Pats WR Aaron Dobson said sitting on the sidelines for the Patriots’ Week 1 loss to Miami wasn’t easy and is working hard to get back on the right track.

“It’s tough, but it was the best decision for the football team this week,” Dobson said. “I’m still going to do what I can do on the field this week in practice and come out and practice hard and see what’s in store for me this week.”

The 6-foot-3 receiver gives the Patriots’ offense a different dimension. With his height, this 2013 second-round pick is the deep threat that Brady craves. That was seen when he hauled in a 33-yard touchdown catch from Jimmy Garoppolo a week and a half ago in the only preseason game he played this summer.

It will be interesting to see if the Pats play Dobson this week. It's clear his down-field presence was missed in Week 1. He played in Week 4 of the preseason so it was a bit of a surprise he was inactive to start the season.

With Ryan Mallett still on the burner as a potential trade target for quarterback-needy teams, the New England Patriots are keeping their backup QB in bubble wrap.

NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that New England is expected to hold Mallett out of Thursday's final preseason game against the New York Giants, per a Patriots source.

With potential trade opportunities down the road, the risk of injury was deemed too high, the source told Rapoport. That means rookie Jimmy Garoppolo will start and likely go the distance.

Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s poor start to training camp made many wish the Patriots used their second-round pick on a tight end.

But things have turned around after two stellar performances against Washington (9/13 for 157 yards and touchdown) and Philadelphia (6/12, 72 yards and two touchdowns). No one can declare Garoppolo the heir apparent to Tom Brady, but the rookie quarterback’s quick release, nice touch on deep balls and ability to manage the game is encouraging.

He’ll need to make the most out of this final two preseason games before his season on the Patriots’ bench begins.

From the deepest hole on the depth chart, Patriots rookie Jimmy Garoppolo has risen to stake his claim as the Patriots backup quarterback. And really, it all happened over eight days.

Garoppolo took over for Tom Brady after two series in the first quarter of last night’s preseason matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium and continued his sizzling summer run. He completed 6-of-12 passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, a week after going 9-for-13 for 157 yards and a touchdown in the opener against the Redskins.

Garoppolo got the early snaps for two reasons. First, he earned them by backing up his game performance with a sterling week in practice. Second, Ryan Mallett has dealt with a bothersome left knee injury that required a lot of maintenance just to get him into the joint workouts.

The Ryan Mallett showcase didn’t work as intended, but the backup quarterback wasn’t offered much help last night in the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Redskins.

He was outdueled by fellow trade-bait backup Kirk Cousins, who was 9-of-13 for 103 yards and a touchdown and helped the Redskins build a 13-0 lead in the first half.

Pats rookie QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s surprisingly productive performance was particularly noticeable after Mallett’s struggles. The second-rounder completed 9-of-13 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL action, and wide receiver Brian Tyms had five receptions for 119 yards and the scoring grab.

Mallett did have some moments, completing passes to Brandon LaFell and Josh Boyce, the story noted. The performance comes just days after Mallett was deemed NFL ready and was called someone who could start in the NFL right now.

If Patriots HC Bill Belichick's phone starts buzzing with trade feelers, he can thank NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock for hyping backup quarterback Ryan Mallett on Monday's edition of Inside Training Camp Live.

"I was blown away today. I saw a legitimate NFL starting quarterback today backing up Tom Brady," Mayock said after Monday's scrimmage versus the Redskins. "So as the season progresses and we get closer to draft time and what the Patriots can or can't do with him, I think they drafted Jimmy Garoppolo for a reason, as an insurance policy. But trust me, Ryan Mallet's a starting quarterback in this league, and he popped today."

Boston beat writers mostly agree saying Mallet is having a great training camp so far.