Observations From Day 8 of Patriots Training Camp

☀️ Weather: Sunny and humid

👔 Dress Code: Pads

📋 Practice Script: Punt, 11-on-11, 7-on-7 (Red Zone), Two-Minute, Kickoff, Field Goals

☑️ ATTENDANCE

All eyes were on Matt Judon during the Patriots’ first padded practice since his incident on Monday. With the edge rusher’s contract status still up in the air, there was speculation he might not participate to avoid injury. But for the second day in a row, Judon used the back entrance and didn’t go through his usual routine of playing catch with fans. He took part in warm-ups, worked with director of skills development alongside Deatrich Wise and Keion White for pass rush, and took part in all team drills.

Judon has lacked his trademark energy since returning to practice, but his participation seems like a sign that he and the team could gain ground on a new deal.

After warming up with teammates, he worked on hand-fighting with skills development coach Joe Kim alongside Deatrich Wise and Keion White.

DeMario Douglas and Shaun Wade, who suffered an injury late in yesterday’s practice, remained in their red jerseys.

Joshuah Bledsoe and Marcus Jones, who also left with an injury yesterday, were new absences.

Calvin Anderson appeared to suffer a serious lower-body injury during 11-on-11, walking gingerly off the field with a trainer after significant time on the turf. He made a surprising return later in practice, taking right tackle reps with the first and second offenses.

Jabrill Peppers was on the practice field in pads but didn’t participate in team drills. With Peppers out of action and Marte Mapu sidelined, New England also signed safety A.J. Thomas, who was on the field today in no. 35.

Newly signed offensive tackle Kellen Deisch was assigned the no. 72 following the release of Tyrone Wheatley Jr. Wheatley wasn’t at practice Thursday following an injury suffered on Tuesday. The team also released undrafted free agent back Deshaun Fenwick.

⛑️ Physically Unable to Perform

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

🫥 Absent

• IDL Christian Barmore

🛑 Red Non-Contact

• CB Shaun Wade
• WR DeMario Douglas

🙅‍♂️ Limited / Did Not Participate

• SAF Marte Mapu
• TE Jaheim Bell
• SAF Jabrill Peppers
• CB Marcus Jones
• SAF Joshuah Bledsoe

🤕 Injuries

• OT Calvin Anderson

📰 STORY OF THE DAY

Offense Has Its Best Day in Pads

After trailing the defense in their first two padded practices, the Patriots’ offense was far more competitive on Friday. Wide receivers were the headliners, with several players making impressive grabs.

K.J. Osborn had the play of the day during 7-on-7s in the Red Zone, beating Christian Gonzalez on a corner. Jacoby Brissett’s pass arrived behind his receiver, but Osborn did a great job adjusting and completing the catch as Gonzalez attempted a breakup.

Kayshon Boutte has flashed daily this summer and was one of the most targeted receivers in team drills. His best rep was a goal-line comeback where he lost Isaiah Bolden on a comeback, kept both feet in at the front pylon, and secured a score from Drake Maye through contact.

Douglas and Javon Baker continue to look unguardable 1-on-1, but we’ll talk more about them later.

As effective as the offense was, it was just a solid day for New England’s quarterbacks.

Brissett was solid but inconsistent. His aggressiveness in padded practices has stood out, including multiple slot fade attempts and shots to his tight ends today. Unfortunately, most of Brissett’s downfield throws weren’t catchable, and he was nearly picked by Kyle Dugger on a back-shoulder ball to Austin Hooper. In recent practices, Brissett’s ball placement has made life tough on his receivers, but his command and general reliability continue to set him apart.

Training camp is about taking shots and building rapport, so I wouldn’t be ringing alarm bells anytime soon. Brissett touched on building rapport when asked about his touchdown to Osborn, saying, “[K.J.] came up to me after the play because we talked about that last night in our walkthrough. It’s just like finding out those details and getting on the same page with each other, and building that trust and having those vulnerable conversations. Where I’m like, man, I was wrong, or he was wrong, and things like that. And taking the coaching from the classroom to the field, and continuing to build that trust, and today was the step in the right direction.”

Maye looked more comfortable and accurate than in previous padded sessions. Outside of one double-clutch that led to a throw behind Ja’Lynn Polk, he was on point in the Red Zone for a second straight day. My biggest gripe with the rookie’s day was the lack of aggressiveness when working with a full field. Maye has thrown almost exclusively underneath in pads, and while the Patriots’ defensive scheme has played a factor, it’s been uncharacteristic for the UNC product.

The rookie deserves credit for a much more consistent outing than he had on Monday and Tuesday, but the next step will be to play to his strengths and let it rip.

📈 STOCK UP 

DeMario Douglas

Douglas looked like the Patriots’ best receiver in the spring, and he’s picked up where he left off since getting more team reps yesterday. The jitterbug continued to increase his involvement and look unguardable.

Neither Jonathan Jones nor Shaun Wade could handle the slot receiver’s quickness and burst in a phone booth. He’s been automatic on slants, got behind his defender on multiple slot fades, including a score in the Red Zone, and capped a long two-minute drive getting wide open against Wade. Quarterbacks have struggled to hit Douglas in stride, but he’s bailed them out with full-extension grabs when possible.

“I’ve gotta learn how to throw to a little shorter guy, a little bit more,” Brissett joked with reporters, “But his explosiveness, what he can do in stretching the field, obviously is a weapon for us, and building that chemistry. And he’s a guy that loves football, you can tell. He pops up off the tape, no pun intended. It’s a lot of fun having him in a huddle. His energy is contagious.”

Douglas has been tabbed as a breakout candidate for New England since the 2023 season ended, and he’s proving his supporters right this offseason.

Javon Baker

Like Douglas, Baker has yet to meet his match against man coverage. There have been competitive reps in team drills, but no one has consistently stuck with the wild stallion. He embarrasses defenders in one-on-one drills, leaving virtually everyone lined up against him in the dust. His most impressive rep came against Isaiah Bolden. He created space inside with an outside jab, used his hands to deflect contact, and recovered from a stumble to complete the play.

Baker has mostly been quiet in team periods, but he appeared to get a foot and knee down in the back of the end zone after losing Bolden.

The ISO specialist stands out in the Patriots’ receiving corps and is getting more reps with the top offense every day. He’ll need to capitalize on opportunities more consistently to earn a regular role, but Baker continues to impress.

Chad Ryland

Chad Ryland was perfect on field goals for the third day in a row, going 5-5 on kicks from 32 to 52 yards out.

The second-year kicker is now 17-18 in training camp, with his only miss coming on his first attempt.

📉 STOCK DOWN

Isaiah Bolden

Isaiah Bolden is essentially a rookie after missing all of last season. In a competitive cornerback room, seeing most of his contributions this year come on special teams wouldn’t be surprising. In fact, if today’s practice is any indication, it could be necessary.

Bolden was on the wrong end of multiple completions today, and Baker made him look bad on multiple reps, both during one-on-ones and team periods.

The former Jackson State Swiss Army knife has plenty of talent, which will serve him well in the game’s third phase, but he’ll have to be more competitive to earn defensive snaps anytime soon.

Bailey Zappe

Typically a player who didn’t participate wouldn’t be on this list, but Bailey Zappe appears to be slipping in the third quarterback competition. Instead, Joe Milton got three reps towards the end of practice, including a dropped checkdown and a scramble.

Zappe didn’t get a single rep in team drills, telling reporters, “It is hard… I want to be here. I want to help this team win.”

Joey Slye

Joey Slye is on a cold streak, missing a field goal in every set of attempts this spring. Today’s miss wasn’t egregious—just right from 48 yards out—but it continued his slip in the kicker competition. Slye will need to string perfect performances together to have any shot of catching up.

🗣️ QUOTES OF NOTE

📓 LEFTOVERS

• Vederian Lowe was the top left tackle for a second day in a row and had another solid performance. I wonder if New England plans to give Wallace, Lowe, and Anderson multiple practices each at the spot.
• It was interesting to see Chukwuma Okorafor removed from the top offensive line during a two-minute drill. He’s been a staple in the starting group since this spring.
• The Patriots’ run game produced a couple of solid runs, but the defense mostly locked things down after going back-and-forth on Monday and Tuesday.
• Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, DeMario Douglas, and Kayshon Boutte were the top receivers during the starting offense’s two-minute drill.
• Matt Ryan, James White, Scott Pioli, and Ian Rapoport were special guests at practice.