FOXBORO — Training camp is over.

The Patriots opened the final chapter of their summer Wednesday with a padded, regular-season style practice. That practice will lead into two more on Thursday and Friday, plus several meetings as the team prepares for Sunday’s preseason finale at Washington like a real game.

The Patriots’ stated goal is to treat this week as a dress rehearsal, so by the time they begin gearing up for their season opener at Cincinnati, they will be familiar with their in-season routine. To that end, Jerod Mayo gave starters first-team reps at Wednesday’s practice, and pitted them against third- and fourth-stringers, who formed scout team units designed to simulate the Commanders’ offense and defense.

Offensively, Jacoby Brissett took 18 starting reps alongside the Patriots’ offensive starters in competitive team periods. Drake Maye saw three, his first starting snaps of the summer. He took one in the opening 11-on-11 drill, and two in the waning moments of practice. All three were handoffs.

In previous weeks, Maye’s brief stint with the first-team offense would have hinted at a potential rise up the depth chart. But after 18 practices, any and every on-field indication points to Brissett earning the starting nod Week 1 – even Wednesday’s change. Because unlike training camp workouts, regular-season practices typically afford backup quarterbacks a few snaps with the starters in the event they’re called on as an injury replacement come game day.

So, considering Maye took those snaps Wednesday, Brissett for now appears to be on a fast track to not only start this weekend, but Week 1.

Elsewhere at practice, the offense lost a key starter, two defensive backs grabbed interceptions, a newly-signed free agent flashed and the kicking competition might be over.

Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations:

Attendance

New England Patriots head coach Jarod Mayo looks over at Nick Leverett during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Returned: C Nick Leverett

Injured: OT Vederian Lowe

Absent: DL Christian Barmore, TE Hunter Henry

Non-participant: OLB Joshua Uche, OT Calvin Anderson, OLB Oshane Ximines, TE Mitchell Wilcox, S/LB Marte Mapu

Limited: CB Shaun Wade

Non-contact jersey: LB Raekwon McMillan

PUP: WR Kendrick Bourne, LB Sione Takitaki, OL Cole Strange

Notes: Lowe, the Patriots’ starting left tackle, walked off the field during the first few team periods. He was spotted holding his lower back as he departed. Without him, the Patriots started third-round rookie Caedan Wallace in his place.

Leverett, the Patriots’ backup center, was the only player to miss Monday’s practice and return to full participation. All others, except Henry, were present in street clothes. McMillan donned a red, non-contact jersey for the first time in camp. He missed a few team drills last week.

Anderson, Uche and Ximines haven’t practiced since the team’s last preseason game. Wilcox has sat out three straight practices, while Henry’s missed six in a row. Mapu has been out since the first week of training camp.

QB Corner

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye #10 gets ready to throws as Jacoby Brissett and Joe Milton III #19 look on during practice at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

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: N/A (161-of-246 — 65.4%, 6 INTs, 28 sacks)

Drake Maye: N/A (143-of-229 — 62.4%, 5 INTs, 21 sacks)

Notes: Practice opened with an 11-on-11 period involving changing play speeds and personnel between snaps. Most of the ensuing team drills featured one starting unit against a scout team, creating a significant competitive advantage, and/or they were run at less than full speed.

Overall, both Brissett and Maye completed more than 70% of their passes in team periods, but due to the inconsistent level of competition, their raw passing numbers should not be weighed the same as past practices.

Between the two, however, Maye was sharper, making it five straight – or, at worst, four of the last five practices – he’s outperformed Brissett, who tossed a pick to rookie cornerback Marcellas Dial on his first dropback of 11-on-11s. He also had another pass intercepted on a throw into double coverage.

During 7-on-7s, Maye hit multiple downfield passes against a second-team defense. Later, in full-team periods, he also kept the ball on a couple option run plays, a sign his preseason touchdown against the Eagles may have been a preview of coming attractions.

Studs

OT Caedan Wallace

New England Patriots offensive tackle Caedan Wallace #70 walks out onto the field during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

The rookie tackle not only ran with the starters in Vederian Lowe’s place, he went 2-0 during 1-on-1 pass rush. Wallace scored a win against Anfernee Jennings on his first rep. Great day for the kid.

DL Daniel Ekuale

Arguably the surprise of camp, Ekuale has kept his starting spot next to Davon Godchaux ever since Christian Barmore was ruled out indefinitely. On Wednesday, he beat Mike Onwenu twice during 1-on-1 pass rush and was on the scene for a couple of run-stuffs in team periods.

Duds

K Chad Ryland

The former fourth-round pick went 1-of-4 at the end of practice, missing from 45, 49 and 53 yards away. He’s clearly fallen behind veteran journeyman Joey Slye, who’s also been better from 50-plus yards away through all of camp.

QB Jacoby Brissett

It wasn’t an outright terrible practice, but considering his first pass found a rookie cornerback and he hasn’t outplayed Maye in more than a week, Brissett deserves his place here.

Offensive notes

New England Patriots quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe during practice at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Top offensive line: LT Vederian Lowe/Caedan Wallace, LG Sidy Sow, C David Andrews, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Chukwuma Okorafor
Drops: WR DeMario Douglas, RB Kevin Harris, TE Jacob Warren, WR Matt Landers
Out wide, the Patriots continue to deploy a top three of K.J. Osborn, Tyquan Thornton and DeMario Douglas. Thornton led all pass-catchers with four receptions on five targets. The other was a Brissett overthrow that found Marcellas Dial for an interception.
In the final 11-on-11 period, Douglas dropped a deep Maye pass, his first drop of the summer, per the Herald’s charting.
Rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk had three receptions on four targets in team periods. He was one of three receivers, along with Douglas and Thornton, to catch passes from Brissett and Maye. So did tight end Austin Hooper.
Hooper started again in place of Hunter Henry. Behind him, rookie Jaheim Bell made two catches, and saw another knocked away.
Once Lowe left with an unspecified injury, the Patriots moved third-round rookie Caedan Wallace to left tackle with the starting group, indicating the staff prefers him at that spot over veteran Chukwuma Okorafor.
Meanwhile Okorafor, like the rest of the starting offensive linemen aside from center David Andrews, rotated into the second-team offense for a few snaps in team drills.
That includes starting left guard Sidy Sow, whose ongoing rotations with rookie Layden Robinson suggests two things: the staff is pleased with Robinson, and is reluctant to move Mike Onwenu to right tackle.
Robinson, a career right guard at Texas A&M, has been playing on the left side instead of his more familiar position, currently occupied by Onwenu who spent most of last season at tackle.
Sow, to his credit, went 2-0 during individual pass rush drills and earned praise from Jerod Mayo before practice.
The backup offensive line that most often worked with Maye went: left tackle Kellen Diesch, left guard Layden Robinson, center Nick Leverett, right guard Michael Jordan and right tackle Caedan Wallace.
Both Joe Milton III and Bailey Zappe struggled with their accuracy, running the scout-team offense against the top defensive units.

Defensive notes

Patriots defensive back Marcus Jones pulls in a throw during practice in Foxboro on Wednesday. (Staff Photo/Chris Christo/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 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, Jonathan Jones, Alex Austin, Jaylinn Hawkins, Isaiah Bolden, Azizi Hearn, Marco Wilson, Dell Pettus and Brenden Schooler.
After Dial’s interception of Brissett early in team drills, Marcus Jones fell off a short zone assignment to pick a deep Joe Milton rocket during a final 11-on-11 period. It was his best play of camp.
Why is that important? Jones has gotten the worst of his matchups with slot receiver DeMario Douglas since returning from injury, and the Patriots are counting on him to lock down the nickelback job.
If he can, that will allow Jonathan Jones to man the outside corner position opposite Christian Gonzalez instead of kicking inside and creating a hole on the perimeter, where the younger Jones isn’t suited to play at 5-foot-8.
In most 11-on-11 periods, the coaches deployed backups within the top unit, rotating defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs at different points. Cornerbacks Marco Wilson and Alex Austin are familiar with these rotations, after taking first-team reps for most of training camp.
Another young corner, Isaiah Bolden, reached out to knock away a Maye pass in the flat. He remains squarely on the roster bubble.
The best defensive wins in 1-on-1 pass rush belonged to Daniel Ekuale and Keion White, both staples in the Patriots’ starting defense.
Safety Jaylinn Hawkins recorded a would-be sack of Brissett on an unblocked safety blitz in the opening 11-on-11 period. The Patriots have blitzed their safeties almost daily.
Outside linebacker William Bradley-King, who flashed two practices ago in 1-on-1 pass rush and team drills, tallied another would-be sack working with the top defense.
Newly-signed linebacker Kobe Jones flattened backup running back Deshaun Fenwick in a 1-on-1 tackling drill, putting him on his back to the loud delight of his defensive teammates.

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Special teams

Punt returners: DB Marcus Jones, WR DeMario Douglas, WR Jalen Reagor, WR Ja’Lynn Polk, WR K.J. Osborn, S Jabrill Peppers, WR David Wallis
Punt team: P Bryce Baringer, LS Joe Cardona, LB Christian Elliss, LB Raekwon McMillan, S Jaylinn Hawkins, LB Jahlani Tavai, CB Marcellas Dial, LB Joe Giles-Harris, S Joshuah Bledsoe, RB JaMycal Hasty
Marcus Jones was an active participant in returning drills for the first time since he returned from a three-week injury absence.
It bears repeating: the Patriots’ core special teamers are Schooler, Elliss, McMillan, Hawkins and Hasty. Most, if not all of them, should make the team.

Extra points

The Patriots will return to practice Thursday at 1 p.m., then hold a final session Friday at 11 a.m. Friday’s practice is expected to be the last session open to the media in its entirety this season.