Here Are Mac Jones’ Patriots Weapons Vs. Eagles In Week 1

With Tom Brady watching from a luxury box, Mac Jones and the New England Patriots’ offense will look to kick off its redemption tour Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

They’ll need to do so without some key pieces at Gillette Stadium.

Top guards Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu and starting wide receiver DeVante Parker all are inactive for Sunday’s season opener.

Strange’s and Onwenu’s injuries are the most problematic, as the Patriots could have a difficult time keeping Philly’s deep collection of premier pass rushers away from their third-year quarterback.

But there also are questions about whether the Patriots have enough talent at the skill positions to compete in a loaded AFC.

Here’s a rundown of the ball-carriers and pass-catchers Jones will have at his disposal against the Eagles:

RUNNING BACK
Rhamondre Stevenson
Ezekiel Elliott
Ty Montgomery

An illness kept Stevenson out of Friday’s practice but didn’t prevent him from suiting up Sunday. He’ll be the Patriots’ lead back again this season, but if he’s not at 100%, we could see a larger workload for Elliott, who will be making his Patriots debut. Both are well-rounded backs who can play on all three downs.

The Patriots signed Montgomery off the practice squad on Saturday. The versatile veteran officially is listed as a wide receiver and can play both positions. He missed nearly all of last season with an injury and was sidelined for most of training camp, too.

TIGHT END
Hunter Henry
Mike Gesicki
Pharaoh Brown

Even before Parker’s injury, the Patriots were expected to increase their two-tight end usage under new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. So, we’ll likely see Henry and Gesicki on the field together a lot. The latter is more of a super-sized slot receiver with limited blocking ability. Both players suffered injuries late in the summer but were full participants in practice this week.

Brown is a blocking-focused tight end who played for O’Brien with Houston. New England scooped him up after cutdown day. He could be part of heavier personnel packages in short-yardage situations.

WIDE RECEIVER
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Kendrick Bourne
Demario Douglas
Kayshon Boutte

Bourne is coming off a strong offseason and preseason, and he should see the largest uptick in playing time with Parker sidelined. Expect him to start opposite Smith-Schuster.

Douglas, the shifty rookie slot receiver, will be a fascinating player to watch. He dazzled in training camp, and the Patriots seemed to hide him in the preseason, putting him on the field for just five total snaps. Boutte struggled at the outset of camp but finished the summer strong to lock down a roster spot.

Bourne recently said he expects New England’s “underdog” receiving corps to “shock” its many doubters this season. We’ll see whether it can succeed against a talented Eagles secondary without Parker.