Four things to watch for in tonight’s preseason matchup between

the Patriots and Lions." NFL preseasonPatriots Game PreviewsPatriots Game DayPatriots vs. Lions: What to Watch ForNew Authentic Joejuan Williams Jersey ,18commentsFour things to watch for in tonight’s preseason matchup between the Patriots and Lions.EDTWith the Patriots set to play their first preseason game of the year against the Detroit Lions, we shouldn’t expect to see much from the starters. Tom Brady rarely plays more than a series or two, if at all, during Week 1 of the preseason, and based on yesterday’s practice it doesn’t look like Brady or many of the projected starters are going to be taking the field tonight. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any takeaways from this game, though; far from it. Every aspect of the NFL season has value, and the first actual “game” of the year is no different. Michael and Aidan did a great job breaking down some individual players to keep an eye on tonight, and so I thought I’d pull the camera back a bit and highlight some of the more big picture elements that are worth paying attention to. Here are four things in particular to watch for as the Patriots continue to solidify their roster.Secondary rotation. The Patriots are incredibly deep in the secondary; there are currently 16 players on the roster listed as a CB/DB. Stephon Gilmore is a lock, as are the McCourty brothers. Duron Harmon is a solid, and Nate Ebner is a core special teamer. Joejuan Williams is a lock due to his draft status...but after that? No guarantees. Players like Keion Crossen and JC Jackson will be looking to build off of solid 2018 campaigns, whereas players like Duke Dawson will be looking to showcase why they’re worthy of a spot. We won’t be able to glean much as to who will be starting come September, but the secondary is extremely crowded right now and the coaching staff is likely to be swapping guys in and out of the lineup constantly as they evaluate talent. Whoever is able to shine in very limited reps will give himself the inside track on staying on the final 53.Left tackle. Whether or not Isaiah Wynn starts tonight Joejuan Williams Jersey Boys , I’m going to be paying very close attention to the left tackle position tonight and throughout the preseason. Nate Solder was a solid LT, and Trend Brown was a monster in his limited time here - but the most important position on the enitre offensive line is now a question mark, both in regards to starter and depth at the position. Joe Thuney has seen time at tackle this training camp, as has Dan Skipper, and there have been rumors swirling regarding the Patriots trading for Trent Williams, so there is obviously some uncertainty at the position right now. The offensive line is the one unit that you can get a decent sense of during the preseason, and while all signs point to Wynn getting the nod. Belichick has never hesitated to bump a camp standout over a highly touted draft pick.Punter. Jake Bailey is apparently the real deal, with a hangtime of upwards of five seconds and the ability to coffin corner his kicks. He’s a righty, which is a big shift from how Belichick usually selects his punters, but if the reports of his training camp are accurate, Bailey could usurp Ryan Allen for good with a strong showing in a game scenario. As we saw in the Super Bowl, field position wins the day Youth Irving Fryar Jerseys , and while you never like seeing your punter out there, it’s a crucial role for any team. Jake Bailey is also apparently a kickoff specialist, which means that Ghost no longer has to worry about placing the ball high and inside the five yard line on his kickoffs. If you remember, the new touchback rule forced Ghost to alter his kicking style, and it ended up having a negative affect on his field goal attempts. I’ll be curious to see if Bailey is able to put together both a solid day punting and kicking off.Tight end versatility. Gronk is gone, and perhaps the most unheralded aspect of his game that the Patriots are going to miss was his ability as a blocker. Not only was Gronk a receiving threat and matchup nightmare, but he was hands down the best blocking tight end in the league, and the ability to move him all over the line depending on what the defense was showing was an incredible weapon for this offense. Without that, New Englnd may be forced to show its cards a little more regarding where they have the tight end lining up. Lance Kendricks is still nursing an injury and Ben Watson is both old and suspended for the first four games of the season, so it’s likely to be Matt LaCosse and Stephen Anderson getting reps tonight, with 2nd year man Ryan Izzo contributing late. Will they line up mostly at the line? Out wide? Any versatility there whatsoever? Now is for sure the time to experiment with it, so I’ll be looking for what the Patriots are hoping to get out of the position in 2019. FOXBOROUGH Irving Fryar Jerseys Stitched , Mass. (AP) — This was not the return to the field that Cam Newton was hoping to make.The Carolina Panthers quarterback left Thursday night’s 10-3 exhibition loss to the New England Patriots in the first quarter with a foot injury that left him grimacing on the sideline.The 2015 MVP was playing for the first time since Dec. 17, when the team shut him down for the last two games of the season because of shoulder fatigue that prevented him from throwing the ball downfield. He had arthroscopic surgery in January and did not play in the first two preseason games.Article continues below ...Newton appeared to be injured when he was sacked for a loss of 8 yards by Adam Butler on a third-and-10 from the Carolina 31. It was one of two times Newton was sacked.Newton was initially evaluated on the sideline and quickly accompanied to the locker room and did not return.He didn’t speak with reporters after the game but could be seen staring at the ground and wore a boot as he walked from the locker room toward the team bus.“He got sacked, that’s about all I saw,” Carolina coach Ron Rivera said.Asked if Newton’s injury affects his opinion on the number of exhibition of games, Rivera said it’s in the hands of the league.“It’s tough. It’s part of the game, unfortunately,” Rivera said.Kyle Allen took over at quarterback.The Panthers were pedestrian on offense and went three-and-out in each of their first two series of the night. Newton went 4-for-6 for 30 yards.Tom Brady finished his first exhibition game of 2019 by going 8-for-12 for 75 yards, including an 18-yard pass to tight end Ryan Izzo to set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by James Develin. It was the starting offense’s final series.Brady did it with a skeleton crew at receiver. Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, N’Keal Harry and Demaryius Thomas all sat out. But undrafted rookie Jakobi Meyers continued to help open the field, catching seven passes for 74 yards.Phillip Dorsett also had seven catches for 47 yards.Brady, who wore a fedora after the game Infant Yodny Cajuste Jersey , like the hats Newton often wears, said it was tough to see him get hurt.“It’s always hard to see them,” Brady said. “We’ve had our fair share of watching and being part of these games. Guys you think are gonna play a big role over the course of the year and then in one play it doesn’t happen that way. … Injuries are part of the game.”INJURIESPanthers: OT Greg Little was evaluated for a concussion in the fourth quarter.Patriots: Special teamer Brandon King was carted off the field with about a minute to go in the first half after helping block on a punt return. … RB Damien Harris left in the second quarter with an undisclosed injury.FIRST ACTIONChristian McCaffrey, Greg Olsen and Luke Kuechly all made their preseason debuts for the Panthers after not playing in the first two games.McCaffrey had the best night, rushing three times for 16 yards and hauling in a 10-yard reception. Olsen had one catch for four yards and Kuechly made a tackle.NO BAD BLOODSafety Eric Reid said there was no malice in slapping the Patriots’ Ben Watson across the neck as the tight end lay on his back after making a sideline catch. Reid was called for unnecessary roughness on the play. Watson stayed down briefly but walked off under his own power.“I was just trying to stop him from getting the first down,” Reid said. “I looked at the replay and, yeah, he was down. We’ll see what the league do with it. I’m sure I’ll end up getting a fine.”Watson criticized Reid on Twitter recently after Watson took issue with some of the positions of the Players Coalition.NO CHUNGPatriots safety Patrick Chung was not in uniform after being indicted in New Hampshire on a charge of cocaine possession.A Belknap County grand jury indicted the 32-year-old Chung on Aug. 8. Authorities said Chung knowingly possessed cocaine on June 25 while in Meredith.UP NEXTPanthers: Host Pittsburgh next Thursday.Patriots: Host the New York Giants next Thursday in their final exhibition game.