The New England Patriots opened the preseason with a 17-3 win over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.

But beyond the final score were the first glimpses for rookie head coach Jerod Mayo’s 90-man roster.

Here’s an early look back on the 7 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.

Cameo appearances at quarterback lead to Milton time

It wouldn’t be Jacoby Brissett’s first start in a Patriots uniform. But after being drafted in 2016, traded away in 2017 and brought back in March, it would be a start for the NFL veteran of 48. It ended after a single series against Carolina.

New England’s top quarterback entering training camp finished with a trio of incompletions in the rain. He then hit the sideline as the No. 3 overall pick hit the field. Drake Maye debuted with 11:11 to play in the first quarter, handing off on a zone run. The 21-year-old North Carolina product kept the chains moving on a third-and-12 screen soon after. He went 2-of-3 through the air for 19 yards to running backs in his brief premiere.

The backend of the depth chart absorbed the rest. With 5:23 left in the first frame, Bailey Zappe got under center. The holdover finished 12-of-20 for 108 yards in his fading bid to outlast the league’s cutdown. And then it was time for Joe Milton III with 4:12 to go in the third quarter. The rocket-armed rookie by way of Michigan and Tennessee quickly connected on his first hitch. He then scrambled in circles on the way to 12 yards and finished 4-of-6 passing for 54 yards, looking the safety off on undrafted wideout JaQuae Jackson’s double-move touchdown from 38 yards out.

Starting five gets flagged at the tackle spots

The offensive line is subject to change for the Patriots. But August’s opener provided a snapshot. The first five included Vederian Lowe at left tackle, Sidy Sow at left guard, captain David Andrews at center, Mike Onwenu at right guard and Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle.

That configuration stayed together in full for the initial two series against the Panthers, including the initial quarterback switch. No sacks were conceded over that stretch. A false start on Okorafor marked the first penalty of the game. And opposite him, Lowe continued at left tackle as the second unit stepped on.

Then Caedan Wallace took his place. The No. 76 overall pick out of Penn State, who later flipped sides, looked mostly at home there with Michael Jordan at left guard, Nick Leverett at center, fellow rookie Layden Robinson at right guard and Calvin Anderson at right tackle. Carolina did not register a sack until 52 seconds remained before intermission. Afterward, Kellen Diesch, Atonio Mafi and Liam Fornadel subbed in along the line.

Checking the backfield depths

After signing a four-year, $36 million contract extension in June, Rhamondre Stevenson took the first carry for the Patriots in the opener. It went up the right sideline for a pickup of 11 yards. That would be the night for the bell cow. The rest of New England’s running backs cycled through.

Antonio Gibson was next in for offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. The March arrival from the Washington Commanders handled four carries for four yards. Out of the backfield, his lone catch picked up 13.

But behind a pancaking, downhill center in Leverett, Kevin Harris found the end zone on an RPO down at the goal line. After stops on the practice squad and active roster, the 2022 draft choice from South Carolina made it a 7-0 game there in the second quarter. He would tally eight carries for 22 yards to go with the score. Terrell Jennings got his run in the second half. The shifty rookie from Florida A&M led the ground game with 38 yards across six carries.

Boutte paces Patriots in receiving as rookie wideouts debut

K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton got the starting nod for New England’s wide receivers. The third on the field would be JuJu Smith-Schuster. But the 2024 NFL draft saw the Patriots invest No. 37 overall and No. 110 overall in wide receivers. The products of Washington and Central Florida had moments with their first preseason snaps.

Ja’Lynn Polk moved the sticks with strong hands, drawing back-to-back looks and finishing with three receptions for 14 yards. And Javon Baker, who was also seen running down kicks, beat his coverage twice to no avail entering the second quarter and finished with two receptions for 11 yards. Offsetting holding calls wiped away a contested catch, as well, as the latter climbed the ladder with body control.

But not lost in the mix was a 2023 Patriots draft choice fighting for a final spot. Kayshon Boutte went up and high-pointed a first down for 28 yards before halftime. The LSU Tiger finished with three grabs for a team-leading 53 yards.

Third tight end a wide-open race

Captain Hunter Henry leads the tight end room in Foxborough. But the case for the third seat behind him and Austin Hooper remains up for grabs. And the case continued on Thursday night.

Mitchell Wilcox stood in the huddle for “12” personnel to start the evening and finished with one catch on four chances. He would be the intended target on the game’s first sailed pass and was penalized for holding one play after La’Michael Pettway was called for a false start.

Rookie Jaheim Bell, the last pick in New England’s April draft class, got in the stat sheet following halftime off a play-action boot for 11 yards.

Pressure-packed Patriots front includes Pharms and Ximines

The Panthers announced 33 inactives prior to kickoff, including past No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. For good reason. By the game’s opening third down, Patriots captain Deatrich Wise Jr. had taken down undrafted Panthers quarterback Jack Plummer to force the punt team on.

But Daniel Ekuale and Keion White got the starts for New England’s defensive line along with Jeremiah Pharms Jr. And the Wichita Force and Pittsburgh Maulers alum got in the sack column one drive later, pinning Carolina deep in their own territory. He would later draw back-to-back holding penalties in the indefinite absence of Christian Barmore due to blood clots.

Versatile linebacker Oshane Ximines packed power, too, turning a second-and-long rush into a strip and sack. He followed it up with a near-safety off the edge. And as halftime neared, so did a swimming, third-down blitz from linebacker Christian Elliss that went right by the center for a loss of eight. The pressure persisted after the half with undrafted free agent John Morgan III flushing the quarterback out of bounds.

On the specialists’ side

A season removed from punting 98 times, Bryce Baringer kept busy. Against Carolina, the reigning PFWA All-Rookie selection launched eight for an average of 48.1 yards per, including a long of 56. He moves forward without competition.

The same cannot be said at kicker. Chad Ryland converted a pair of extra points in his push to outlast ex-Panther Joey Slye. The May signing handled the opening kickoff and went on to send a 42-yard field goal through the uprights to give New England a 10-0 advantage.

Tenured Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona got the night off, giving way to recent re-signing Tucker Addington.

Rookie minicamp tryout makes most of being third for punt returns

The NFL’s new kickoff rules will shift the field for those chasing an all-purpose spot. But on Thursday night, the Panthers did not get to send one deep until after intermission.

It was a different story as far as punts went. Veteran receiver Jalen Reagor, who notched a 98-yard kick return for a TD on New Year’s Eve, fielded the first for the Patriots with 2022 first-team All-Pro Marcus Jones a spectator. The aforementioned Osborn fielded the second with a collision.

David Wallis out of Randolph-Macon fielded the next. He then escaped for 24 yards up the right sideline on the subsequent opportunity. It set up points. Another brought 14 yards for the Division III standout, who attended rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. He cleanly collected three fair catches and got the call for the final kickoff with under two minutes to play.