Never before has a New England Patriots season come with this many questions.
Six players have opted out and will not play this year, including a starting offensive lineman and two of the team’s longest-tenured defenders. The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out OTAs, minicamp and the preseason and chopped training camp in half. Some players fear the season itself is in jeopardy. Oh, and Tom Brady is long gone.
Along with those overarching concerns, the Patriots also face more conventional issues of roster management and new player integration as they look to bounce back from their earliest playoff exit in a decade.