FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ second training camp practice was slightly more entertaining than the first, an admittedly low bar.
Thursday’s practice ran roughly 15 minutes longer than Wednesday’s, with players logging one hour and 45 minutes of work under cloudy skies. There were notable developments in the quarterback room, plus an encouraging performance from a much-maligned receiver.
Let’s get into everything we saw on Day 2 of Patriots training camp.
Patriots Practice Observations for Thursday, July 25
Attire
Helmets and shells. Pads won’t come on until next Monday at the earliest.
Attendance
The following players were absent from practice:
- LB Sione Takitaki (PUP)
- OL Jake Andrews (PUP)
- OL Cole Strange (PUP)
- WR Kendrick Bourne (PUP)
- RB Antonio Gibson (NFI)
- DT Davon Godchaux (new addition)
Gibson, who missed Wednesday’s session while on NFI, was on the field for the start of practice but went to the lower rehab field during the stretching portion and never participated in team drills. Whether he’ll stay on NFI with his undisclosed injury remains to be seen.
As for Godchaux, who was a full participant Wednesday, he might’ve missed practice due to an injury, but it’s also fair to wonder whether his absence was related to an ongoing contract dispute. He showed up roughly halfway through practice without a helmet and with no cleats on.
Andrews also is dealing with an undisclosed injury, likely the same one that kept him out of minicamp. He’s facing a make-or-break camp and can’t afford to miss much more practice time.
Strange continues to rehab from a torn patellar tendon suffered late last season. He might sit out half the 2024 season, if not the entire campaign.
Bourne is still working his way back from a torn ACL. He showed up late in practice without a wrap or brace on his surgically repaired knee.
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, so it’s fair to wonder whether his knee could be a lingering issue.
Patriots’ QB Training Camp Battle: Day 2
Jacoby Brissett
11-on-11s: 3-for-5, three sacks
7-on-7s: 5-for-6
The offensive line was an issue — more on that in a bit — but Brissett was solid when he had a clean pocket. He pushed the ball down the field more than the other quarterbacks and showed a nice connection with Tyquan Thornton.
Brissett’s best highlight: an off-balance throw to K.J. Osborn on a busted play during 11-on-11s. He was fired up while signaling a first down.
Drake Maye
11-on-11s: 4-for-6, one sack
7-on-7s: 6-for-6
It was a conservative day for Maye, who threw just one pass beyond 10 yards. There were a lot of checkdowns and not many highlight-worthy plays. It wasn’t a bad day for Maye — it just wasn’t anything special.
Joe Milton III
11-on-11s: 4-for-6
7-on-7s: 2-for-3
We’ve listed Milton after Zappe in all prior spring and training camp practice reports. That’s because, until Thursday, Milton always repped behind Zappe during team drills.
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But that changed on Day 2 of camp, with the Patriots seemingly giving Milton a promotion. He responded by turning a solid day of work that, like Maye’s, didn’t require any high-level plays.
Bailey Zappe
11-on-11s: 2-for-3
7-on-7s: 2-for-3
Is the writing on the wall for Zappe? It might be, although he’s been counted out before. If he reps fourth again on Friday, it would be hard to envision him lasting much longer.
Three Studs, Three Duds
WR Tyquan Thornton | STUD
The embattled third-year receiver led all Patriots pass-catchers with five catches in team drills. He caught four passes during 7-on-7s — three from Brissett, one from Maye — then caught a ball against Christian Gonzalez during 11-on-11s.
We’ve seen this before from Thornton, who often excels in non-padded practices. The trouble has been when the pads come on, which is a trend he must reverse this summer.
S Jabrill Peppers | STUD
Just another solid day for the veteran safety, who drew cheers from the crowd with a nice pass breakup on a deep throw for Hunter Henry. Peppers is one of the Patriots’ most consistent practice players and remains a tone-setter for the defense.
CB Marcus Jones | STUD
The third-year pro arguably had his best practice of the offseason, headlined by a great pass breakup on a deep throw for Ja’Lynn Polk. The Patriots’ cornerback room would be in great shape if Jones can establish himself as a top option in the slot.
Offensive tackles | DUDS
There were multiple sacks off both edges as pressure was an issue throughout. Vederian Lowe, Calvin Anderson, and Caedan Wallace all had issues, with only Chuks Okorafor playing a relatively clean practice.
However, it’s important to note that these practices often favor defense, as players can pin their ears back without worrying about any physicality from linemen. Let’s see what happens next week.
C Atonio Mafi | DUD
It’s been a rough offseason for Mafi, who’s played guard this summer after starting five games at guard as a rookie. He looks overwhelmed, with his botched snap to Milton one of the practice’s lowlights.
Mafi has an opportunity to earn a roster spot as a backup, but he’s not off to a great start.
DT Davon Godchaux | DUD
It’s unclear whether Godchaux sat out of practice due to an injury or his contract. But this stinks of the latter, which would be an issue for the Patriots. It also would be a bad look for Godchaux, as Matthew Judon was a full participant in the first two practices despite his ongoing contract drama.
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Godchaux is an important player for the Patriots, as he’s the only true interior run-stuffer on the roster. If his absence was related to the contract, the situation needs to be resolved soon.
Assorted Patriots’ Notes and Highlights from Day 2 of Camp
- After not spending any time on special teams Wednesday, the Patriots ran kicking team drills early in Thursday’s practice. They worked on punt returns but didn’t drill the new kickoff rule.
- DeMario Douglas sat out of team drills for the second consecutive day. I saw him with tape on his left thumb/wrist while leaving the field after practice.
- Wednesday’s crowd was sparse and lacked energy. Thursday’s was a little bit better, but not by much.
View from the stands. It does feel like a slightly better crowd than yesterday pic.twitter.com/xSKtVusWkl
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) July 25, 2024
- Most Patriots players were wearing guardian caps, but cornerback Isaiah Bolden was among the few wearing one of six other helmet models approved by the NFL. Bolden suffered a season-ending concussion last summer.
Isaiah Bolden is one of the only non-QB/K/Ps not wearing a guardian cap in Patriots camp.
Why? Because his helmet is one of the six models the NFL determined provides equal or better protection.
Bolden suffered a concussion last summer that landed him on season-ending IR. pic.twitter.com/s225KMPZ7p
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) July 25, 2024
- Jerod Mayo appeared to spend more time with the offense on Thursday than in the opener. During an 11-on-11 period, he went into the huddle after each snap to give feedback to Maye. Bill Belichick typically floated from position group to position group during practices, and Mayo hasn’t been much different.
- Christian Barmore didn’t participate in team drills and is dealing with an illness, according to Mark Daniels of MassLive.
- During a 7-on-7 period, Milton repeatedly gestured for receiver JaQuae Jackson to move further outside. After coaches reset the huddle to get everyone on the same page, Milton fired incomplete to Jackson over the middle.
- Brissett started an 11-on-11 period with Thornton, Ja’Lynn Polk, and K.J. Osborn as his top receivers.
- Danny Amendola was at practice and spent time talking with coaches Matthew Slater and Dont’a Hightower, among others.
Danny Amendola (black shirt) is here at Patriots practice pic.twitter.com/NzlpwyodAB
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) July 25, 2024
- Jonathan Jones saw reps at safety for the second consecutive practice.
- Robert Kraft showed up for the final minutes of practice. He arrived roughly 10 minutes into Wednesday’s session. He spoke with Judon for a while.
- These were the top offensive line combinations, from left to right:
First group: Okorafor, Sidy Sow, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Lowe.
Second group: Anderson, Michael Jordan, Nick Leverett, Onwenu, Caedan Wallace
- Wallace also rotated in at right tackle with both Brissett and Maye at quarterback.
- Polk had another strong practice, including catching a pass from Maye on a deep in-cut.
- Other highlights:
-
Patriots players running through agility drills early in practice pic.twitter.com/XRjhHGrMFH
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) July 25, 2024
DeMario Douglas (No. 3) appears to be moving well after being limited yesterday pic.twitter.com/pSOJ6tgbkZ
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) July 25, 2024
Drake Maye to Javon Baker and Kayshon Boutte pic.twitter.com/meVGqxQADm
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) July 25, 2024
Drake Maye to Ja'Lynn Polk pic.twitter.com/MNeohxuy8O
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) July 25, 2024
Drake Maye to Kayshon Boutte pic.twitter.com/JR5QFsVWrs
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) July 25, 2024
Pop Douglas 💨 pic.twitter.com/WF08luCDau
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) July 25, 2024
Drake Maye ➡️ Jalen Reagor pt. 2 pic.twitter.com/FuMGPQvg6D
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) July 25, 2024
Jerod Mayo signing autographs for some #Patriots fans: pic.twitter.com/xVttbcVEhD
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) July 25, 2024
I think this Joe Milton throw hit a cloud pic.twitter.com/cbjom6X1CL
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) July 25, 2024
- Maye stayed on the field long after practice ended, spending much of the time throwing passes to rookie receiver Javon Baker.
- The Patriots will practice again Friday for roughly two hours. They’ll take Saturday off before returning to the field Sunday morning.