New England Patriots links 7/22/21 – Patriots 2021 defense locked, re-loaded and looking GOOD!

Daily news and links for Thursday

TEAM TALK

• Patriots sign 2021 second-round pick DL Christian Barmore.
• Mike Dussault talks about how Football Outsiders sees a rebound for the 2021 Pats.
• Erik Scalavino’s Patriots position snapshot: Quarterbacks.
• Patriots Hall of Fame offering free admission with food donation on Friday, July 23.

LOCAL LINKS

• CBS Boston reports the Patriots have now signed their entire rookie class, as Christian Barmore officially inks rookie deal.
• Mike D’Abate (PatriotMaven) Patriots place rookies Stevenson, McGrone, and Bledsoe on NFI list.
• Thomas Murphy (E2GSports) Ronnie Perkins officially a Patriots weapon. “This was the right pick, Perkins may become the steal of this year’s draft.”
• Karen Guregian addresses 10 questions ahead of training camp. No. 6: Which rookies will make the biggest impact? She adds the qualifier, “All of the picks could very well enjoy a red shirt year.”
• Kevin Tame (PatriotMaven) The three position groups where Patriots should improve in 2021.
• Karen Guregian talks with Patriots Hall of Famer Matt Light, who thinks the Cam Newton-led offense will be a pleasant surprise. “It’s going to be a hard offense to stop regardless of what you think about Cam Newton,”
• Evan Lazar’s Training Camp Preview: Offense. “As we head into camp, the onus is on offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to figure out which offense and quarterback will yield the team’s best results moving forward.”
• Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Patriots 2021 training camp primer: Quarterbacks.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Patriots’ 2021 training camp preview: QB Cam Newton. “As we’ve seen with so many first-round quarterbacks, Jones is likely to beat out Newton for the starting job at some point between training camp and Week 18. It’s possible that Newton holds off Jones for the entire season, but it’s far more likely we see Jones as early as Week 1.”
• Mike Masala (PatriotsWire) Patriots’ 2021 training camp preview: OT Isaiah Wynn. “If that the ankle and turf toe he dealt with prior are behind him, Wynn should be the starting left tackle for this year and many more to come.”
• Alex Barth’s Patriots 2021 position review: Reloaded at linebacker: Between newly-signed veterans, progression from young players, and the return of Dont’a Hightower, it’s shaping up to be a fun year for Patriots linebackers.
• Ryan Hannable spotlights how Adrian Phillips’ first season in New England was even more impressive than we thought.
• Mike D’Abate (PatriotMaven) Patriots training camp: Three players to watch at cornerback.
• Phil Perry explains why rookie RB Rhamondre Stevenson could make a significant impact in training camp and the preseason. /Reminder: He can come off the NFI list at any time.
• Ryan Hannable picks Mac Jones as his Patriots breakout player in 2021.
• Adam London highlights Seth Galina (PFF) identifying LB Josh Uche as a second-year breakout candidate.
• Karen Guregian explains why Bill Belichick needs to deliver this season.
• Steven Lawson (NFLSpinZone) Bill Belichick’s legacy is on the line in 2021.
• Ryan Hannable suggests that given what Stephon Gilmore reportedly wants, his contract situation shouldn’t be that complicated.
• Phil Perry’s Patriots Mailbag: Could Pats trade Michel to RB-needy Rams? More.
• Sean T. McGuire considers whether the Patriots should call the RB-needy Rams after Cam Akers injury, with Sony Michel as a specific trade chip.
• Michael Hurley is spot on. He writes how and why it happened that Tom Brady just casually dropped the cockiest line of his whole career. /Good read.
• Nick O’Malley notes Tom Brady eats pizza and cheeseburgers after bad injuries, according to Alex Guerrero.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Charean Williams (ProFootballTalk) Patriots place three draft choices on the non-football injury list.
• Joel Corry (CBS Sports) Agent’s Take: Sizing up Stephon Gilmore, Xavien Howard situations, with solutions for the disgruntled corners.
• Albert Breer (SI) Mailbag: Can Big Ben bounce back? Will Darnold Break Out? Plus, the Akers injury impact on Rams, finding a solution for Rodgers and the Packers, and much more.
• Ben Linsey (PFF) Ranking all 32 NFL secondaries ahead of the 2021 season. Patriots 5th. “It wouldn’t be a shock to see [Gilmore] and McCourty bounce back, given their prior track record of success, and there is plenty to like about what the younger J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones and Kyle Dugger showcased in 2020.”
• Sam Monson (PFF) Ranking all 32 NFL linebacker units ahead of the 2021 season. Patriots 7th. “None of the Patriots linebackers missed more than seven tackles in 2020, showing the kind of sound fundamentals you would expect from a Bill Belichick-coached unit.”
• Analysts (NFL.com) NFL’s best wide receivers heading into 2021 season? Analysts reveal gold, silver, & bronze picks. No Pats.
• Adam Rank (NFL.com) State of the 2021 Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen’s team ready to take next step?
• Cameron Wolfe (ESPN) Inside the Miami Dolphins’ $135M practice facility: Players’ lounge, palm trees and a slide.
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) 2021 NFL Preview: If Julio Jones has a great second act, the Titans could take off.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Tom Brady leaves door wide open on playing to 46, maybe beyond.
• Jonathan Jones (CBS Sports) NFL will partner with Hawk-Eye to enhance instant replay capabilities and shorten delays: Hawk-Eye, best known for line calls in tennis, will sync feeds of the same NFL play from multiple angles.