5 Things: Storylines to watch in Patriots preseason opener against Commanders

'5 Things' is back for 2025! For those who may have missed it last year, this is our weekly preview, looking at the New England Patriots' upcoming matchup. We'll get started with Friday night's preseason opener against the Washington Commanders.

Every team handles preseason snaps a little differently now, but it sounds like we could see key Patriots players at least a bit against Washington. "I would say most everybody that's healthy should expect to play in the game," head coach Mike Vrabel shared on Wednesday, ahead of the joint practice. "How long they'll play, I don't know, but we have to prepare to play in football games and prepare to win football games. So, that's the mentality that we're going to take."

So, we should get a good balance between being to answer some questions about the Patriots' top unit, as well as tracking position battles further down the roster. Here are five things to watch for during Friday night's game.

Last year, the Patriots' problems with alignment, penalties, and all their issues with the play-to-play operation of a gameday came through starting in the preseason. Improving in that regard has been something Vrabel has talked about multiple times since taking over as head coach.

Friday night will be the first test for this coaching staff. It's the preseason opener so it may not be perfect, but how much does the team limit penalties, needless timeouts, and general miscommunications?

Of course, many fans are eager to watch fourth-overall pick Will Campbell in his first NFL action. Campbell is key to the Patriots' offense improving in 2025, protecting Drake Maye's blind side. He will be looking to build on his strong performance from the joint practices.

However, the tackle questions extend well beyond Campbell. The backup situation at both spots remains unsettled. Last year's starting right tackle Demontrey Jacobs and rookie Marcus Bryant have rotated between the two spots in camp, with Bryant seemingly passing Jacobs on the depth chart in recent days - he stepped in for Morgan Moses during Wednesday's joint practices when Moses was a non-participant. Vederian Lowe is also still with the team after starting on the left side for most of last year but recently came off of PUP and has been limited.

Even if Campbell and Moses both play at a high level, both tackles playing all 17 games is hardly a guarantee. It's a physical position and injuries occur. Do the Patriots have a sufficient contingency plan for when that happens, even if it's just spot starters? Friday will be telling.

One more thing when it comes to blocking - call it thing 5 1/2. The Patriots began camp with a fullback in Brock Lampe, who was getting reps. He went on IR after the first padded practice, and the team hasn't signed a replacement since. Does that mean they're done with the fullback? If not, who will fill in and how much?

It's been an interesting few months for UDFA wide receiver Efton Chism. Chism had a very strong spring, and has continued to regularly get open and catch the ball this summer. However, that's been almost exclusively with the second unit.

From the outside looking in it seems like Chism has done enough to earn more of a look against the starters and truly push for a roster spot. But that hasn't come yet. Could a big-time in-game performance get him that bump to make a run for the roster during the second half of camp? There are certainly still roster spots to be on won this team.

The Patriots got quicker and more explosive up front this offseason to improve their pass rush, but that meant getting smaller as well. That leaves some questions about their run defense after they struggled in that regard last year. Although the Commanders likely won't be playing some of their starters, it will still be worth watching the Patriots' run defense when New England's starters are in the game.

One player to watch in particular is free agent signing defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga. Tonga has primarily been a situational player in obvious run situations during his NFL career, but has shown an ability to help collapse the pocket so far in camp. If he proves to be a contributor on 'tweener' downs (no clear run/pass preference), he could be on the field more to help the Patriots stop the run.

We'll wrap things up with the kicker battle. Both Andy Borregales and John Parker Romo have been locked in so far in camp, with Borregales not missing since the first week and Romo just missing his first kick (barely) on Wednesday.

Keep in mind though, the kicker battle is about more than just field goals. With the new kickoff rules pushing the touchback further up, more teams are expected to kick the ball off in play and deal with returns. That means running coverage plays, which may require the kicker being able to put the ball in a certain place. While we won't know what the kickoff plays are exactly, seeing if either kicker allows substantially more returns (or just kicks more touchbacks) will be notable.