Three storylines to follow during Patriots training camp

The New England Patriots underwent major renovations this offseason and will head into the season with a new set of coaches, quarterbacks and receivers. 

These sweeping changes will come under scrutiny beginning Tuesday when Patriots veterans report to training camp. 

Here are the top stories to follow during training camp.

Jacoby Brissett to start as QB1 

According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, rookie Drake Maye will not be the starting quarterback to begin training camp. Veteran Jacoby Brissett, a journeyman who has 51 TD passes in the NFL, will take the reins instead.  

Maye has weaknesses in his game, per NFL Draft analyst Chad Reuter, that include struggling to process and read the field at times. The Patriots are hoping that by going with Brissett — who has eight years of NFL experience and valuable leadership skills — the rookie will develop and improve over time. 

New offensive and defensive coordinators are on full display

As a part of their full-scale renovation, the Patriots hired Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator and promoted DeMarcus Covington to defensive coordinator.  

Van Pelt is expected to employ a West Coast offense for the first time in team history. The style relies on short passes that aim to set up deep throws. It was most successfully used in 2023 by the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. 

As for the defense, Covington — who has never held a DC position in the NFL before this season — has not tipped his hand on his defensive scheme. 

Because he has spent the past seven seasons with the Patriots, Covington could feel most comfortable running a defense similar to that of former head coach Bill Belichick. Training camp will be the first real glimpse into what style he chooses.

How will HC Jerod Mayo's rookies fare?

2024 was the first NFL Draft since 1999 that did not have Belichick calling New England's shots. De facto GM Eliot Wolf has the final say now, but first-year head coach Jerod Mayo had input, too.

With legendary names such as QB Tom Brady, WR Julian Edelman and TE Rob Gronkowski as some of the best selections across the Belichick era, Mayo has big shoes to fill. 

Maye will have the most attention on him, but wide receivers Ja'Lynn Polk (second round) and Javon Baker (fourth round) will be other rookies to keep an eye on. How those players — and the rest of the Patriots' 2024 draft class — perform will be important in shaping initial opinions about Mayo's draft input.