FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — “Hey! This is real football,” exclaimed head coach Jerod Mayo in his practice-opening press conference with reporters on the overcast fifth day of training camp.
And real football it was.
The Patriots put the full pads on Monday for the first time this summer for an hour and 35-minute session outside of Gillette Stadium.
Full pads, of course, means real contact, hitting, blocking, and tackling. It means real football! It also gave us our first look at how the new New England offense will truly run, and how they plan on dealing with the unfortunate absence of defensive tackle Christian Barmore — which we’ll get to.
So without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about both the offensive and defensive lines in our CLNSMedia.com #TrenchReport:
Defensive line news & notes:
— The Patriots shared some unfortunate news on Sunday evening, relaying via a press release that defensive tackle Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots over the weekend and was tested, evaluated, and treated at Mass General Brigham. “While there is no current timetable for his return,” the team wrote, “we know Christian is getting tremendous care and we look forward to his full recovery.” Barmore signed a four-year contract extension worth up to $92 million this offseason, making him the highest-paid player in Patriots history not named Tom Brady. “He’s getting tremendous care, and I’m anticipating him coming back,” said Mayo prior to Monday’s practice.
Jerod Mayo provides an update on Christian Barmore and confirms there is no timetable for a return.
—#patriots #nfl #pats
Patriots camp coverage powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/1kSNQTz4zW— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) July 29, 2024
— On Sunday, prior to the news of Barmore’s diagnosis, the Patriots signed defensive tackle Josiah Bronson to their 90-man roster. Bronson spent the 2024 spring with the Memphis Showboats of the UFL, and before that spent three seasons in the NFL with the Saints, Browns, Cowboys, and Dolphins. The 27-year-old has notched 12 total tackles in the NFL. He’ll wear jersey No. 75 in New England.
— Davon Godchaux’s agent Drew Rosenhaus was spotted several times at training camp on Monday, initially by The Athletic’s Chad Graff. Godchaux is in the midst of a contract dispute and told reporters last week that while he would love to retire as a Patriot, he’s leaving it in his agent’s hands. Rosenhaus was seen having a conversation with vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf prior to practice. Godchaux, despite not sporting leg pads, participated in practice.
— Speaking of contract disputes, Matthew Judon’s situation with the team got plenty more interesting on Monday afternoon. No. 9 entered practice without a uniform on and did not participate in stretch — signaling a holdout of sorts. Judon then had a lengthy conversation with head coach Jerod Mayo before exiting the field. He then returned to practice, this time with his phone in hand and wearing flip flops, and engaged in an animated conversation with Wolf and director of scouting Matt Groh. Five-ish minutes later, he left practice again. A situation to monitor.
Full pads, not wearing pads, sitting on pads. https://t.co/fiAAyHqjyl
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) July 29, 2024
— LB Joshua Uche, who was supposed to speak following practice, was kicked out for a fight with tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. Okorafor was allowed to finish the session.
Offensive line news & notes:
— Center David Andrews was a notable absence at Monday’s practice in what is likely, in my opinion, a veteran’s day off. In his place was first-year Patriot, four-year veteran Nick Leverett.
— Aside from Leverett at center, New England trotted out the same “first-team” (a loose term) offensive line as they did the last two practices, looking as follows:
- LT – Caedan Wallace
- LG – Sidy Sow
- C – Nick Leverett
- RG – Mike Onwenu
- RT – Chukwuma Okorafor
1-on-1 notes:
— Defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. can be credited with the first 1-on-1 win of the 2024 season. He beat Chukwuma Okorafor, who struggled on Monday, off the right side to start the session.
— Wise Jr. was quickly humbled by rookie Layden Robinson, who gave him a right-hand punch that made him stop his rep.
— Nick Leverett looked good enough to start in place of David Andrews today. I had him with three wins, zero losses, and a draw in 1-on-1s, with the draw coming against Davon Godchaux.
— RG Mike Onwenu had a nice win on the inside, stonewalling DE Keion White.
— We’ll get to the day Caedan Wallace had later, but he was great in 1-on-1s as well. He showed his stuff early and often with a win against edge rusher Joshua Uche.
11-on-11 notes:
— The star of the day on the defensive side of the football was linebacker Oshane Ximenes, who showed out during 11-on-11s. Taking reps with the starting unit, the 27-year-old had several pressures, a run stuff, and beat Chukwuma Okorafor for a would-be sack.
— Speaking of Okorafor, the right tackle was not good today. He struggled to hold down the right side, was beat by Ximenes and Deatrich Wise Jr. during team drills, and was on the other end of the fight we mentioned earlier that saw Uche be kicked out of practice.
— On the left side, however, Caedan Wallace was a brick wall. The rookie looked solid in his first NFL padded practice and, although it was just only one session, looked to be ready to take on the left tackle role in his first season.
— It didn’t come without some mistakes, however. Wallace, Okorafor, and rookie guard Layden Robinson were all called for false starts throughout the practice and were forced to take laps.
— Some highs for the offensive line included blocking up an inside run for Kevin Harris that he broke for a long gain, an executed screen, and holding the defense long enough for a completion to Hunter Henry on a crossing route.
— DE Keion White didn’t look great in 1-on-1s, but showed up in 11s with constant pressure.
Wrap-Up, Takeaways
Overall, both sides of the football had some plays they’d like to write home about and others they’d like to forget. New England’s new run scheme had some success followed by a multitude of mistakes. Meanwhile the quality play of their defensive front was overshadowed by contract drama and in-practice fights.
The Pats are back at it on Tuesday likely in full pads again before an off day on Wednesday. Be sure to keep it here with CLNSMedia.com and with Patriots Press Pass on YouTube as the days roll on in Foxborough.
