On Sunday night, the New England Patriots will take on the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field for their third and final preseason game before roster cuts.
To this point through training camp and the games, most of the jobs have already been won, but there are a few that can still be won by a good performance in this finale.
Here are some positional battles that aren't totally closed:
Kicker
New England selected Chad Ryland in the fifth round of last year's draft, and he was statically the worst kicker in football, forcing the team to bring in veteran Joey Slye in to compete for the job.
Throughout training camp and the preseason, Slye has made 43 of his 52 attempts while Ryland has made 39 of his 52 (via. ESPN's Mike Reiss).
A good game from either could win the job.
Wide Receiver
Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, K.J. Osborn and DeMario Douglas are locks for the roster, so there are only one or two spots open for another wideout (depending on if Kendrick Bourne gets activated or starts the season on PUP).
Tyquan Thornton has been good for stretches in training camp, but he hasn't done much of anything in the preseason. Kayshon Boutte has been the team's leading receiver in both games. Jalen Reagor and David Wallis have played roles on special teams.
Interior defensive lineman
At the start of training camp, Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots, and no one knows if he'll play at all in 2024.
This means more players will have to step up in the middle.
Davon Godchaux got his extension to lock him in, and Daniel Ekuale has been impressive when healthy, so he'll probably be there as well.
The third/fourth spots are up in the air.
Jeremiah Pharms may have done enough to secure his spot, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Trysten Hill or Armon Watts, two veterans with playing experience, make it.
Quarterback
Everything has pointed toward Jacoby Brissett being the starter with Drake Maye being the backup.
However, Maye has been getting more reps with the starters over the last week and looked better in last week's preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Another good night for him and a bad night from Brissett could lead to a flip.
That's not the only quarterback position up for grabs, though. The third-string battle between Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton III is still brewing.
If New England wants to keep the guy with experience, they'll lean Zappe, but if Milton keeps showing some flashes, they won't risk trying to pass him through waivers to get him on the practice squad.
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