FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots now are through four minicamp practices, and the offense isn’t getting much better. But there were some signs of life on Sunday, most notably from one of New England’s rookie wideouts.
With their first padded practice set for Monday, Patriots coaches could’ve gone easy on players and conducted a lighter practice. Instead, players put in roughly two hours of hard, team-heavy work under sunny skies and in front of a large crowd. Let’s get into everything we saw on Day 4 of Patriots training camp.
Patriots Practice Observations for Sunday, July 28
Attire
Helmets and shells. The first padded practice is expected to be on Monday.
Attendance
The following players were absent from practice:
- LB Sione Takitaki (PUP)
- OL Jake Andrews (PUP)
- OL Cole Strange (PUP)
- WR Kendrick Bourne (PUP)
- DT Christian Barmore
- S/LB Marte Mapu
Bourne was in uniform and participated during the stretching period after wearing street clothes during the previous three practices. He spent the rest of practice on the lower rehab field, but the veteran receiver nevertheless appears to be making significant progress in his ACL rehab.
Bourne is participating in the stretching period https://t.co/BYOPZr7ss3 pic.twitter.com/ALPtaS7VQh
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) July 28, 2024
Mapu, as he did Friday, showed up roughly 25 minutes after the start of practice but didn’t participate in team drills. Barmore never showed up after being limited on Friday. Neither issue seems serious, but they’re worth monitoring.
Andrews is dealing with an undisclosed injury, likely the same one that kept him out of minicamp. We haven’t seen him down on the rehab field, and it might be fair to wonder whether he’s dealing with a long-term injury.
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.
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 now has missed the first four practices.
Receiver DeMario Douglas remained sidelined during team drills due to a hand injury. He downplayed the severity of the injury while speaking with reporters after practice.
Patriots’ QB Training Camp Battle | Day 4
Jacoby Brissett
11-on-11s: 3 for 5, one sack
7-on-7s: 5 for 8
Jacoby Brissett was steady, as he’s been all camp. The veteran rarely blows you away, but he also rarely makes the kind of boneheaded mistakes that plague his understudies.
Brissett was also the most accurate quarterback during receiver 1-on-1s. He made great throws on deep plays to both Jalen Reagor and K.J. Osborn. At this point, there’s no reason to doubt the Patriots when they say Brissett is the starter.
Drake Maye
11-on-11s: 6 for 9, one sack
7-on-7s: 5 for 7
The rookie wasn’t horrible, but he wasn’t great, either. Ultimately, this probably was Drake Maye’s worst practice of camp.
He was inaccurate during receiver 1-on-1s, with multiple overthrows and a couple of throws behind wideouts. Maye was also sloppy during team drills, including a pair of pre-snap penalties that required resetting of the huddle.
Of course, some plays showed you why Maye was the No. 3 pick, including a beautiful deep throw to Kayshon Boutte in 1-on-1s. But the bad outweighed the good.
Drake Maye misses an easy pass
–#patriots #nfl #pats #newenglandpatriots
Patriots Coverage Powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/0n6VYbZmg1— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) July 28, 2024
Joe Milton III
11-on-11s: 1 for 3, one sack
7-on-7s: 2 for 4, one interception
After having his best practice on Friday, Joe Milton III came back down to earth on Sunday. He threw a mindless pick to Joe Giles-Harris in 7-on-7s and looked indecisive when facing pressure. It wasn’t an awful practice, but it was a regression.
Bailey Zappe
11-on-11s: 2 for 3
7-on-7s: 3 for 4
Bailey Zappe repped behind Milton the last two practices, leading many to wonder whether his days in Foxboro were numbered. It was a different story Sunday, as Zappe repped ahead of Milton in 7-on-7s but behind him in 11-on-11s.
Nevertheless, Milton has the clear edge in the battle for QB3.
Best and Worst Performances From Day 4 of Patriots Training Camp
WR Javon Baker | STUD
This was Javon Baker’s best practice of camp — by far.
Baker was dynamite in 1-on-1s, as you’ll see in the clip below. He also caught two passes in team drills while seeing more meaningful reps than in any previous practices.
Baker was open all day and played with a ton of swagger. It remains to be seen whether he’ll pick up the offense well enough to earn a role, but his big-play potential is obvious.
Javon Baker cooking at Training Camp 🔥
–#patriots #nfl #pats #newenglandpatriots
Patriots Coverage Powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/IY67tCOe6s— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) July 28, 2024
DE Deatrich Wise Jr. | STUD
It was another strong practice for Deatrich Wise Jr., who had two batted passes in one 11-on-11 period. He also generated multiple pressures from the edge and was a problem for whoever was playing left tackle.
Wise might lose playing time to Keion White this season, but he remains an impactful, consistent player on the defensive line.
TE Austin Hooper | STUD
This was Austin Hooper’s best and most active practice of camp. He was busy during team drills, including making a diving catch on a deep pass from Brissett. The Patriots have lined Hooper up in multiple spots and clearly want him involved in the offense.
Hooper led all Patriots with four catches in team periods. Ja’Lynn Polk had three.
QB Drake Maye | DUD
This was one of those practices that made it hard to envision Maye beating out Brissett to become the Week 1 starter. He’s wildly talented, but he’s just too inconsistent and has too much to work on before being given that much responsibility. He’ll make an incredible pass on one play, then badly overthrow a receiver on the next. It’s reminiscent of early career Josh Allen.
MORE: Simulate the NFL Season With PFN’s Playoff Predictor
With all that said, camp just started, and there’s plenty of time for Maye to find his footing. However, the results have been mixed.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster | DUD
When you watch the Patriots practice, it’s easy to forget JuJu Smith-Schuster is on the roster. He plays slowly, lacks energy, and doesn’t make any big plays in team drills. His speed is gone, as is his ability to separate against quality cornerbacks.
If you were hoping Smith-Schuster could recapture his vintage form this summer, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
DB Azizi Hearn | DUD
Azizi Hearn got torched by Reagor on a deep pass in 1-on-1s and had coverage issues throughout practice. We’re probably being too hard on a roster longshot, but the reality is Hearn doesn’t look like an NFL-caliber corner.
Assorted Patriots’ Notes and Highlights From Day 4 of Camp
- This was the largest crowd of camp, with fans filling the stadium ramps behind the practice fields for the first time. There still wasn’t much juice, but it was better than in the first three practices.
- Running back Antonio Gibson was a full participant after missing the first three practices.
- Marcus Jones and Alex Austin competed for reps in the slot. Marco Wilson also saw reps at No. 2 corner opposite Christian Gonzalez.
- These were the top offensive line combinations, from left to right:
First group: Caedan Wallace, Sidy Sow, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Chuks Okorafor
Second group: Calvin Anderson, Michael Jordan, Nick Leverett, Atonio Mafi/Layden Robinson, Vederian Lowe. - The offensive line was better than in previous practices, but not by much. Still, the first group remained unchanged from Friday, which might be a sign the Patriots are getting closer to figuring out their best five-man lineup.
- Here are some of the top highlights from receiver 1-on-1s:
Drake Maye with a BOMB to Kayshon Boutte on Christian Gonzalez 🔥
Patriots Coverage Powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/4P46OMxT7T
— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) July 28, 2024
Jacoby Brissett with a DIME to Jalen Reagor 🔥
Patriots Coverage Powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/zs4QbDM85m
— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) July 28, 2024
Drake Maye with a BOMB to Kayshon Boutte on Christian Gonzalez 🔥
Patriots Coverage Powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/4P46OMxT7T
— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) July 28, 2024
- There was a brief skirmish after a handoff to Gibson during 11-on-11s. It was hard to see what happened, but David Andrews lost his helmet.
- Brissett’s leadership has been on display throughout camp. Despite vying for the No. 1 QB job, he’s taken time in each practice to coach Maye and Milton after team drills. On Sunday, he appeared to give Milton coaching points after the rookie ran out of bounds on a rollout.
- The Patriots ran their first punting drills of camp. Bryce Baringer hit some bombs.
- Layden Robinson also had a false start in 11-on-11s and took a penalty lap.
- Kickers Chad Ryland and Joey Slye both went 3 of 4, and each missed 37-yard field goals.
- Here are additional highlights from Sunday’s practice. The Patriots will return to the field Monday morning.
Both receivers are now participating https://t.co/lGseYnuvrD pic.twitter.com/xvRfV3cfGt
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) July 28, 2024
1s work 🎯@jpolk_22 | @KJ_Osborn | @Javondbaker1 pic.twitter.com/b5a4orRRQM
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) July 28, 2024
Long look at Patriots QBs, including Drake Maye to Tyquan Thornton pic.twitter.com/pK0wNAcNia
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) July 28, 2024
Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye to WR Tyquan Thornton, WR Javon Baker pic.twitter.com/OOcz8H6SF0
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) July 28, 2024