Featured courtesy of the Boston Herald.

The Patriots officially kicked off the 2018 season on Thursday with the start of training camp. Here are things I am going to be watching for in this camp.

1. Thanks to Julian Edelman’s four game suspension, receivers Jordan Matthews, Cordarrelle Patterson and Braxton Berrios will get a long look in camp.

2. I am curious to see what the new defense will look like under Brian Flores. In the spring, the Patriots blitzed more and rotated more defensive lineman and outside linebackers. It will be interesting to see how the Patriots build off of that.

3. How will Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski look after skipping out on voluntary OTA’s? I am going to go out on a limb here and say that there will be no rust.

4. The Patriots surprised us when they drafted running back Sony Michel in the first round. Well, get ready Patriots fans. You will get a first hand look now at one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country the last three years. It will great to see the different ways Josh McDaniels uses Michel.

5. The secondary will be under the microscope with the departure of Malcolm Butler. I think Jason McCourty will step in and fill the void. He’s bigger, has better hands and carries routes better vertically. McCourty is going to have to prove that in camp however to quell people’s fears.

6. The Patriots are deep at running back. It will be interesting to see how running backs coach Ivan Fears divides up the reps. Especially when it comes to Mike Gillislee and Jeremi Hill for the short yardage, goal line role.

7. The linebacker rotation is another area to watch. Given the depth issues the Patriots had last season, one would have to think rookies Ja’Whaun Bentley and Christian Sam will both get lengthy looks.

8. Danny Amendola was an integral part of the team the last four years. Especially when it comes to returning kicks. Cordarrelle Patterson and Braxton Berrios will be tasked with replacing him in the return game but I am also interested to see who else they use back there.

9. The Patriots will have plenty of competition in camp for the second and third tight end spots. I don’t think it is a given that Dwayne Allen makes the team. Allen will compete with veterans Troy Niklas and Will Tye for the second spot. I am also interested in seeing Jacob Hollister and rookie Ryan Izzo compete as well.

10. The Patriots selection of quarterback Danny Etling in the seventh round of April’s draft raised some eyebrows. The prevailing thought was that they would go quarterback earlier. They didn’t.

Etling has good size, is smart and has good arm strength. He can develop into a quality back up but would the Patriots push him up the depth as a rookie? Probably not but if he had a strong showing, Etling will at least end up on the practice squad.