FOXBORO — For the second time in three practices, a two-minute drill spoiled a solid practice for Drake Maye.

Most mistakes appeared to be his: a high pass leading to a tip-drill interception for rookie corner Marcellas Dial off Javon Baker’s fingers, then another pass sailing incomplete off Baker’s right hand and a ball Maye failed to squeeze into backup tight end Mitchell Wilcox that got batted away. Between those attempts, JuJu Smith-Schuster dropped a pass Maye ripped into his chest plate on a deep curl route over the middle.

Whoops.

That left Maye 0-for-4, and the offense for dead. Overall, he finished 7-of-14 with the interception during competitive team drills, numbers that omit a few positives; namely, Jaheim Bell having one foot out-of-bounds on a potential touchdown in 7-on-7s that followed a pinpoint scoring strike to Kayshon Boutte and an earlier, full-field drive Maye led in 11-on-11s before a late throwaway.

But the details, the ifs, ands and buts, can’t obscure the big picture through 11 practices: Maye is not ready to start yet. There’s a reason Jacoby Brissett took 12 more reps in team drills Tuesday, the Patriots’ final practice before their preseason opener. He should be kicking back most of Thursday night, like all of the Patriots’ entrenched veteran starters; a group that now definitely includes Brissett.

Then Maye, fellow rookie quarterback Joe Milton and Bailey Zappe should split the leftover snaps; just like they have every practice since the Pats opened camp.

Elsewhere at Tuesday’s practice, the defense dialed up a full-on blitzkrieg, Baker and Brissett connected on the Play of the Day, two offensive linemen got dinged up, an overlooked edge rusher recorded a couple sacks and the kicking competition still leans toward Chad Ryland.

Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations:

Attendance

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

Returned: S Joshuah Bledsoe

Absent: DL Christian Barmore

Non-participant: OLB Matt Judon, OT Chukwuma Okorafor, S/LB Marte Mapu, DB Marcus Jones

Limited: CB Jonathan Jones, OLB Josh Uche, WR Tyquan Thornton, OT Caedan Wallace, OG Sidy Sow, Bledsoe

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

Notes: Judon did not participate after initial stretching and warmups, a change from the eight other practices he appeared in uniform for and was a full participant. Wallace left practice for 10 minutes late in practice but returned to team drills, while Sow sat out the final periods but appeared OK. Okorafor missed a third straight practice, and Marcus Jones missed his fourth.

Jonathan Jones, Uche and Thornton watched team drills. Jones is not expected to be out long. Thornton admitted to dealing with a soft tissue injury after practice, which caused him to be absent Saturday. Bourne appeared more than halfway through practice in workout clothes and watched team drills from the sideline, as did Takitaki who wore a soft brace on his right knee.

Play of the Day

Brissett’s back-shoulder to Baker 

Foxboro, MA – Jacoby Brissett throws during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Full disclosure: it’s unclear if Baker tapped both feet inbounds. But from aesthetics and competitive standpoints, this play was a 10 out of 10.

Taking a three-step drop from the 10-yard line in full-team red-zone drills, Brissett looked left and fired a sideline later for Baker. Fighting Christian Gonzalez’s airtight coverage, the fourth-round rookie stopped suddenly, shot both arms right to snag Brissett’s frozen rope and went parallel to the ground as he secured the catch while falling out of bounds. The entire offense rushed him near the goal line in celebration.

Player of the Day

OLB Anfernee Jennings

Two sacks in the first nine snaps.

Jennings wasted no time putting his stamp on practice, his best of training camp. The fifth-year outside linebacker ranks among the NFL’s best edge-setters against the run, but created havoc as a pass rusher Tuesday. More flashes like that would go a long way towards helping the Patriots replace the pressure they lost to Christian Barmore’s blood clots.

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: 12-of-21 (97-of-145 — 68.5%, 4 INTs, 16 sacks)

Drake Maye: 7-of-14 (79-of-134 — 58.9%, 4 INTs, 12 sacks)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye #10 fist bumps during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Notes: Two of Tuesday’s opening three periods took place in the red zone, where Brissett threw touchdowns on just two of nine pass attempts. He overshot a couple potential touchdowns in 7-on-7s and had two other passes batted away around completions to Rhamondre Stevenson, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor.

Overall, Brissett went 5-of-11 to start with two sacks. Next, he turned up with a 4-of-6 full-field period. First, he hit Polk on a curl, found Stevenson twice and Polk again versus Gonzalez as the offense marched downfield. But finally, the blitz pressure got to him, forcing back-to-back incompletions inside the 20: a hurried hot read to JaMycal Hasty and Polk, again, facing Gonzalez in single coverage.

Brissett’s day ended with a hurry-up drive that opened with less than a minute left. He hit three different receivers, including K.J. Osborn deep and Austin Hooper over the middle, where the offense spiked the ball to set up a long field goal.

While Maye failed to complete a single pass under the same circumstances, that didn’t mean he didn’t produce a couple minor highlights. Amid a 2-of-4 stretch during red-zone 7-on-7s, he threaded a fade touchdown throw to Kayshon Boutte in the back right corner over white-on-rice coverage from Alex Austin. Were it not for Jaheim Bell’s foot stepping out on the next rep, he would’ve hit back-to-back touchdowns.

Maye also made a couple throws on the move, flashing the creativity that, in part, made him such a tantalizing prospect.

Later, over an eight-play, full-field drive, Maye routinely whipped through his reads and found an open Jalen Reagor to move the chains, even against blitz pressure. He didn’t strike downfield — a theme of camp — but Maye’s ability to process and protect the ball have been impressive for a rookie. He has moments of hesitation, but there were no such stretches Tuesday.

As for his hurry-up drive, the Patriots also had to reset after a bad snap from backup center Atonio Mafi.

Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye expected to play in preseason opener

Studs

S Kyle Dugger

The Patriots’ veteran safety broke up one of Brissett’s earliest passes, blanketing No. 2 tight end Austin Hooper on a crossing route. Later, he added a would-be sack, getting to Brissett on a safety blitz, and was in coverage for an incompletion in 7-on-7s.

WR Jalen Reagor

The star of camp on Day 1, Reagor broke a recent silent stretch by catching all four targets he saw in team periods. Three came from Maye on a single drive. Reagor is in a heated battle to lock up one of the final receiver spots.

Duds

RB Kevin Harris

Harris fumbled during 11-on-11s and later dropped a Maye pass. One of the worst days for any running back in camp.

Pass protection

The Patriots struggled to block up a variety of exotic pressures, with defensive linemen dropping and safeties collecting three of eight total sacks. The defense sent overload blitzes and generated regular free rushers against Brissett (four sacks), Maye, Zappe (three sacks) and Joe Milton (one sack).

Offensive notes

New England Patriots wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk #1 receives a catch over cornerback Marcellas Dial Jr. #27 during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Top targets in team drills: WR Jalen Reagor 4/4, WR Ja’Lynn Polk 3/4, WR K.J. Osborn 2/4, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster 2/4, TE Austin Hooper 2/4, RB Rhamondre Stevenson 3/3
Drops: RB Kevin Harris, Smith-Schuster
Top offensive line: LT Vederian Low, LG Sidy Sow, C David Andrews, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Calvin Anderson

Quarterbacks

Bailey Zappe matched Maye’s longest drive of the day, taking eight straight snaps in 11-on-11s. He took three sacks and barely missed a deep connection with rookie tight end Jaheim Bell around two checkdowns.
Milton saw eight combined snaps in team periods, with just four in 11-on-11s; fewest among the quarterbacks. That may be a sign he will see extensive action in the preseason opener.
Milton is a much more effective passer in 7-on-7 settings, where the field is open and his reads are clearer. His scrambling in space, at 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds, is also a sight to behold.

Running backs

He’s back. Rhamondre Stevenson snapped a streak of forgettable practices by wheeling up the left sideline with Brissett’s first pass and zipping by most of the defense. He finished with three catches.
Antonio Gibson: ever steady. Gibson was stuffed on one of four rushes, but keeps showing required decisiveness for the Pats’ outside zone-based scheme.
While Kevin Harris fumbled away his practice, scatback Ja’Mycal Hasty failed to reel in either of his targets; one questionable throw from Maye and a dump-off Brissett hurried to beat a blitz.

Wide receivers

FOXBORO, MA – Aug. 3 -SATURDAY: New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas runs upfield after making a reception during practice at Gillette Stadium August 3, 2024, in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)

As rumors and reports of a Brandon Aiyuk trade swirled, the wideouts showed exactly why Aiyuk’s arrival would help jolt the offense.
The Pats’ leading receivers — Reagor and Polk — caught the majority of their passes on curl or stop routes; never threatening the defense after the catch or deep. DeMario Douglas remains the only consistent separator, and he had two catches, both on slants.
On a positive note, Polk stands alone as the Patriots’ steadiest receiver. He has a mature game for a rookie and leads all wideouts in practices with multiple catches.
Baker, aside from the highlight back-shoulder grab, only saw two targets: high throws from Maye, where it was unclear if Maye simply missed or the route should have been deeper.
Veteran K.J. Osborn zipped downfield on one of the most effective screen passes of camp, and continues to expand his impact as he gets more comfortable in New England. His other catch came on an in-breaking route.

Tight ends

Hunter Henry came crashing down from his two-day high as the best player on offense, earning a single target in team periods that Jabrill Peppers knocked away down the seam. Peppers may have drawn a flag in a game setting, but won the rep with his sticky coverage.
Henry had little separation on the route, but it bears repeating: Brissett loves throwing to him.
As for Austin Hooper, he caught a Brissett touchdown during 7-on-7s in a snap against backup linebacker Joe Giles-Harris.
Mitchell Wilcox, a Maye favorite, pocketed one of three targets and had another batted away from behind.

Offensive line

Third-round rookie Caedan Wallace played both left and right tackle around a brief injury leave mid-practice. But he did not start, with Vederian Lowe and Calvin Anderson again repping with the top unit.
Brissett worked with the first- and second-team lines early in team periods, but Maye was never afforded a full drill with the starters.
When left guard Sidy Sow sat out the last few team periods, veteran backup Michael Jordan replaced him. Jordan signed with the team last January on a futures contract; highlighting how dire the team’s offensive line depth is now.
Center David Andrews again yielded reps to backup Nick Leverett late in practice. Leverett looks more and more comfortable at center, having played guard in Tampa Bay.
The Atonio Mafi-at-center experiment must end soon. Mafi had another bad snap during Maye’s hurry-up series.
Speaking of Maye, the Patriots continue to surround him with Kellen Diesch, a street free agent signed late last week, Wallace and undrafted rookie Zuri Henry at tackle; no doubt the worst depth in the league.

Defensive notes

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) enters the field as the Patriots take practice at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 6. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)

Starting and second-string personnel during team periods: defensive linemen Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise, Keion White, Armon Watts, Daniel Ekuale, Trysten Hill, Sam Roberts, Mike Purcell and Jeremiah Pharms Jr.; linebackers Jahlani Tavai, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Raekwon McMillan, Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Christian Elliss, Joe Giles-Harris, William Bradley-King and Oshane Ximines; defensive backs Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, Jaylinn Hawkins, Isaiah Bolden, Azizi Hearn, Marcellas Dial, A.J. Thomas, Dell Pettus, Marco Wilson and Brenden Schooler.
Interceptions: Dial
Pass breakups: Dugger, Peppers, Hearn, Pettus, Giles-Harris
Would-be sacks: Jennings 2, Dugger, Hill, Peppers, Roberts, Schooler, Team

Defensive linemen

No change in the starting lineup: Davon Godchaux and Daniel Ekuale remain entrenched in a post-Barmore world.
Keion White is a hard man to find, routinely changing his alignment during team periods. He and outside linebacker Oshane Ximines once dropped on the same rep, creating confusion that resulted in one sack.
Sam Roberts’ sack was his first of camp, an opening “takedown” of Zappe during 11-on-11s. The versatile lineman, a sixth-round pick in 2022, is firmly on the bubble.
Backup defensive tackle Trysten Hill returned to full participation and had a strip sack of Zappe during a third-string 11-on-11 period. Defenders are not allowed to contact quarterbacks, but Hill stripped the ball cleanly; another highlight two practices after he tallied a sack, two run stuffs and batted pass on the same day.

Keion White isn’t taking the easy way out in Patriots practice

Linebackers

The Patriots have been more liberal rotating their backup linebackers in with the top two defenses, which Tuesday meant featuring Christian Elliss and Joe Giles-Harris for stretches.
Giles-Harris allowed a touchdown in 7-on-7s and broke up a late Maye checkdown. Elliss, a core special teamer, had no obvious plays of note but appears to have earned some trust from the coaching staff.
Nice day for backup edge rusher Oshane Ximines. He posted one pressure and a run stuff in 11-on-11s and continues pushing for a roster spot.

Defensive backs

All told, a great day for the safeties. Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers tallied would-be sacks and one pass breakup apiece. Jaylinn Hawkins allowed just a single catch in team periods, and Brenden Schooler, a core special teamer, flew around to the effect of one sack.
Marcellas Dial, a sixth-round rookie, snatched the tip-drill pick Maye threw to start his hurry-up series.
Christian Gonzalez allowed three catches, if you include Baker’s back-shoulder. The others were a short curl-route completion to Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen Reagor on an end-zone fade during 7-on-7s.
No team drills for Jonathan Jones allowed Dial, Alex Austin and Marco Wilson to run with the starters. Austin has lost a little ground in recent days.
A name to remember for the preseason: Dell Pettus. The undrafted rookie safety has registered a pass breakup in two of the last three practices and hits hard.

Related Articles

Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye expected to play in preseason opener

Patriots’ Jerod Mayo won’t confirm Brandon Aiyuk potential trade reports

Keion White isn’t taking the easy way out in Patriots practice

Patriots training camp Day 10: Defense dominates, another mixed bag for Drake Maye

Patriots place recent draft pick on injured reserve, sign long snapper

Special teams

Kickers Chad Ryland and Joey Slye again dueled at the end of practice, when Ryland went 4-of-4 on kicks between 33 and 49 yards away and Slye missed from 49 to finish 3-of-4.
Ryland also missed a prior attempt from 50-plus yards away at the end of a two-minute drill, putting him at 24-of-27 for training camp. Slye is 22-of-27.
Punt returners: Ja’Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, David Wallis
Punt return team: Brenden Schooler, Christian Elliss, Raekwon McMillan, Jaylinn Hawkins, Marco Wilson, Isaiah Bolden, Alex Austin, Oshane Ximines, Anfernee Jennings, JaMycal Hasty
Kickoff team: Ryland/Slye Schooler, Elliss, McMillan, Ximines, Wilson, Bolden, Jabrill Peppers, Jahlani Tavai, Kevin Harris, Marcellas Dial

Extra points

The Patriots are holding a walkthrough Wednesday without media access in their final preparation for Thursday’s preseason opener.
Wednesday’s practice marked their third straight in pads, the first time that’s happened in training camp.
Mike Onwenu, Deatrich Wise, Tyquan Thornton, Isaiah Bolden, Calvin Anderson and Kevin Harris spoke with reporters after practice.