It’s time for football.

The Patriots return to the field Wednesday for their first training camp practice of the Mike Vrabel era. Having overturned almost their entire coaching staff and most of their roster, there is much to be learned. But why wait?

Enjoy a long look-ahead — and some bold predictions — for one of the most exciting Patriots training camps in recent memory.

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Top position battle

Left guard: The Patriots need to figure out who’s going to play the majority of snaps at wide receiver, and rookie Jared Wilson could push veteran Garrett Bradbury for the top center job, but left guard still seems completely unsettled.

We saw Cole Strange and Wes Schweitzer take top reps at left guard during the spring … then Schweitzer retired. Little-known veteran Tyrese Robinson also saw some top snaps at left guard and could be among the top competitors with Strange for the role.

Beyond Strange and Robinson, Wilson, Ben Brown, Layden Robinson, Sidy Sow, Caedan Wallace and undrafted free agent Jack Conley also could be in the mix to play next to first-round pick left tackle Will Campbell. It would be nice for the Patriots to figure out this position quickly in the summer. They let their offensive line competition linger for too long last season under Jerod Mayo. — Kyed

Wide receiver: Getting Stefon Diggs back healthy was a great first step. Now, he needs a running mate.

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs of the New England Patriots stretches during a June 9 session in Foxboro. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

The Patriots do not have an established No. 2 receiver, even though DeMario Douglas led the team in receiving yards as a rookie and catches last season. Douglas figures to find a nice home in the slot playing within a Josh McDaniels offense that has historically featured that position. But does he have the requisite feel and route-running skills to stick playing for a stickler coach like McDaniels?

If not Douglas, third-round rookie Kyle Williams offers game-breaking speed on the outside, while Kendrick Bourne and Mack Hollins provide solid, yet unspectacular, options for Drake Maye. Will Kayshon Boutte follow that same path as a future No. 3/4 receiver or level up? Then there’s 2024 draft picks Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, who disappointed as rookies. Can they bounce back? It’s time to find out. — Callahan

Breakout player

OLB K’Lavon Chaisson: A 2020 first-round pick who busted out recording four sacks in as many seasons playing for Jacksonville, Chaisson enjoyed a one-year renaissance last year in Las Vegas. He tallied four sacks in his last six games for the Raiders, flashing the talent that made him a once highly touted prospect. Since then, Chaisson took a few reps with the top defense during OTAs.

Expect to see a lot more production from him this summer and this season.  — Callahan

LB Christian Elliss: It was a bit of a surprise to see the Patriots match the Raiders’ two-year, $13.5 million offer sheet for Elliss to keep him around as a restricted free agent. Elliss won’t just be playing special teams on that contract. Expect him to compete for the starting linebacker job next to Robert Spillane.

Elliss feels like he’s a great fit in Vrabel and Terrell Williams’ defense. They must feel the same. — Kyed

Best storyline

Return to order under Vrabel: No, 2024 was not some fever dream for Patriots fans. The Patriots really fired Bill Belichick and promoted Mayo to head coach only to fire him after 17 games and a 4-13 record.

It’s a year many Patriots fans would like to forget, and the hiring of Vrabel should make that easier. Vrabel knows how to be a head coach and everything that comes along with it from organizing practice, keeping players under control and even handling the media. It would have been difficult for the Patriots to drum up interest in the team this season if Mayo was still head coach. With Vrabel on board, there’s a much bigger sense of excitement around Foxboro. — Kyed

McDaniels-Maye partnership: There’s a case to be made Josh McDaniels has never worked with a quarterback as talented as Drake Maye.

He’s got a cannon for an arm, can scramble, execute designed runs and create big passing plays out of structure. So how do they mesh? And what does the Patriots’ offense look like with theoretically every type of play and concept available to them?

Quarterback Drake Maye talks with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels during an OTA session at Gillette Stadium. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

So far, McDaniels has stressed playing on time and taking the first open receiver. For a player who has spent much of the past two seasons extending plays to compensate for a lackluster supporting cast, even at the risk of turnovers or sacks, Maye could need time to kick the habit. But if McDaniels can instill the same discipline that made Tom Brady great and maximized Mac Jones’ talents as a rookie in 2021, Maye should soar like we all expect him to in Year 2. — Callahan

Biggest weakness

Offensive line: Another year, and it’s the same old story.

Despite pushing for the best available free agents, the Patriots settled for 34-year-old Morgan Moses, who seems to be doubling as a culture-setter in addition to their new starting right tackle. Two spots down, they inked a new center Garrett Bradbury, who got cut in Minnesota after ranking among the worst pass-protectors at his position last season, per Pro Football Focus. And then there’s rookie left tackle Will Campbell, who faces a steep climb to excellence — let alone replacement-level play — given the history of rookie offensive linemen in the NFL is basically a portrait of struggle.

So, as much as they tried to fix their worst position now three years running, the Pats still have plenty of question marks. And if this season sinks, like the last few before it, the offensive line will be the answer why. — Callahan

Wide receiver: The wide receiver position at least looks better this season for the Patriots after signing Diggs and Hollins, but there’s so much still unknown about the position.

Diggs is 31 and coming off of an ACL tear, Douglas didn’t progress as expected last season, Bourne’s return from his own ACL surgery was rocky, Boutte has been the subject of trade rumors, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism are rookies, Hollins has never been a consistent starter, and Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker aren’t even guaranteed to make the roster. — Kyed

Best rookie

LT Will Campbell: Don’t expect perfection from Campbell, but the team has at least shown the belief that the LSU product can hold down the fort at left tackle. Throughout the spring, no other player was spotted seeing first-team reps at left tackle. Campbell is expected to be the Week 1 starter.

And it’s certainly possible that Campbell will have some growing pains. But no other rookie is expected to play as heavily as Campbell, and he should be a sizable improvement from who the Patriots were trotting out at left tackle in 2024. — Kyed

RB TreVeyon Henderson: Mark it down.

Much like Rhamondre Stevenson proved to be the Patriots’ best back as a rookie in 2021, when he eventually supplanted then starter Damien Harris, Henderson should do the same to him. Back then, Stevenson was more explosive than Harris, and a better pass-catcher, which Henderson should be in time this year. Not to mention, he’s already regarded as an excellent pass protector; the toughest skill for rookie backs to master in the NFL.

He’s got the talent. All Henderson needs is time. — Callahan

Surprise cut candidate

OLB Anfernee Jennings: Jennings started all 16 games he played for the Patriots last season and 14 of 15 the year before. But if we’ve learned anything so far in the Vrabel era, it’s that current Patriots are not promised a future in his regime. Considering Jennings was relegated to scout-team work for parts of the spring, and is less of a scheme fit than his position mates, the thinking here is he finds a new team in 2025. — Callahan

WR Ja’Lynn Polk: Nearly anyone who wasn’t drafted or given a contract this offseason could make this list, but Polk, a 2024 second-round pick, certainly qualifies.

New England Patriots wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk (1) takes part in drills during NFL football practice, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Harrow, England. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Wide receiver is a weak spot for the Patriots, but there’s a numbers issue here if it’s assumed that Diggs, Douglas, Hollins and Williams will be on the team in Week 1. If that’s the case, then there are only two or three spots for Polk, Baker, Chism, Bourne, Boutte and others. Polk has to come out strong in training camp to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. — Kyed

Related Articles

Mike Vrabel provides good news on Patriots key injured players

Patriots’ leader reveals more details of throwing session with Drake Maye

Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams returns after medical scare

Patriots WR Stefon Diggs (ACL tear) reportedly cleared for training camp

Patriots mailbag: Most under-the-radar player to watch in training camp

Bold prediction

Drake Maye legitimately makes the Pro Bowl: Maye was a Pro Bowler last season, but only because so many quarterbacks dropped out. This year, he’s one of the top three vote-getters.

This wouldn’t be so bold if he was playing the NFC, where the competition is a lot lighter. In the AFC, he’s competing with Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud, Bo Nix, Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.

But if Maye can improve his accuracy, forge a connection with Diggs and continue to produce at a high rate with his rushing ability, then voters will have no choice but to honor the second-year pro. — Kyed

Stefon Diggs pops for a 1,000-yard season: The ACL tear? All but fixed.

The chemistry with Maye? Coming soon.

So with 17 games ahead of him, and minimal competition from his fellow receivers, Diggs should inhale targets this season. He may not return to Pro Bowl-caliber play, but Diggs will certainly be the Patriots’ top target and their first 1,000-yard receiver since 2019. — Callahan