Patriots offense shows off some dangerous new weapons

There weren't many Patriots starters playing in tonight's preseason finale.

However, there were some new faces that finally got a chance to show up. Both of them impressed.

That's a good sign, seeing as both new tight end Timothy Wright and sophomore receiver Aaron Dobson are likely to be counted on in the upcoming season.

Dobson played his first game since last season. In his rookie year he battled injuries and so wasn't often able to get on the field to give the Pats that dynamic outside threat. That was also much the case during training camp as he rehabbed back from off-season foot surgery. Tonight he proved that he is certainly healthy and could be the outside threat Brady has been looking for.

Dobson hauled in three catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. The numbers don't tell the whole story though. Dobson's touchdown catch showed impressive awareness as he adjusted for the ball on the sideline. He also could've had another touchdown on a very impressive catch at the back of the endzone, but was ruled out of bounds. It's a play that, in the regular season, likely would've been challenged.

Newcomer Timothy Wright also impressed. It's unclear how significant of a role he will have, but the coaching staff got a good long look at him tonight. For someone that has only been on the team for two days, and was able to haul in four catches for 43 yards (including a long 16 yarder), you can just imagine what he might be able to do when 1. integrated more into the offense and 2. has Tom Brady throwing him the ball.

In his post-game presser, Jimmy Garoppolo called Wright a "very intelligent player".

He showed impressive speed in his debut, something the Pats have sorely needed at the tight end spot since Aaron Hernandez found a new home in a jail cell.

As impressive as those two were, there were some shaky moments. The offensive line allowed some pretty consistent pressure on Garoppolo. The rookie quarterback was sacked three times and hit six, though some of that was due to him holding onto the ball too long.

Marcus Cannon, Ryan Wendell and Dan Connolly all got the night off. That could mean they are locks for the roster, but it's hard to tell for sure. Josh Kline was the story on the offensive line, as he played every snap at left guard with Mankins shipped off to Tampa Bay. Rookie Bryan Stork also impressed at center.

Photo (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

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