FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — If it wasn’t clear before, it’s clear now: The New England Patriots have an offensive line problem.
That’s the top takeaway after watching the Patriots practice against the Philadelphia Eagles for just over two hours.
There were positives for New England, including a strong start for the offense and a good day for the defense. But penalties, relentless quarterback pressure, and poor receiver play marred the second half of practice.
It was ugly. I credited the Eagles with 13 sacks, but you could’ve given them more. Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett had no chance, especially during their two-minute drills.
Let’s get into everything that stood out on Day 14 of Patriots training camp.
Highlights From Jerod Mayo’s Press Conference
On whether he spoke to Matthew Judon about Monday’s trade rumor: “We don’t really operate in rumors like that. The conversations that I have with those players are pretty private. What I will say is that Judon has done a great job in the meeting room and done everything that we’ve asked. He’s meeting all the expectations.”
On Hunter Henry’s injury: “No update really to give you guys … When he’s ready to go, he’ll be out there playing … I don’t anticipate it to be very long.”
On his relationship with Nick Sirianni: “We have a good relationship. Every time we see each other, we have good conversations. Even yesterday, we had their whole staff here, just how we wanted to practice, went through the script and things like that. I would say our staffs are on the same page.”
On Maye’s training camp: “He’s been steady. I think if I was to say one word, it’s steady. He’s always in the building, always studying. He’s out here trying to get better each and every day. He’ll get more reps this week if that’s the underlying question. He’ll get more reps this week, believe me.”
On if he’ll kick players out for fighting in practice: “Absolutely. I mean, look, you don’t fight in a real game. If you fight in a real game, you get fined; you get kicked out. It’s the same thing here. Look, my message to the players, if you get in a fight out here, if you’re a starter, you’re going to play the whole preseason game. If you’re not a starter, you won’t play at all. That’s kind of my mindset with that.”
On Ja’Lynn Polk: “He’s another guy that’s just very steady. You watch him come out of college, of course he can run routes, catch the ball and do all those things, but the thing that got me was his blocking. You don’t really see receivers do the things that he did in college. He’s a tough individual. He’s going out here blocking guys like [Kyle] Dugger and all that stuff. It’s great.”
Patriots Practice Observations for Tuesday, Aug. 13
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
- CB Jonathan Jones
- CB Marcus Jones
- CB Shaun Wade
Henry missed his second consecutive practice after suffering an apparent leg/foot injury on Sunday.
Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones participated during the stretching period but didn’t participate in team drills. Same for Wade.
Barmore, who recently was diagnosed with blood clots, has missed 10 consecutive practices. It’s unclear whether he’ll return at any point this 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 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. On a positive note, Takitaki was on the field for the stretching period for the first time this summer.
Here are some additional injury notes:
- Henry and Strange watched practice in street clothes.
- Barmore watched practice for the first time since his blood clot diagnosis. Davon Godchaux said players hadn’t seen Barmore since he left the team but have communicated with the young D-tackle.
Matthew Judon Watch
Judon was a full participant and was engaged throughout practice. He played with a ton of energy, including multiple instances of jokingly running after players downfield. At this point, his practice participation isn’t an issue.
That said, Judon was scheduled to speak with reporters after practice but didn’t show up. His last two media availabilities generated the wrong kinds of headlines, so perhaps he made the right call.
Regardless, Judon remains in search of a new contract and his social media activity indicates a deal isn’t close. But he’s been a good soldier on the field.
Patriots’ QB Training Camp Battle | Day 14
(Note: I don’t track quarterback stats when the offense is working off cards.)
Jacoby Brissett
11-on-11s: 11-of-20, six sacks, three drops, two interceptions
7-on-7s: 5-of-6
Things started well for Brissett and the top offense. He completed all but one pass during 7-on-7s and went 4-of-4 during his first two 11-on-11 periods. But pressure and penalties were a bubbling issue during those periods, and they spilled over during Brissett’s next four series.
The low point came during Brissett’s fifth series when he went 1-of-4 with an interception and two sacks, one of which was caused by his slipping after a snap. The interception wasn’t Brissett’s fault, as K.J. Osborn dropped a catchable ball. An Austin Hooper drop in the end zone caused Brissett’s other interception.
That same series saw the Patriots’ O-line commit a false start and a hold. Brissett’s final drive, a two-minute drill, also was a struggle, with the QB throwing four consecutive incompletions and the line giving up another sack.
Evaluating Brissett’s performance is difficult because he wasn’t in a position to succeed. And the same was true for Maye.
Drake Maye
11-on-11s: 5-of-9, seven sacks, fumbled snap
7-on-7s: 6-of-6
Maye completed his first nine passes in team drills, including a 30-yard sideline shot to Javon Baker and two completions to Polk. It was encouraging.
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Then the wheels fell off. Maye completed just two passes over his next three series, with wretched O-line play and minimal receiver separation undermining the rookie quarterback.
Consider this: Maye was sacked on six of nine dropbacks and fumbled a bad Atonio Mafi snap over his final two series. His two-minute drill went sack, sack, incompletion, sack.
That’s no way for a young quarterback to develop.
Joe Milton III
11-on-11s: Not available
7-on-7s: zero reps
You have to pick and choose during joint practices, and Tuesday’s was no different. One field had the Patriots’ offense against the Eagles’ defense, with the opposite on the other field. When Milton saw mop-up reps at the end of practice, I put all of my focus on watching New England’s defense.
From what I saw during Milton’s series, there wasn’t anything of note.
Bailey Zappe
11-on-11s: Not available
7-on-7s: zero reps
Same for Zappe. He got a few meaningless mop-up reps at the end of practice.
Best and Worst Performances From Day 14 of Patriots Training Camp
Front Seven | STUD
If you’re looking for positives, look at the Patriots’ front seven. They generated pressure throughout practice and caused problems for Jalen Hurts.
Oshane Ximines had another good practice with at least two sacks, and Judon and Keion White both showed out. The Eagles made some plays, as you’d expect, but the Patriots’ defense was impressive.
TE Austin Hooper | STUD
I thought about leaving Hooper off this list because of his bobble that resulted in a Brissett pick. But he also caught three balls and drew a holding penalty while filling in for Henry as the top tight end.
Brissett’s shown strong chemistry with Hooper throughout the summer, and that continued on Tuesday.
WR DeMario Douglas | STUD
Douglas continued his hot streak and was the only sure thing for New England’s offense.
The diminutive slot weapon finished with a team-high four catches during competitive periods and was a standout during 1-on-1s. I shudder to think what the offense would’ve looked like without Douglas.
Offensive line | DUD
It was that bad, both in terms of penalties, pressures allowed, and run blocking. Will the Patriots keep the same combinations for Thursday night’s preseason game, or throw the line back into the blender? We’ll just have to wait and see.
WR Javon Baker | DUD
I was looking forward to seeing whether Baker would pop against the Eagles’ defense. Instead, he turned in one of his worst practices of the summer.
It wasn’t all his fault, as the quarterbacks had little time to operate, but the rookie also committed two offensive pass interferences.
It wasn’t all bad, though, as Baker’s over-the-shoulder grab during 7-on-7s was one of the plays of the day.
WR K.J. Osborn | DUD
Osborn didn’t exactly solidify himself as one of the Patriots’ starting receivers. He caught just one pass, caused a Brissett interception, and struggled to gain separation all day. Osborn also went 0-for-2 during 1-on-1s.
Assorted Patriots’ Notes and Highlights From Day 14 of Camp
- Tuesday’s practice saw the largest crowd of camp — by far. It felt like the old days.
Easily the largest crowd for any Patriots practice this summer pic.twitter.com/Lx8wGfinID
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) August 13, 2024
- Former Patriot Deion Branch attended practice.
- Douglas, Osborn, and Isaiah Bolden were among the top kick returners.
- Linebacker Raekwon McMillan delivered a devastating hit that led to a fumble during a kick return drill. He was fired up.
- During the next period, when it was the Patriots’ turn to return kicks, a late hit on Joshua Uche sparked a brief scuffle that emptied both benches. I didn’t see any punches thrown.
- Christian Gonzalez appeared to have a solid day. He gave up some catches to A.J. Brown in both 1-on-1s and team drills, but he also won some plays and wasn’t targeted often by the Eagles — which is a good sign.
Christian Gonzalez with a win over AJ Brown in Red Zone Drills#nfl #patriots #pats
Patriots coverage powered by @PrizePicks @Gametime pic.twitter.com/uZPEXCLf1O
— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) August 13, 2024
- These were the top offensive line combinations, from left to right:
First group: Vederian Lowe, Sidy Sow, David Andrews/Nick Leverett, Mike Onwenu, Chukwuma Okorafor
Second group: Calvin Anderson, Layden Robinson, Nick Leverett/Atonio Mafi, Michael Jordan, Caedan Wallace - This was Lowe’s eighth consecutive practice as the top left tackle, where he also started in the preseason opener. He appears entrenched as the top LT.
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- Andrews and Leverett again rotated at center with the first-team O-line. Andrews doesn’t appear to be dealing with an injury, so the Patriots might be managing the veteran’s workload.
- The Patriots’ O-line and Eagles’ D-line basically were even during 1-on-1 drills.
- It was a different story when Patriots receivers went up against Eagles defensive backs in 1-on-1s. Philly clearly won the period, though Polk, Hooper, and David Wallis won some reps.
David Wallis shakes Tyler Hall pic.twitter.com/kxcbYQ46jr
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) August 13, 2024
- I didn’t get a good look at Patriots corners against Philly receivers, but multiple reporters said Gonzalez held his own against Brown and DeVonta Smith, and Kyle Dugger had a win against Dallas Goedert.
- Brown caught 10 balls during team periods, according to the Boston Herald’s Zack Cox, but Jabrill Peppers said most would’ve been jarred loose in a real game.
- Hurts targeted Marco Wilson on five consecutive reps during the final 11-on-11 series for Philly’s top offense.
- Here are additional highlights from Tuesday’s practice. The Patriots will take Wednesday off before hosting the Eagles on Thursday for a preseason matchup.
Drake Maye talks about his first joint practice and a rough day for the Patriots O-line pic.twitter.com/WGuQWLIU1h
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) August 13, 2024
Drake Maye with a Perfect Pass to Ja’Lynn Polk for the TD.
–#patriots #newenglandpatriots
Patriots Coverage Powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/CnrGT3I8lC— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) August 13, 2024
Ja'Lynn Polk cooks Shon Stephens during 1-on-1s. Drake Maye with the throw pic.twitter.com/NSl6eALmgk
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) August 13, 2024
Patriots Fans are going CRAZY for Jalen Hurts
–#patriots #newenglandpatriots
Patriots Coverage Powered by @PrizePicks @Gametime pic.twitter.com/8QEbzzX3Q5— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) August 13, 2024
Nick Gates arriving at today's Patriots-Eagles practice in style pic.twitter.com/kVxx6E1IlZ
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) August 13, 2024
Drake Maye with an Absolute Dot to Mitchell Wilcox 🔥
–#patriots #newenglandpatriots
Patriots Coverage Powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/vTZ9D8LjsC— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) August 13, 2024
Marcellas Dial with TIGHT coverage on DeVonta Smith#nfl #patriots #pats
Patriots coverage powered by @PrizePicks @Gametime pic.twitter.com/iMk059Syyy
— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) August 13, 2024
DeMario Douglas is just too quick
–#patriots #newenglandpatriots
Patriots Coverage Powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/rWnH7M80Wt— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) August 13, 2024
Jacoby Brissett with a nice pass to Javon Baker
–#patriots #newenglandpatriots
Patriots Coverage Powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/JzGdq5grIN— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) August 13, 2024