FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Don’t write off Jacoby Brissett just yet.
The New England Patriots quarterback bounced back Monday following his terrible performance in last Thursday’s preseason game and two underwhelming practices. With New England’s QB competition tightening, Brissett had his cleanest practice in a week and slightly outperformed Drake Maye, who still played well.
Let’s get into everything that stood out on the final day of training camp.
Patriots Practice Observations for Monday, Aug. 19
Attire
Full pads.
Attendance
The following players were absent from practice:
- LB Sione Takitaki (PUP)
- OL Cole Strange (PUP)
- TE Hunter Henry
- DT Christian Barmore
- S/LB Marte Mapu
- WR Kendrick Bourne
- OT Calvin Anderson
- LB Oshane Ximines
- CB Shaun Wade
- LB Joshua Uche
- WR JaQuae Jackson
- TE Mitchell Wilcox
- C Nick Leverett
Henry missed his fifth consecutive practice after suffering an apparent leg/foot injury on Sunday. He watched practice in street clothes.
Uche, Anderson, and Ximines both missed their third consecutive practice after playing in the preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Jackson remained out after suffering a leg injury.
Barmore, who recently was diagnosed with blood clots, remains sidelined and without a timetable for return. There’s a real chance he will sit out the entire season.
Mapu hasn’t practiced since the start of camp. He’s watched in street clothes each day, and his injury situation remains a mystery.
Strange continues to rehab from a torn patellar tendon suffered late last season. He might sit out half of the 2024 season, if not the entire campaign.
Bourne, who’s rehabbing a torn ACL, didn’t participate but watched practice in street clothes.
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Takitaki is still recovering from an offseason knee scope, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The veteran linebacker previously said he wouldn’t miss a single day of camp, but he’s yet to appear in a single practice.
Leverett missed practice due to an undisclosed injury. Wilcox also sat out after appearing to injure a leg on Sunday.
Here are some additional injury notes:
- Azizi Hearn, Armon Watts, and Austin Hooper returned after missing recent practices. Hooper appeared to be limited.
- Leverett, Mapu, and Wade worked out on the lower rehab field.
Highlights From Jerod Mayo’s Press Conference
On which players will play against the Washington Commanders on Sunday: “Everyone that’s healthy is going to play in the game. Not sure what Washington is going to do, but it really doesn’t matter. It’s what we need to do. It’s what we need as a team.”
On Maye’s improvement since the last preseason game: “I think it’s attributed to his hard work, his dedication to his craft. This guy comes in early, leaves late. Every day, he’s one of those types of guys, and he’s done a great job. I would also say the coaches have done a good job meeting with him one-on-one, making sure that he’s comfortable with his team play. He’s absolutely getting better.”
On rookie tight end Jaheim Bell: “He’s really stepped up to the challenge, and he’s taken a lot of reps. He’s one of those guys that has a unique skill set. He can run with the ball in his hands, and we just have to do a good job getting it to him.”
On when he’ll decide which QB will start the opener: “We still don’t know right now. We have another preseason game, and then a week after that. When I know, I’ll let you know.”
LIVE: Jerod Mayo Press Conference 8/19: https://t.co/J26PY1gOgR
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 19, 2024
On if the top offensive line is set: “We’re getting close. That’ll be a discussion after the game.”
On whether Henry will be ready for Week 1: “I wouldn’t say it’s in doubt. Right now, we’ll have to see. We still have a lot of time. I think he’ll be there, but once again, when he’s ready to play, he’ll be out there.”
On Brissett struggling in the preseason game: “He’s the ultimate ‘next play’ kind of guy. You need that attitude. Whether you’re a pitcher or a quarterback, you need that attitude. Let’s just move on and not get too high or too low.”
On the kicking competition: “Both of those guys (Chad Ryland and Joey Slye) have done a great job, and we’ve been trying to yell and get them out of their element. Today, we won’t do that, but it’s still a competition, and we look forward to seeing who comes out on top.”
Patriots’ QB Training Camp Battle | Day 17
Jacoby Brissett
11-on-11s: 3-for-3, two sacks
7-on-7s: 2-for-3, one drop
It’s important to note this was a light practice without many competitive periods. Some 11-on-11 periods looked like glorified walkthroughs, and there wasn’t any real tackling.
Nevertheless, Brissett looked more confident and decisive than in recent practices. He also saw all the reps with the first-team offensive line, including during an extended scout team period. That’s a clear indication there isn’t a real quarterback competition — regardless of what Mayo says.
Brissett also delivered the play of the day: a 40-yard bomb to Tyquan Thornton to kickstart a one-minute drive that ended with a 36-yard Slye field goal.
After practice, Brissett said, “I still treat myself as if I’m the starter.” So, he made a statement both with his play and his words.
Drake Maye
11-on-11s: 4-for-7, two sacks
7-on-7s: 3-for-3
Maye played well again, with two of his three incompletions coming on a failed Hail Mary attempt and a miscommunication with La’Michael Pettway. Otherwise, the rookie continued his recent trend of playing more confidently and being more decisive than he was early in camp.
MORE: Simulate the NFL Season With PFN’s Playoff Predictor
Maye’s best throw was a 20-yard back-shoulder dart to Kayshon Boutte. However, unlike Brissett, Maye failed to score points during his one-minute drive.
Joe Milton III
11-on-11s: 2-for-2
7-on-7s: 2-for-3, one drop
Milton would’ve been 5-for-5 if not for a Bell drop during 7-on-7s. He also delivered a beautiful throw to David Wallis, who made a great 30-yard catch on a seam route. This was one of Milton’s better practices in a while, though his reps were limited.
Bailey Zappe
11-on-11s: 1-for-2, one sack, one drop
7-on-7s: Zero reps
No notes.
Best and Worst Performances From Day 17 of Patriots Training Camp
All Four Quarterbacks | STUD
This was a good day for the offense, and all four quarterbacks played well. Brissett had the best practice, but Maye, Milton, and Zappe also made the most of their opportunities. It’s hard to leave anyone off this list when the quarterbacks combined to go 17-for-23, and three of the incompletions were drops.
WR Tyquan Thornton | STUD
Thornton made an outstanding over-the-shoulder catch on a 40-yard rainbow from Brissett. It was one of the best plays of camp for a player who, at this point, appears to be in line to earn a roster spot. Thornton hasn’t been a star or anything, but he’s been consistently productive and, most importantly, healthy.
OT Vederian Lowe | STUD
The much-maligned offensive tackle went 2-0 during linemen 1-on-1s with wins against Jotham Russell and William Bradley-King. I might be on an island with this take, but I believe Vederian Lowe played well down the stretch last season and has been solid in training camp. He’s currently their best option at right tackle.
WR Javon Baker | DUD
Another day, another drop for Javon Baker, who continues to slide down the depth chart. He remains one of the more explosive players on the roster, but Baker won’t see any playing time this season if he continues struggling with drops.
TE Jaheim Bell | DUD
A day after delivering his best practice of camp, Bell committed a bad drop on a pass from Milton during 7-on-7s. It was his only bad play of the practice, but it was enough to land him in this section.
K Joey Slye | DUD
Kicking competition update: Slye went 3-for-5 with misses from 45 and 52 yards; Ryland went 3-for-4 with a miss from 40 yards. Slye had created distance from Ryland, but his performance on Monday might’ve opened the door for Ryland to stay in the competition.
Overall, Slye is 36-for-44 this summer, while Ryland is 35-for-43. The Patriots can’t feel great about either option.
Assorted Patriots’ Notes and Highlights From Day 17 of Camp
- The Patriots ran a Hail Mary drill late in practice. It looked like the intention was for defenders to practice batting the ball down.
- David Andrews booed a Patriots reporter for dropping the ball during a field goal drill.
Get booed by the #Patriots ☑️ https://t.co/rn2jQKVu4v
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) August 19, 2024
- These were the top offensive line groupings, from left to right:
- First line: Lowe, Sidy Sow, Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Chukwuma Okorafor.
- Second line: Okorafor, Layden Robinson, Liam Fornadel, Michael Jordan, Caedan Wallace.
- Lowe appears to be entrenched as the top left tackle. He’s been the top left tackle in all but a handful of practices and started at the position in both preseason games.
- The Patriots didn’t throw the lines into a blender nearly as much as in the previous two practices. However, Wallace and Robinson still rotated in as the top left guard and right tackle, respectively. Robinson and Sow appear to be competing for the No. 1 left guard job.
- Onwenu didn’t see any reps at right tackle after running as the second-team RT in the last two practices.
- This was Brissett’s line (left to right) during his one-minute drill: Lowe, Robinson, Andrews, Onwenu, Wallace. I believe that’s the first time Robinson has opened a period as the top left guard, and not just subbing in.
- This was Maye’s line during his one-minute drill: Kellen Diesch, Sow, Fornadel, Jordan, Okorafor.
MORE: Simulate the NFL Season With PFN’s Playoff Predictor
- Here are additional highlights from Monday’s practice. The Patriots will take Tuesday off before returning to the field on Wednesday afternoon.
LIVE: Jacoby Brissett Press Conference 8/19: https://t.co/Nxm7OFCsXA
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 19, 2024
Joe Milton asked about switching back to No. 7 now that’s it’s available. Says with a laugh the veterans will have the first shot at it. pic.twitter.com/9yXfK7MrHz
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) August 19, 2024
Jonathan Jones begins his post-practice interview speaking on the impact of Mark Price. https://t.co/uZNOzWvcWB pic.twitter.com/dSA83j0yYq
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 19, 2024
Jacoby Brissett was asked about how he felt about Jerod Mayo saying on July 23 that he was the starter but today August 19 he says he isn’t sure who’s starting week 1:
“I still treat myself like the starter.” pic.twitter.com/JGIGKtGcCY
— Tamara Brown (@Imtamarabrown) August 19, 2024
