Following three straight padded practices, the New England Patriots dialed back the intensity on Thursday: they held their second walkthrough of the summer.
Here is what went down on the fields behind Gillette Stadium.
Setting
Attire: Shorts, no helmets
Duration: ca. 80 minutes (10:00-11:20 a.m. ET)
Conditions: Cloudy, temperatures in the 70s
The Foxborough temperature cooled down after three straight hot days in the 90s. The rain did hold off as New England’s walkthrough included players in sneakers and bucket
hats.
Attendance
Absent: CB Christian Gonzalez, RB Antonio Gibson*, OL Sidy Sow*, OL Garrett Bradbury, LB Jahlani Tavai, OT Vederian Lowe (PUP)
Returned: WR Mack Hollins (PUP)
New England saw Mack Hollins return to the field for the first time after he spent the entire spring limited and began training camp on the physically unable to perform list. The veteran wide receiver, who joined the team as a free agent in March, was a participant in the walkthrough, signaling his official activation from PUP.
Two new absences on Thursday were running back Antonio Gibson and offensive lineman Sidy Sow. Both players departed Wednesday’s practice early, with Sow leaving with a trainer.
Takeaways
Hollins returns: As Hollins returned to the field, he did so by immediately taking on a role within the top offense. Hollins primarily cut into Kayshon Boutte’s reps and played alongside Stefon Diggs and DeMario Douglas, but was part of several different groupings in Drake Maye’s offense.
Hollins’ Day 1 involvement highlights his role in this wide receiver group and on the Patriots 53-man roster, which could mean bad news for others further down the depth chart. That includes the likes of Kendrick Bourne, who has not caught a pass from Maye in competitive full-team work this summer.
“I think he’s stayed engaged,” head coach Mike Vrabel said of Hollins last week. “He’s a pro, and he spends a lot of time here. I’ve seen him mentoring and working with the younger guys as well.”
Receiver splits: With New England splitting the entire offense and defense into two fields for the walkthrough, Maye’s receivers consisted of Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Javon Baker and John Jiles — with the latter two receiving minimal action. Working with Joshua Dobbs were Kendrick Bourne, Ja’Lynn Polk, and rookies Kyle Williams and Efton Chism.
These splits could set the stage for Friday night’s in-stadium scrimmage. Maye is getting work with what projects to be the team’s top four receivers and Dobbs sharing the field with the next four on the depth chart.
Larison’s role: After catching his first pass from Drake Maye in competitive team work on Wednesday, UDFA running back Lan Larison found himself sharing the field with the top QB again during Thursday’s walkthrough. Larison’s usage could be attributed to veteran Antonio Gibson’s absence, though, especially considering that Joshua Dobbs got to work with second-round rookie TreVeyon Henderson.
Offensive line watch: Veteran center Garrett Bradbury missed his second straight day opening the door for Ben Brown to return as New England’s top center. That led to the second straight day of the offensive line aligning as follows: LT Will Campbell, LG Jared Wilson, C Ben Brown, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Morgan Moses.
Along the second-string offensive line, rookie Marcus Bryant remains the backup left tackle with Caedan Wallace at left guard and Cole Strange at center. With Sidy Sow sidelined, Layden Robinson was elevated to second-string right guard next to right tackle Demontrey Jacobs.
Preview
The Patriots will return to work for a fifth straight day on Friday for their traditional in-stadium practice open to season ticket holders and Foxborough residents. While that in-stadium session has typically featured a lower intensity, Thursday’s walkthrough could set the stage for a more ramped-up practice.
The action at Gillette Stadium will begin at 6:00 p.m. ET, and head coach Mike Vrabel will address the media an hour prior.
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