Several players stood out during the New England Patriots’ loss to the New York Giants on Thursday night. One player in particular caught the attention of Bill Belichick.
Myles Bryant returned a punt for 30 yards and another punt for 16 yards during the preseason opener. Last season, he played slot cornerback but has also seen time at free safety, strong safety and dime linebacker during his time with New England.
Thursday was yet another new role for him, as the 5-foot-9 Swiss Army knife out of Washington made an impact. the Patriots need a jolt on special-teams, following the departure of Gunner Olszewski. If that was an audition for a special teams job, Belichick appeared impressed by it during his virtual news conference on Friday.
“Gunner (Olszewski) returned punts for the last three years, so he took a lot of reps and a lot of snaps back there,” said Belichick, via NESN’s Zack Cox. “But Myles has been doing it during the spring, the summer. He’s shown a good ability to track and catch the ball. We know Myles has good quickness, and we know he’s a good decision-maker, which is a lot in that position. And he made a couple nice plays (Thursday) night.
“He’s worked hard for that opportunity, earned it and then did something with it — all really encouraging things. But that’s kind of typical of Myles. That’s kind of the way he is and the kid he is. He’s a very diligent, hard-working kid who always gives you his best effort. He’s a smart, instinctive football player in a lot of different roles. He’s had a lot of different roles for us defensively and grown into those. It wasn’t like he did all of those two weeks into (his first) training camp, but he’s evolved into a very versatile player for us on defense and in the kicking game.”
Bryant has the ability to make things happen. So he could be a good fit as a special teams returner. One of the things that makes him an attractive candidate for this position is his speed. He showed it a bit on Thursday night, as his long returns allowed for the offense to start in good field position and gave the quarterbacks room to work.
It will be intriguing to see if this becomes a permanent role for Bryant, as New England looks for a dependable return man. Bryant could separate himself as a leading candidate over the next couple of weeks, especially if he continues his productive performances.
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