
Patriots training camp Day 7: Drake Maye improves, starting offense reshuffled
FOXBORO — Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye benefitted Thursday after a reset to training camp.
After struggling in two straight practices, the No. 3 overall pick bounced back with a more impressive showing after an off-day as he continues to compete for a starting job with current top passer Jacoby Brissett.
The Patriots were off Wednesday, and head coach Jerod Mayo threw the team a bone by allowing them to return to practice in shells and shorts on the hottest day of camp so far even though it could have been a padded practice by NFL rules. It was 90 degrees in Foxboro but felt like 101. The stands were sparse as Patriots fans weren’t down to brave the heat on a weekday afternoon.
Still, despite the lack of contact, it was a competitive session Thursday with the team working on 1-on-1 receiver drills, 7-on-7s, 11-on-11s and the league’s new kickoff.
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The practice saw a young wide receiver beat a top cornerback in multiple 1-on-1s, plus a new look to the offense’s starting lineup and more.
Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations:
Attendance
Absent: DT Christian Barmore (blood clots), OT Tyrone Wheatley
Returned: OLB Matthew Judon, C David Andrews
Non-participant: S Jabrill Peppers, S Marte Mapu, TE Jaheim Bell
Non-contact jersey: WR DeMario Douglas, CB Shaun Wade
Limited: Wade
PUP: WR Kendrick Bourne, LB Sione Takitaki, OL Cole Strange, C/G Jake Andrews
New England Patriots line backer Matthew Judon (9) chats with a coach as the Patriots hold practice at Gillette on Aug. 1. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Notes: Judon and Andrews were both back at practice. Judon, who seeks a new contract, had been present for Monday’s practice but only to have extended conversations with Mayo, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Matt Groh. Then Judon was completely absent Tuesday before returning to the field Thursday after Wednesday’s day off. Mayo said before practice that the team had a good conversation with Judon and that he was expected to practice. That’s exactly what happened, and Judon was a full participant.
David Andrews returned from a personal issue and was a full participant early in practice. He sat out during the final stretch of 11-on-11s while Nick Leverett took his place at center with Atonio Mafi serving as a backup.
Wade, who’s been wearing a red non-contact jersey, left practice early with a staffer. Wheatley was a new absence.
Douglas continues to don a red non-contact jersey as he recovers from a hand injury. He participated in 11-on-11 drills for the first time in camp.
Play of the Day
Kayshon Boutte hauls in touchdown off fingertips
Boutte, who’s been mostly quiet early in camp, hauled in two touchdown passes in the back of the end zone during team drills.
His first came on rookie QB Joe Milton III’s first pass of 7-on-7 drills working against cornerback Marcus Jones. His second was more impressive during an 11-on-11 drill with Bailey Zappe at quarterback. Zappe stepped up to throw the ball on the run and delivered a pass to Boutte in the back left corner of the end zone. He hauled it in with his fingertips for a touchdown.
Boutte, a 2023 sixth-round pick, is battling players like Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor for a roster spot. More plays like Thursday’s will only help him.
Player of the Day
WR Tyquan Thornton
The 2022 second-round pick just keeps showing up in training camp. And most importantly (knock on wood), he’s staying healthy.
Thornton was 2-of-2 going up against stop cornerback Christian Gonzalez is 1-on-1 drills, catching passes from Jacoby Brissett and Milton. He was one of the most targeted pass-catchers in practice, hauling in 4-of-5 passing attempts, including a touchdown from Brissett in 7-on-7s against cornerback Alex Austin.
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: 7-of-12, 3 sacks (64-of-93, 11 sacks)
Drake Maye: 7-of-10, 2 sacks (61-of-96, 2 INTs, 7 sacks)
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) and New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III (19) run drills as the Patriots hold practice at Gillette on Aug. 1. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Notes: Maye had a tough time during his first career padded practices on Monday and Tuesday but bounced back in a promising way on Thursday. He faces another test when the pads come back on, potentially as early as Friday at 11 a.m. ET.
Maye kicked off team drills going 3-of-3 in 11-on-11s, completing a screen to tight end Hunter Henry, a drag to rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk and a slant that Douglas leapt to catch. Overall, he was 5-of-6 with a sack during full-team drills. One of his best throws came in 7-on-7s when he completed a touchdown on a corner route by tight end La’Michael Pettway in the back left corner of the end zone. He also completed another touchdown pass to wide receiver K.J. Osborn in the back of the end zone where only his pass-catcher could have hauled it in. The rookie checked into a pass at the line of scrimmage to start off his final 11-on-11 period and completed a pass in the flat to tight end Jacob Warren. The sequence had Brissett jazzed up.
Maye was 5-of-11 during 1-on-1 red-zone drills and had some troubles throwing to wide receivers, going just 1-of-7.
Brissett had some issues with sacks during team drills. He lacked some of the high-end plays he’s stacked over the last few practices but was mostly solid as the team’s starter.
Milton was 5-of-11 in 1-on-1s and 3-of-5 in 7-on-7s. His zip was really on display during 7-on-7 red-zone drills where velocity is sometimes just as important as accuracy. He threw touchdowns to Boutte, Polk and wide receiver Kawaan Baker.
Zappe was 11-of-16 in 1-on-1s and 1-of-4 with a sack in 11-on-11s.
Studs
S Kyle Dugger
Dugger led the team with two pass breakup in competitive drills. The starting safety, who’s been playing without his fellow starter Jabrill Peppers and top backup Marte Mapu, allowed just one catch on three targets with a pass breakup during 1-on-1 drills. He also broke up a pass intended for Osborn from Brissett in 11s.
TE Hunter Henry
The Patriots starting tight end was Mr. Dependable for his quarterbacks on Thursday as the team’s second-most targeted pass catcher. He caught 2-of-3 passes in 1-on-1s and three passes on three targets in team drills, including two in a row during red-zone 7-on-7s from Brissett on a stab route and out route.
A chorus line is formed during stretching as the Patriots hold practice at Gillette on Aug. 1. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Duds
WR K.J. Osborn
The most-targeted receiver on Thursday, Osborn hauled in just 2-of-7 targets. He was 1-of-4 in 1-on-1 drills, beating rookie Marcellas Dial but losing to Marco Wilson, Jonathan Jones and Azizi Hearn.
OT Calvin Anderson
In a practice mostly devoid of pre-snap offensive penalties, Anderson had to take a lap for a false start. He was the Patriots’ second-team right tackle, playing behind Chukwuma Okorafor. He was replaced by undrafted rookie Zuri Henry for the one snap.
Offensive notes
Top targets in team drills: TE Hunter Henry 3/3, WR Tyquan Thornton 2/3, WR DeMario Douglas 1/3, WR K.J. Osborn 1/3, WR Ja’Lynn Polk 2/2, WR Kayshon Boutte 2/2, TE Jacob Warren 1/2
Drops: WR David Wallis, RB DeShaun Fenwick
1-on-1 receiving drill winners: WR Tyquan Thornton 2/2, RB Rhamondre Stevenson 2/3, RB Antonio Gibson 2/2
1-on-1 receiving drill losers: WR K.J. Osborn 1/4, WR Javon Baker 1/3, WR Kayshon Boutte 1/3, TE Austin Hooper 1/3
Top offensive line: LT Vederian Lowe, LG Sidy Sow, C David Andrews, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Chukwuma Okorafor
Quarterbacks
Despite Maye’s impressive effort, he still has yet to receive any first-team reps at quarterback. It’s all been Brissett so far.
Not a ton of passing reps for Milton and Zappe outside of 1-on-1s. Milton got the 7-on-7s and Zappe received the 11-on-11s.
Milton has shown enough through seven practices to warrant a roster spot. There’s a lot to work with in the former Tennessee passer.
Maye arrived at 10:47 a.m., 13 minutes early to practice. After an extended stretching period that included some agility work, Maye and the rest of the quarterbacks threw into a net. Brissett was 1-of-1, Zappe was 1-of-2, Maye was 0-of-2, and Milton was 1-of-1.
Running backs
Not the best day to gauge the running game without pads, but it was a busy session for Gibson, who caught 2-of-2 passes in 1-on-1s, hauled in a touchdown catch from Brissett and took three handoffs.
Stevenson showed good burst on an outside zone handoff from Brissett during 11-on-11s.
Kevin Harris remains above JaMycal Hasty, Terrell Jennings and DeShaun Fenwick in the battle for the No. 3 running back spot.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) hands of the ball to New England Patriots running back Terrell Jennings (29)as the Patriots hold practice at Gillette on Aug. 1. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Wide receivers
Javon Baker has cooled off since his hot streak to begin practice. QBs were just 1-of-4 targeting the 2024 fourth-round pick.
Kawaan Baker doesn’t get a ton of opportunities, but he’s a player who shows up when he’s targeted. He caught a touchdown from Milton on an out route during 7-on-7s.
Despite getting first-team reps at X receiver, Jalen Reagor was not targeted on Thursday.
It was good to see Douglas worked into team drills despite wearing his non-contact jersey.
Tight ends
Henry and Hooper are making the roster as the team’s top tight ends, but there’s a battle for the third spot. Mitchell Wilcox is the veteran; he caught 3-of-4 passes in competitive situations. Bell is the rookie, but he’s been missing time with an injury. And then undrafted rookie Jacob Warren and journeyman undersized pass-catcher La’Michael Pettway round out the group. Warren caught 2-of-4 passes, and Pettway caught 2-of-2 passes, including the touchdown from Maye.
If the Patriots believe Bell has enough potential, they could keep four tight ends with Henry, Hooper and Wilcox being counted on early in the season.
Offensive line
For four straight practices, rookie Caedan Wallace was manning the top left tackle spot. That changed Thursday with Lowe replacing him. Wallace worked behind Lowe as the second-string left tackle with Michael Jordan beside him at left guard, Nick Leverett at center, Layden Robinson at right guard and Anderson at right tackle.
What does it all mean? Well, the job isn’t Wallace’s yet. We know that much. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Okorfor see more time at left tackle before the summer is over. Okorafor and Onwenu, who’s been stuck at right guard since training camp broke, are still the most experienced tackles on the roster.
Defensive notes
Starting and second-string personnel during team periods: defensive linemen Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise, Keion White, Armon Watts, Daniel Ekuale, Trysten Hill and Jeremiah Pharms Jr.; linebackers Matt Judon, Joshua Uche, Jahlani Tavai, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Raekwon McMillan, Christian Elliss, Joe Giles-Harris, William Bradley-King, Anfernee Jennings and Oshane Ximines; defensive backs Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Shaun Wade, Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, Jaylinn Hawkins, Isaiah Bolden, Joshuah Bledsoe, Dell Pettus, Brenden Schooler and Marco Wilson.
Interceptions: none
Pass breakups: Azizi Hearn, Marco Wilson, Shaun Wade, Isaiah Bolden, Kyle Dugger (2), Jaylinn Hawkins, Brenden Schooler, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Dell Pettus
Would-be sacks: Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Matthew Judon
Defensive linemen
New defensive lineman Mike Purcell won’t make his practice debut until Friday at the earliest, but his presence is well-timed. It’s unknown how long Barmore will miss time with blood clots. Beyond Godchaux, Ekuale, Pharms and Watts, no one has stood out enough to warrant a fifth roster spot.
White dominated practice Monday and Tuesday but was quieter without pads on Thursday.
New England Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux (92) does drills on the sled as the Patriots hold practice at Gillette on Aug. 1. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Linebackers
A good day for Uche, who has been quiet through the early part of camp, recording two sacks.
McMillan and Elliss both allowed one catch on two targets in 1-on-1s.
Defensive backs
Let’s give some credit to lesser-known defensive backs. Hearn allowed just one catch on four targets with a pass breakup in 1-on-1s. Wilson was also impressive, not allowing a catch during the 1-on-1 drills.
Pettus keeps showing up, as well. There could be a spot for a safety like Pettus on the roster. Dugger and Peppers are locks, and Schooler will make the team on special teams. Not much is guaranteed beyond that point.
Gonzalez has been a little quiet to start camp without many standout plays. It was notable to see him beaten by Thornton twice in 1-on-1s.
Special teams
Kick returners: Jalen Reagor, Antonio Gibson, Marcus Jones, K.J. Osborn, DeMario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk
Punt returners: DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, Ja’Lynn Polk, David Wallis, Marcus Jones
Kickoff team: Brenden Schooler, Jahalani Tavai, Raekwon McMillan, Kyle Dugger, Marcellas Dial, Azizi Hearn, Josh Uche, Kevin Harris, Christian Elliss, Jaylinn Hawkins
The Patriots practiced the NFL’s new kickoffs for the first extended period of training camp. They had two returners back deep: Reagor and Gibson, Jones and Osborn and then Douglas and Polk.
New England Patriots wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk (1) pulls in a pass as the Patriots hold practice at Gillette on Aug. 1. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Extra points
Godchaux, Polk, Andrews, Gonzalez, Uche and Jonathan Jones spoke after practice.
The Patriots will practice Friday and Saturday before another off-day on Sunday.
Practice will continue next week on Monday and Tuesday before a walk-through Wednesday and the team’s first preseason game next Thursday against the Panthers.