Observations from Day Four of Patriots Training Camp

The Patriots were in shells for their fourth training camp practice, with pads likely coming on tomorrow. Like most other sessions, today began with conditioning drills before eventually moving to two-minute situations. The offense wasn’t afforded extra space for long, though, as the majority of team drills once again took place in the Red Zone. Christian Barmore returned to practice after missing Friday for the birth of his child, while rookies Jake Andrews and Kayshon Boutte were new absences and Ty Montgomery remains day-to-day after getting banged up on Thursday.

ATTENDANCE

Missing

• WR Ty Montgomery (left leg, considered day-to-day)
• OL Jake Andrews (unknown)
• WR Kayshon Boutte (unknown)

Physically Unable to Perform

• RG Mike Onwenu (ankle)
• ST Cody Davis (knee)

Non-Football Injury

• OT Calvin Anderson (illness)

Red Non-Contact Jersey (excluding QBs)

• LB Marte Mapu (pectoral)

BEST DAY OF CAMP FOR THE OFFENSE

The Patriots offense has been up and down since the start of training camp, but the first and second units finally managed to string positive plays together.

Mac Jones looked good executing two-minute situations with music blaring to simulate a live game atmosphere. The entire operation looked smooth, with Jones’ best throws coming against blitzes where he hit hot reads for touchdowns. The offense did struggle during reps in scoring territory due to suffocating coverage and a quick-hitting pass rush, but it was encouraging that Jones didn’t force any throws.

Bailey Zappe had his best practice to date, showing more aggression than he has in any other session. He delivered multiple downfield throws in Red Zone work, including a corner route to Tre Nixon and a fade to Jalen Hurd, which he told the media was a route adjustment based on the defense’s pre-snap look. Tyquan Thornton also made a pair of impressive touchdown grabs after entering the day with zero receptions in training camp. Sixth-rounder Demario Douglas is emerging as one of Zappe’s favorite targets, catching multiple underneath passes and scoring a touchdown after an outstanding performance on Friday.

Zappe’s one lowlight was an interception to Jalen Mills on his final throw of the day. To be fair, it was more of a great play by Mills than a bad decision by Zappe, with Mills telling reporters he recognized the concept from a touchdown he gave up to Matt Sokol a few days ago.

MOMENTUM SHIFT AT CORNERBACK

Christian Gonzalez has been a fixture at outside corner during training camp and continues to string together strong performances. He remains very sticky in coverage and nearly made a one-handed interception on a throw to JuJu Smith-Schuster early in practice.

That said, the spot across from him may still be up for grabs. Jonathan and Marcus Jones have been rotating for most of camp, with both repping both outside and in the slot. But today, it was Jack Jones getting the majority of these reps. The former Sun Devil has been consistently disruptive with several breakups over the past week, including a near-interception on a screen pass during two-minute drills, and he saw his efforts rewarded today.

Marcus Jones had his first down performance of camp after making an impressive breakup on Friday against Hunter Henry. Jones was beaten for multiple touchdowns in Red Zone work, including a slant to Demario Douglas where the rookie froze him at the line with hesitation at the top of the route. Jones is a smart and talented player, so I wouldn’t overreact to one bad day at the office.

LEFTOVERS

• Marte Mapu flexed his versatility today, lining up in multiple spots.
• Conor McDermott and Riley Reiff once again rotated at right tackle, and Reiff took some snaps on the left side for Trent Brown. Kody Russey also spelled David Andrews at times.
• Bill Murray has been a fixture at right guard throughout training camp. When I asked him what he’s been able to work on as a lineman during non-padded practices, he alluded to field vision (knowing his assignment and adjusting on the fly when necessary) and footwork. Bill Belichick mentioned multiple times before practice that no one works harder than the converted defensive lineman.
• Matthew Judon only recorded a couple of snaps in team drills, but his impact was felt with at least one pressure
• I’ve mentioned TE Anthony Firkser as a player to watch due to his versatility. He participated in Red Zone work with the offense’s projected starters during a special teams period
• The punter battle is a sneaky one to watch. Corliss Waitman has a huge leg and has looked good from what I’ve seen, but rookie Bryce Baringer seems to be improving every day.