FOXBORO — This was a second chance.

Drake Maye started to walk away from the action after 1-of-6 showing in the Patriots’ final team period Tuesday. But instead of calling on Bailey Zappe or Joe Milton to finish the 11-on-11 drill, as they had the previous five practices, the coaching staff put Maye back on the field.

Three snaps versus the third-team defense. Let’s see what you’ve got.

Maye followed with a quick completion into the flat, one harried scramble and an outside hand-off.

That was Maye’s day.

Far from mayday, but unquestionably a third straight disappointment authored by the future of the franchise. Maye has been gun shy – completing multiple passes longer than 10 yards in just half of the team’s practices – and scattershot. Maye barely hit 50% of his passes during initial 1-on-1s, throwing against one defender and no pass rush.

Three times in camp, Maye has been forced to stop and reset either his huddle or an entire play due to pre-snap problems. Rookie mistakes, surely, but the Patriots must be hoping some growth will soon follow what have been extended growing pains. Their off day Wednesday feels well-timed.

Elsewhere at Tuesday’s padded practice, Matt Judon was missing, Ja’Lynn Polk made the play of the day, Keion White took no prisoners, a young defensive back starred in Jabrill Peppers’ absence and the starting offensive line continues to settle.

Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations:

Attendance

Matthew Judon #9 of the New England Patriots dances after training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Absent: OLB Matt Judon, S Jabrill Peppers, C David Andrews

Non-participants: S/LB Marte Mapu, TE Jaheim Bell

Limited: DL Davon Godchaux

Non-contact jersey: WR DeMario Douglas, CB Shaun Wade

PUP: WR Kendrick Bourne, LB Sione Takitaki, OL Cole Strange, C/G Jake Andrews

Notes: Judon was fully absent after mostly sitting out Monday’s practice, when he confronted director of player personnel Matt Groh. Andrews missed his second straight practice due to a personal issue, but is not expected to be out long-term, per sources. Peppers and Bell didn’t participate after being limited Monday. Like Mapu, they watched part of practice. Peppers wore a sleeve on his left leg.

Douglas donned a non-contact jersey for the first time in camp, and is dealing with a hand injury. He participated in 7-on-7s, but not full-team periods.

Play of the Day

Ja’Lynn Polk high-points a touchdown

Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk runs a drill during training camp outside Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

During opening positional drills, the wide receivers drilled sluggo routes: slant-and-gos. Playing catch with the quarterbacks, they burst straight upfield for five yards or so, then angled inside for a few steps before taking off straight upfield again looking for a deep ball. Most passes in the drill were completed.

Thirty minutes later, that groundwork paid off for Ja’Lynn Polk.

Polk beat backup cornerback Marco Wilson on this exact route for a 20-yard score during 7-on-7s midway through practice. Jacoby Brissett lofted a perfect ball toward the front left pylon of the end zone, Polk rose up and snatched it, maintaining possession through his fall to the ground.

Touchdown.

Player of the Day

DL Keion White

Keion White #99 of the New England Patriots takes a break during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

A wrecking ball in a football uniform.

White has arguably been the Patriots’ best player in training camp, and strengthened his case Tuesday. White tallied another run-stuff and two pressures playing all across the defensive line during team periods. He also thrived for most of 1-on-1 pass rush, beating Mike Onwenu for the final rep of practice.

The former second-round pick is tracking for a breakout year.

QB Corner

Note: The passing stats below were tallied during competitive 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods only. The stats in parentheses represent the quarterbacks’ camp-long performance.

Jacoby Brissett: 8-of-15, sack (57-of-81, INT, 8 sacks)

Drake Maye: 8-of-15 (54-of-86, 2 INTs, 5 sacks)

Quarterbacks Drake Maye (10) and Jacoby Brissett of the Patriots throw in tandem during training camp outside Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Notes: In a classic case of stats not telling the full story, Brissett was far and away the better quarterback Tuesday, despite posting an identical completion percentage.

Brissett delivered the three best throws of practice: the 20-yard touchdown to Polk, another 20-yard score to Hunter Henry down the seam in red-zone work and a deep cross to K.J. Osborn he layered between two zone defenders, allowing Osborn to sprint into the downfield window for a catch. Meanwhile, Maye didn’t complete a single pass longer than 10 yards downfield.

In fact, five of his eight completions during team periods were checkdowns and/or to receivers in the flat. Downfield, Maye missed a wide-open Osborn, running another sluggo route, during 7-on-7s for a would-be touchdown. He punctuated his day with a so-so fade throw that backup corner Shaun Wade knocked away from Javon Baker, forcing the entire offense to take pushups.

Before then, Maye zeroed in on fellow rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, but went 1-of-5 targeting them in the last 11-on-11 period. He had two bad misses, two other passes broken up (including Wade’s) and hit Polk on a shallow cross. Chemistry, like development, will take time.

Drake Maye watch: Patriots rookie QB struggles again in second day in pads

Studs

S Joshuah Bledsoe

A sixth-round pick in 2021, Bledsoe has logged just 32 snaps in his NFL career and remains firmly on the roster bubble this summer. But with Jabrill Peppers out, he stepped in and stepped up Tuesday.

On the second snap of 11-on-11s, Bledsoe knocked down a Brissett pass over the middle intended for Hunter Henry. Later, he stopped a potential touchdown to Austin Hooper. Bledsoe smothered Hooper at the catch point in the end zone and was instantly swarmed by nearby teammates after deflecting the pass away.

WR Ja’Lynn Polk

No one had more catches in team periods than the second-round rookie, who caught passes from all three quarterbacks and finished with four total. Polk hasn’t matched the flash of fellow rookie Javon Baker, but he has been steadier. He brought both steak and sizzle on Tuesday.

Duds

Run-blocking

Foxboro, MA – New England Patriots guard Sidy Sow on the field during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Yikes.

None of the Patriots’ offensive units managed much success on the ground, yielding run stuffs on seven of 16 run plays (excluding scrambles and a fumbled hand-off). This marked a significant step back from Monday, when Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson and Kevin Harris all hit long runs.

QB Drake Maye

Rough day for the rookie, even if his mistakes weren’t as glaring as those on Monday when he went 3-of-11 with an interception.

Offensive notes

Top targets in team drills: WR Ja’Lynn Polk 4/5, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster 2/4, TE Mitchell Wilcox 2/3, WR K.J. Osborn 1/3, TE Hunter Henry 1/3
Fumble: RB Kevin Harris
Drops: Smith-Schuster
1-on-1 receiving drill winners: Polk, WR Tyquan Thornton
1-on-1 receiving drill losers: Osborn, Wilcox, TE La’Michael Pettway
Top offensive line: LT Caedan Wallace, LG Sidy Sow, C Nick Leverett, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Chukwuma Okorafor
1-on-1 pass rush winners: Sow, OG Layden Robinson
1-on-1 pass rush losers: OT Caedan Wallace, OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr.

Quarterbacks

Joe Milton III #19 and Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots get ready to throw during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Just as Brissett has pulled ahead of Maye over the first six practices, Joe Milton is separating himself from Bailey Zappe in the battle for the No. 3 job.
Both players finished 3-of-4 in team periods, but Milton remains more effective downfield. He also boasts superior physical tools and theoretically more potential.
As far as the order of reps, Zappe and Milton have alternated in recent days with who goes first in team periods. Milton took the final snaps, however, in 11-on-11s; the more valuable of the reps in both kinds of team drills.

Running backs

Hard day to be a running back. With the offensive line clearly allowing run-stuffs on nearly 50% of all hand-offs, the ground game never established a rhythm.
Rhamondre Stevenson ripped off the longest run in the opening 11-on-11 period, again slipping through a hole on the right side; a developing theme of camp. Stevenson and Co. regularly find more room behind right guard Mike Onwenu than any other O-linemen.
Antonio Gibson, who sizzled through his first two days of camp, cooled Tuesday. He struggled to separate in 1-on-1 receiving drills, per the Herald’s Doug Kyed. He finished with multiple catches, but didn’t flash the same burst.
Though Gibson, unlike the other backs, was never victim to getting stuffed in team periods.
Third-year backup Kevin Harris had a back-to-basics moment late in practice, losing a hand-off from Drake Maye. He was immediately replaced by Deshaun Fenwick, an undrafted rookie. Despite that, Harris has increased his odds of making the roster over the first week of camp.

Wide receivers

Foxboro, MA – New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas makes a catch during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Welcome back, DeMario Douglas! The second-year slot receiver started 7-on-7s next to Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen Reagor, donning a non-contact jersey for the first time in camp. His only catch in those periods was an out route he worked against linebacker William Bradley-King, which he secured for a solid gain.
Two steps forward, one step back for Javon Baker. The wildly talented fourth-round rookie went 0-for-2 on targets during team periods Tuesday, including Maye’s incomplete fade throw at the end of practice.
Baker also failed to wow in 1-on-1s, while fellow rookie Ja’Lynn Polk went 3-1 in his matchups. Polk, again, has been the steadier, yet less spectacular player between the two through six practices.
The only constants with this group: K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton starting with the first-team offense, JuJu Smith-Schuster disappointing and a rotating cast with the second- and third-string offenses. Thornton failed to record a single catch, however, in 11-on-11s or 7-on-7s on Tuesday.
Smith-Schuster enjoyed a small rebound, nabbing two passes after dropping an on-target Brissett throw early in team periods that would have created an explosive gain on the left sideline, thanks to a defensive coverage bust.
For a second straight practice, Kendrick Bourne took the field in uniform, didn’t wear pads and participated in initial stretching.

Can JuJu Smith-Schuster prove he still deserves Patriots roster spot?

Tight ends

Hunter Henry’s touchdown during 11-on-11 red-zone work was the runner-up to Tuesday’s Play of the Day. As Brissett faced a blitz, he lobbed a ball down the right seam, where Henry caught it over the extended arms of backup safety Joshuah Bledsoe and kept possession as they tangled and tumbled to the ground.
Overall, Henry has just four catches over the last three practices, while having multiple targets get knocked away. Henry must continue to win in contested-catch situations like his touchdown, because he is not an elite separator or yards-after-catch threat.
The same can be said for his backup, Austin Hooper, who recorded just one catch Tuesday after grabbing nine over the previous three practices.
Behind them, fringe veterans Mitchell Wilcox and La’Michael Pettway have yet to separate. Wilcox had two catches in the flat on three targets overall and blocked fairly well, while Pettway dropped a ball during 1-on-1s and finished with a single catch.

Offensive line

Caedan Wallace #70 of the New England Patriots during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Fresh off a strong practice Monday, rookie left tackle Caedan Wallace came back down to earth with a few bad losses in 1-on-1 pass rush. Wallace did keep his spot with the first-team offense for a fourth straight practice, though.
Opposite him, right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor enjoyed an up-and-down day between team drills and 1-on-1 pass rush.
No changes on the starting interior as David Andrews missed a second straight practice: left guard Sidy Sow, center Nick Leverett and Onwenu at right guard.
With Maye’s second-team unit, Calvin Anderson and Vederian Lowe continue swapping places at left and right tackle.
Between them, Atonio Mafi fired another low snap Tuesday during Maye’s final period. The Patriots are dangerously low on backup centers.
On the bright side, fourth-round rookie guard Layden Robinson remains a force. He’s yet to see any action with the first-team offense, but his pass protection has been excellent in 1-on-1s, occasionally knocking veteran defenders back off their feet.

Defensive notes

Starting and second-string personnel during team periods: defensive linemen Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise, Keion White, Armon Watts, Daniel Ekuale, Trysten Hill, Jeremiah Pharms Jr.; linebackers Jahlani Tavai, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Anfernee Jennings, Joshua Uche, Raekwon McMillan, Christian Elliss, Joe Giles-Harris, William Bradley-King and Oshane Ximines; defensive backs Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Alex Austin, Jaylinn Hawkins, Isaiah Bolden, Joshuah Bledsoe, Marco Wilson, Shaun Wade and Brenden Schooler.
Interceptions: N/A
Pass breakups: Bledsoe 2, Wilson, Wade, Bradley-King
1-on-1 coverage winners:  Gonzalez, Dugger, Bolden, CB Azizi Hearn
1-on-1 coverage losers: Austin, CB Mikey Victor
Would-be sacks: Uche
1-on-1 pass rush winners: White, Watts
1-on-1 pass rush losers:  DE Jotham Russell, DT Josiah Bronson

Defensive linemen

Foxboro, MA – New England Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux on the field during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Keion White aligned all over the defensive line in team periods, providing constant disruption against run and pass. His interior pressure caused one Brissett throwaway and hurried Maye into an incompletion.
White also tallied two run stuffs, both on the edge, where he’s been dominant and rarely fooled by the Patriots’ new outside zone/play-action bootleg scheme.
For a second straight practice, Davon Godchaux participated in every period despite not wearing leg pads, further indication he is not holding in. Godchaux started multiple 11-on-11 drills next to Daniel Ekuale, the team’s apparent replacement for Christian Barmore.
Behind them, veteran Armon Watts enjoyed a bounce-back performance in 1-on-1 pass rush, scoring three wins.

Linebackers

No Judon meant more action for Joshua Uche, Anfernee Jennings and Jahlani Tavai. Tavai split reps at inside and outside linebacker.
Uche rebounded from a terrible Monday practice to pocket a would-be sack of Maye late in practice.
Ja’Whaun Bentley lost a couple reps to Rhamondre Stevenson in 1-on-1 coverage drills, same as he did Sunday.
Outside linebacker Oshane Ximines is a sleeper to make the roster. He beat Caedan Wallace during 1-on-1 pass rush and started with the top punt team unit. He also earned a sack Monday.
Interesting day for second-year outside linebacker William Bradley-King: big wins and losses in 1-on-1 pass rush, a pass breakup in team periods and starting with the second-team unit during 11-on-11s.

Defensive backs

The Patriots continue to rotate outside corners, even against their starting offense, giving long looks to players like Marco Wilson, Alex Austin, Isaiah Bolden and Marcellas Dial, who are all making a push for a roster spot.
Wilson had the most notable practice, allowing two catches during team periods and managing a pass deflection and fumble recovery.
Elder statesman Jonathan Jones saw an uptick in snaps at free safety during 11-on-11s. His football IQ and long speed are two great assets for the position, though the Patriots have been reluctant to play him there for long stretches.
During 1-on-1 coverage, Kyle Dugger went undefeated, including two stops working against Austin Hooper.
Joshuah Bledsoe supplanted Jaylinn Hawkins as the third safety in line for snaps in team periods and capitalized. Hawkins, however, remains the favorite to follow Dugger and Jabrill Peppers, pending Marte Mapu’s availability and position determination.

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Special teams

Kickers Chad Ryland and Joey Slye both nailed 47-yard field at the end of practice, following one-play drives designed to set up field goals with little time left. Situational football.
No full-team periods for field goals, kickoffs or punts. The Patriots did run a 9-on-9 drill that boomed punts to returners.
Punt returners: Marcus Jones, Douglas, Polk, Osborn, David Wallis
Top punt team: P Bryce Baringer, LS Joe Cardona, Tavai, Hawkins, Harris, McMillan, Wilcox, Ximines, Bradley-King

Extra points

Ex-Patriots safety Devin McCourty visited practice. He will be part of the team’s new preseason broadcast with twin brother and fellow former Patriot, Jason McCourty, and longtime Patriots radio color analyst Scott Zolak.
Stevenson, Onwenu, Smith-Schuster, Austin, Reagor and Marcus Jones spoke to reporters after practice.
The Patriots are off Wednesday and scheduled to return to the field Thursday at 11 a.m.