You’re correct, Jim, Anderson is the most experienced NFL left tackle on the roster with 671 career snaps, and we’ve seen him taking reps behind Okorafor in recent practices. So yes, he’s very much in the left tackle mix, though at this point it still appears that Okorafor is ahead of him. Put Anderson down in the wild card category, at the very least he might be their back-up swing tackle, still an important role. If Caedan Wallace can stick on the right side and allow Onwenu to bump inside to guard the team might have their most promising starting five with Anderson as a strong, experienced sixth man. But who knows, maybe he makes a push on Okorafor as camp progresses. It would appear that he’s now second on the depth chart on the left side, ahead of Wallace. –Mike Dussault
Kickoff and punt returners seem to have slightly different skill sets. Punt returners have to have that really quick first step and great hands, while pure speed and ability to break or avoid tackles are KO return skills. Do you see that changing at all with the new setup? –Ed Liebfried
It’s a great question and one that I believe the entire league is curious to answer as we get into the preseason. We’ve seen the Patriots special teams experimenting with some different styles of kickoffs and it does appear that the skillset of the returner could be evolving a bit though the same returners continue to line up for reps at the position. From what we’ve seen there is a buffer zone between where the returner catches the ball and where the rest of both his teammates and opponents are. In that regard, it would appear to be harder to open up seams because the blockers have no natural depth or leverage. Instead, blockers will have to peel back to establish those angles and as a result it’s a lot murkier for the returner to find the holes. Later agility and explosiveness seem like key traits now, because returners will have to quickly find the holes and then get downhill more like a…
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