yards. It seems like whenever the Georgia product gets his hands on the ball, some kind of magic happens; against the Texans, Mitchell caught a hitch and shook off two tackles before finally being dragged down on the sideline. It was a nice play by the rookie.

Of course, there are so many weapons in the offense, it’s hard to see Mitchell becoming a major factor in the aerial attack unless injuries become an issue. Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan have all out-snapped Mitchell, who also competes with tight ends Martellus Bennett and Rob Gronkowski for targets.

However, it looks like the Patriots got a gem in the fourth round by picking Mitchell. At times, he was undoubtedly the best wide receiver in the SEC during his Georgia days.

Ted Karras (75) of the New England Patriots. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

3. Ted Karras (6th round pick)

Total snaps: 98

Percentage of total offensive snaps: 45.58%

Week 1 snaps: 57

Week 2 snaps: 41

Week 3 snaps: 0

As a result of the injury issues the Patriots were experiencing on the offensive line in the first few games, Ted Karras saw a ton of snaps, certainly more than was first thought when the Patriots selected the Illinois product in the sixth round of the draft this spring. Due to a healthier presence in the trenches last week, Karras didn’t see the field once.

Karras stood out against the Dolphins while blocking Ndamukong Suh.

#Patriots rookie RG Ted Karras 1-on-1 against Suh and doing just fine. #MongoLikeCandy

— Matt Chatham (@chatham58) September 18, 2016

It looks like the Patriots are going to maintain a rotation of Shaq Mason and Karras at right guard until Jonathan Cooper returns from injury. That being said, Mason took all the snaps at right guard in Week 3, so the Patriots may be leaning toward the sophomore pro being the man at that spot.

Regardless, it’s good to have depth on the interior offensive line, as the Patriots lost their strength in that area over the course of the 2015 season. Karras is valued by offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, no doubt.

Jacoby Brissett (7) of the New England Patriots. Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

2. Jacoby Brissett (3rd round pick)

Total snaps: 102

Percentage of total offensive snaps: 47.44%

Week 1 snaps: 0

Week 2 snaps: 38

Week 3 snaps: 64

As a result of playing the entire second half against the Dolphins and starting in Week 3, Jacoby Brissett has played in more snaps than all but one rookie.

In that action, Brissett has been unspectacular on the stat sheet but spectacular in the win column. His stat line of 60.7 completion percentage, 195 yards and a quarterback rating of 81.7 isn’t going to win anyone fantasy football games, but Brissett was tasked with keeping the ship afloat and ensuring the Patriots win, which is exactly what he has done.

Every Patriots fan got goosebumps when they saw Brissett bootlegging for a long touchdown run against the Texans. What a feeling that must have been for the North Carolina State product, who has been overlooked all offseason in the midst of Deflategate and Jimmy Garoppolo’s highly-anticipated Week 1 start.

Joe Thuney, now a rookie with the New England Patriots. Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

1. Joe Thuney (3rd round pick)

Total snaps: 215

Percentage of total offensive snaps: 100%

Week 1 snaps: 71

Week 2 snaps: 80

Week 3 snaps: 64

It is Brissett’s old teammate at North Carolina State who leads Patriots rookies in snaps through Week 3. That’s right: Joe Thuney has appeared in every single offensive snap up to this point, and barring injury, that’s not going to change any time soon.

As noted by Mike Loyko of NEPatriotsDraft.com, Thuney has been the cause of some yellow laundry but has been solid up to this point.

With that kind of play, Thuney has the starting left guard job locked down. Thuney has more or less been a shoo-in for that role since the start of training camp, and for the most part, his play in actual games has not disappointed.

Be sure to stop by Musket Fire throughout the week as we bring you pre-game staples such as things to know about the opponent, players to watch and bold predictions.