FOXBORO, Mass. — Football is back in New England.
The Patriots on Wednesday held their first open training camp practice, a roughly 90-minute affair in front of a sparse crowd — more on that in a bit — and under rainy skies. The practice wasn’t overly competitive, but players still stood out for good or bad reasons.
Let’s look at the good and bad from Day 1 of Patriots training camp.
3 Studs From Day 1 of Patriots Training Camp
WR Jalen Reagor
Nobody is talking about Jalen Reagor, but they should be. It’s early, but he might have the edge for the final spot on the wideout depth chart. Reagor saw a ton of quality work during minicamp and kept rolling in Wednesday’s practice, including delivering the play of the day.
During a 7-on-7 period, Reagor made a ridiculous one-handed grab on a 40-yard pass from Drake Maye. The play would’ve been a 50-yard touchdown.
Drake Maye with the effortless deep shot 🎯
(via @patriots)
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Reagor played well late last season, especially as a kick returner. If he can string together good practices during camp, it’ll be hard for the Patriots to leave him off the roster.
TE Austin Hooper
Austin Hooper didn’t stand out during the spring but showed well on Wednesday. The veteran tight end made a pair of nice grabs on passes from Jacoby Brissett, including a diving catch with Marte Mapu in coverage. It was the best he’s looked in any practice open to reporters.
The Patriots’ TE duo of Hooper and Hunter Henry won’t blow anyone away, but it’s a solid pairing.
CB Jonathan Jones
The veteran cornerback broke up a Brissett pass that resulted in a Kyle Dugger interception and was sticky in coverage during team drills. Jonathan Jones on Tuesday said his offseason knee issue was behind him and that he was a full-go, and Wednesday’s practice proved he wasn’t bluffing.
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Jones mostly lined up as the No. 2 corner opposite Christian Gonzalez but also saw reps at safety.
Honorable mentions: Azizi Hearn, Rhamondre Stevenson, Kyle Dugger
3 Duds From Day 1 of Patriots Training Camp
Offensive Line
It wasn’t a disaster, but it wasn’t great, either. There were multiple pressures — some of which resulted in sacks — and quarterbacks spent a lot of time scrambling. There’s nothing to panic about, though.
Top line: Chuks Okorafor, Sidy Sow, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Calvin Anderson
Second line: Vederian Lowe, Michael Jordan, Nick Leverett, Layden Robinson, Caedan Wallace
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
The veteran receiver made a couple of catches but also dropped one and spent a lot of time with the second-team offense. JuJu Smith-Schuster just doesn’t have much juice, and it’s hard to make a strong case for him to earn a roster spot.
The Vibes
I’ve never seen a Patriots training camp opener with so little buzz. There were hardly any cheers when Maye took the field — Mac Jones always got an ovation — and there were many empty seats.
Maybe it was the dreary forecast, but that never stopped Patriots fans from showing up and cheering in previous camps. It was strange and indicative of the narratives surrounding the franchise. Outside of the QB competition, there just isn’t much for fans to sink their teeth into.
The vibes from training camp.
It’s a quiet, drizzly day here on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. pic.twitter.com/7TSNvHAJQR
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) July 24, 2024
Honorable mentions: Javon Baker, Marte Mapu
