The New England Patriots’ summer break is over. The team of first-year head coach Mike Vrabel returned to work on Wednesday morning for its first practice of this year’s training camp.
The session itself was a rather slow start as part of the league-mandated ramp-up period, but there is still plenty to discuss. Here is what went down.
Setting
Attire: Shorts and shells
Duration: ca. 90 minutes (10:15-11:45 a.m. ET)
Conditions: Mostly sunny, temperatures in the high 70s
The Patriots’ first practice of the summer
took place in picture-perfect conditions on the fields behind Gillette Stadium. The session overall was a shorter one without full pads, per league rules.
Attendance
Absent: WR Ja’Lynn Polk, WR Mack Hollins (PUP), OT Vederian Lowe (PUP), TE Austin Hooper (PUP), Josh Minkins (NFI)
Second-year wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk was the lone absence among those not on an injury list. The second-year receiver continues to work his way back from offseason shoulder surgery.
Despite being classified as physically unable to perform over the weekend due to a calf injury sustained during offseason workouts, linebacker Jahlani Tavai did return to practice on Wednesday. The same is true for cornerback Carlton Davis and wide receiver Jeremiah Webb, who are both off the non-football injury list now.
Takeaways
Kyle Williams impresses: Working in as a primary backup with the top unit, third-round rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams had an active day that included a pair of receptions from Drake Maye in full-team drills. His second — a back-should grab working through contact against Christian Gonzalez along the sideline — was perhaps the catch of the day.
“He made a big-time catch, strong hands,” Drake Maye said after practice. “I told him maybe to sell it a little more — just try to give him a go-route feel — but I think he’s coming along. He’s looking good … Good for a rookie to make a play like that, and I think he’s gonna get better and better.”
Stefon Diggs’ day: Leading off all wide receiver positional drills, Stefon Diggs continued to move well in his return from a torn ACL. Diggs then took his role as the starting Z-receiver and participated in full-team periods after being held out of them during the spring. He was the recipient of Maye’s first pass of training camp before going on to then also catch his first pass of the second period.
Pressure piles up: While Wednesday’s first session of the summer was not padded, pressure was a problem for New England’s new-look offensive line. From left to right, the unit primarily featured Will Campbell, Cole Strange, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses.
There appeared to be a handful of “would-be” sacks, who would have resulted in the quarterbacks being taken down in a full-contact seting. K’Lavon Chaisson, Keion White, and Harold Landry specifically applied pressure off the edge against New England’s tackles. Milton Williams also powered through Cole Strange on one occasion.
O-line depth in the spotlight: Elsewhere along the offensive line, 2024 third-round draft pick Caedan Wallace continued to rep at guard with the second unit; he already saw some opportunities inside during the spring. Third-round rookie Jared Wilson, who spent the spring limited, worked himself into the center mix alongside Garrett Bradbury.
Quiet QBs: With the team holding just two full-team periods in the first practice of the summer, it was an overall quiet but productive day for Drake Maye. The sophomore quarterback mainly operated in the short area of the field but did rip a seam shot to tight end Hunter Henry just over linebacker Robert Spillane. He also shared after practice he would have liked a near-interception back that was underthrown to DeMario Douglas as the result of some pressure.
Behind Maye, both backup quarterbacks struggled with accuracy during the day. Joshua Dobbs had misses behind and high to John Jiles and Efton Chism and also threw an interception on floater downfield to Javon Baker (which may have been a miscommunication).
Quick notes: The first interception of the summer, on that Dobbs floater intended for Javon Baker, went to cornerback D.J. James. ... Next to Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte operated as the top X-receiver while DeMario Douglas manned the slot ... With Austin Hooper sidelined, Jack Westover continued to operate as the second tight end behind Hunter Henry. ... Brock Lampe continued to be involved with the first-team offense at fullback. ... No field goal attempts on Wednesday by either Andres Borregales or Parker Romo.
Preview
The Patriots will be back on the fields behind Gillette Stadium on Thursday for their second practice of the summer. Gates will open at 9:15 a.m. ET with the session set to start an hour later, at 10:15 a.m. ET. A select group of players will be available to talk to the media after the session.
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