Observations From Day 5 of Patriots Training Camp

The Patriots had their first padded practice on their fifth day of training camp, marking the end of the league-imposed acclimation period. What’s usually an exciting day on the summer schedule was overshadowed by contract drama surrounding two veteran defenders.

Matt Judon and Davon Godchaux, who have been vocal about wanting new deals, drew most of the focus early in practice.

Godchaux’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was spotted in the friends and family section speaking to Matt Groh, director of player personnel, and Robyn Glaser, executive vice president of football business and senior advisor to the head coach. Rosenhaus also spoke with Godchaux and head coach Jerod Mayo after practice. Godchaux took the field without lower-body pads, but he was a full participant.

Judon’s situation was a bit more bizarre. Despite calling his hold-in last offseason “trash,” he took the field without pads and sat on a stack of pads while teammates stretched. At one point, Mayo spoke with Judon while covering his mouth.

Once edge defenders moved on to position drills, Judon followed and watched from a trash can. Mayo joined him for another, more animated conversation, and Judon walked off the field. Later in practice, after changing into a T-shirt and sandals, he returned to the field, had a lengthy chat with Groh and Eliot Wolf, and walked off for the last time.

This about-face from Judon, who had been a full participant since minicamp, came as a surprise. Even during Judon’s hold-in last season, he came to practice in uniform while hanging off to the side. Judon has every right to ask for his worth, but today felt like an odd and unnecessary distraction. One has to wonder how Mayo and the new regime will move forward and if there will be any repercussions for their Pro Bowl edge rusher.

Judon wasn’t the only linebacker to get the boot today. Joshua Uche was sent to the locker room following a scuffle with Chukwuma Okorafor, who only appeared to get pulled for a rep. This was the Patriots’ second fight in as many days.

On the injury front, Mayo opened his pre-practice media availability with an update on Christian Barmore, who is out indefinitely with blood clots.

“I just want to thank the medical professionals in-house and also Mass General as far as the care for [Christian] Barmore,” Mayo said. “Obviously, it’s an unfortunate thing, but for me, it’s not even about football. When you talk about things like that, it’s about the man. He’s getting tremendous care, and I’m anticipating him coming back.”

The head coach added that Barmore is in good spirits, out of the hospital, and receiving “tremendous care.”

David Andrews was a new absence, while Jabrill Peppers suffered a lower-body injury and didn’t finish practice. Jaheim Bell was missing early in practice before returning without pads or a helmet.

Here are my top takeaways from today’s practice.

Physically Unable to Perform

• LG Cole Strange
• WR Kendrick Bourne
• LB Sione Takitaki
• IOL Jake Andrews

Absent

• IDL Christian Barmore
• C David Andrews

Red Non-Contact

• CB Shaun Wade

Limited/Did Not Participate

• WR DeMario Douglas
• SAF Marte Mapu
• ED Matt Judon
• TE Jaheim Bell

Injuries

• SAF Jabrill Peppers

Jacoby Brissett Pulling Further Ahead in QB Competition

Jacoby Brissett continued to show why he is the Patriots’ definitive starting quarterback in today’s padded session. He was accurate, decisive, and seemed to run the offense smoothly. The veteran also aired it out during team drills for the first time in training camp. These deep throws included drops in the bucket on a corner to Javon Baker and two go-balls to Tyquan Thornton. Brissett also connected with Ja’Lynn Polk, climbing the pocket and throwing off-platform to a spot over the middle. His only questionable play was a heave to Baker that was underthrown, but the receiver made a spectacular catch to bail him out.

While Brissett stacks positive days, Drake Maye appears stuck in a rut. As Mayo has emphasized throughout camp, growth is not linear. Today was also the closest to live reps Maye has seen since entering the league. The rookie’s accuracy was off for the second day in a row, including multiple throws that fell short of their target, two that sailed over the middle, and a throw behind Mitchell Wilcox that was picked by Kyle Dugger. He looked less comfortable than in past practices. There’s something to be said for the lack of talent Maye had around him, which led to quick pressure, three drops, and at least one miscommunication. It’s impossible to know how much better Maye would’ve been with the top unit, but erratic placement on out-breaking throws has been a pattern even against air.

Maye hasn’t been nearly bad enough to be worried about his long-term development. At some point, first-year players will hit roadblocks. What matters is how they bounce back, and Maye has shown impressive resiliency during his short time in New England. In my opinion, the bigger story is that starter Jacoby Brissett is looking like a pro’s pro for a nubile Patriots offense.

Offense Plagued by Penalties and Miscues

The Patriots’ offense matched the day’s sloppy conditions at times on Monday. I counted four drops between Wilcox (2), La’Michael Pettway, Javon Baker, and Ja’Lynn Polk.

Rhamondre Stevenson, Tyrone Wheatley, Caedan Wallace, and Chukwuma Okorafor all ran laps after false starts, with Wallace and Okoraor committing infractions on the same play.

For the third time this summer, Atonio Mafi was also involved in a botched snap.

By the end of practice, the offense had to run a lap and huddle up around their head coach. Antonio Gibson cited not enough hustle to the ball after completions. Austin Hooper mentioned needing to lock in on details, hear the cadence, and remain calm through the added energy of padded practice.

First-day jitters are understandable, but they cannot become a habit. As with their rookie quarterback, we’ll see how the unit bounces back on Tuesday.

Young Deep Threats Make Highlights Plays

Javon Baker had an up-and-down practice. His recent performances, which included flashes of downfield chemistry with Brissett, earned him two reps with the starting offense. Brissett went to the rookie against 1-on-1 coverage immediately, showing notable trust. Baker made a full-body diving extension down the left sideline but couldn’t secure a high-difficulty grab. He made up for it later in practice, returning to an underthrown deep ball after burning Alex Austin and boxing out Jaylinn Hawkins. Baker took a step back with a concentration drop later in practice, but his playmaking ability outweighed his inconsistent hands.

Consistency will be key to Baker earning a consistent role, as highlighted by his big play yesterday, which was actually a turnover.

Tyquan Thornton was the other receiver who headlined today’s practice. He showed his vertical speed on a pair of deep targets down the sideline, tracking both over his shoulder a la Javon Baker.

These were Thornton’s first “wow” plays of camp, but he’s been available and caught what’s come his way. Credit where it’s due.

Offensive Line Showing Positive Signs Early

My colleague Mike Kadlick was locked in on the trenches at today’s practice, but I couldn’t help sneaking a peak during team drills.

Caedan Wallace looked good at left tackle, where he’s been posted for three straight practices. His steadiness highlighted a starting front that gave Brissett plenty of time to read the defense. Judon and Barmore’s absences played a big factor, but it was a positive sign for the scrutinized group.

It was also hard to ignore the run game, which created sizable lanes for its backs.

“There were holes there for us to hit,” Antonio Gibson told reporters after practice. “We had our choices.”

Most impressive was most of these runs came on outside zone concepts, which I was unsure about given the size of New England’s front. Fourth-round right guard Layden Robinson was at the point of attack on two big cutback runs. Gibson got to the edge on a pin-pull from shotgun, and Kevin Harris’ burst popped on multiple carries.

The defense had its share of wins, but credit to an untested Patriots offensive line for a competitive practice.

Leftovers

• Joe Milton and Bailey Zappe continued to trade off reps as the third quarterback during team drills. Both looked solid.
• Brenden Schooler has seen significant snaps at safety this training camp, including some with the top unit. Mayo told reporters this is part of a philosophical shift for New England, saying, “I thought it was important to not just have core special teams players only focused on special teams. Schooler will be at the game. He’s an All-Pro type of special teams player. In saying that, there will be times where maybe we need to get out of a game because of injuries or whatever it is. Hopefully it’s from blowing another team out and putting him in there. But he needs to have a fundamental understanding of our defense. To answer your question, this guy can run, and this guy can tackle and this guy is smart. You put those three things together, you’ve got a pretty good defensive player.”
• Mayo also clarified the lack of kickoff work this training camp, saying, “Yeah, it’s definitely a lot going into that unit behind the scenes. I would also say the NFL is still nailing down how they want to officiate that play, so we have to be flexible. It’s a very fluid situation, and any time a new memo comes out, we’re going to try something new, so we’ll see where we land.”
• Right on time, the Patriots practiced kickoff publicly for the first time in training camp. There were typically two returners, including Ja’Lynn Polk, Antonio Gibson, Jalen Reagor, KJ Osborn, Kevin Harris, Marcus Jones, and DeMario Douglas, who watched but didn’t participate.
• Antonio Gibson told reporters, “I love it,” when asked about lining up all over the formation, adding “I was born for this” and that he must continue to earn trust from the coaches.
• Undrafted free agent running back Terrell Jennings capitalized on padded practice with a hard-nosed run. He broke through traffic at the line, kept his legs churning through two defenders, and finished with a pop against Azizi Hearn, who was throwing himself around on defense.