The New England Patriots were back at Gillette Stadium on Monday for their first practice of the week and 10th overall of this year’s training camp. The session was an intense one: it lasted more than two hours in high temperatures, saw a notable number of plays being run, and on top of it had players in full pads.
You can recap the action here. And as always, here is a rundown of who caught our eyes for better or worse.
Standout of the day
RB TreVeyon Henderson: Consider this your daily “TreVeyon Henderson is fast” update.
The rookie running back had himself a day to kick off the third week of camp, hauling in a pair of long touchdown receptions from Drake Maye in full team work. The first of those scores came on a well-executed wheel route out of the backfield that saw him shake Robert Spillane. The second TD started with him split out wide to the left, from where he beat linebacker Christian Elliss 1-on-1 on a go route.
Now 10 practices into his NFL career, Henderson continues to show why the Patriots added him to the mix in the second round of this year’s draft. His ability to run away from defenders is rare, and could make him a powerful matchup weapon for Maye and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Other performances of note
WR Javon Baker and WR Efton Chism III: The Patriots’ young pass catchers had an active day. Baker was the recipient of three straight touchdowns from backup QB Joshua Dobbs in 7-on-7s and later added a leaping grab in 11s. Chism, meanwhile, was on the receiving end of the play of the day when he contorted his body to make a one-handed over-the-shoulder catch on a fade route over Craig Woodson for a score. Both had would-be scores ripped out of their hands, too, but overall flashed their talents on Monday.
Run game: Despite one of its members standing out on Monday, New England’s running back group as a whole had a quiet day on Monday, particularly in its core area of expertise: the ground game was relatively ineffective for much of the day, a noticeable change compared to previous practices. During a red zone period, the unit suffered two run stuffs near the goal line and was unable to find the end zone.
DT Khyiris Tonga: The Patriots defense dominating in the red area was a collective effort, but one that was being spear-headed by Khyiris Tonga. The offseason signing continued his stellar camp on Monday with a run stuff and a pass breakup on a Drake Maye throw intended for DeMario Douglas.
CB D.J. James: Before practice, we wrote about James needing to show a short memory after some moments of inconsistency the previous session. He sure did just that on Monday. Once again running with the starters in lieu of Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis, the second-year man broke up a pair of red area passes during full team drills.
S Kyle Dugger: The longest-tenured Patriot has been a mainstay on the starting defense through the first two weeks of training camp. On Monday, however, his role changed: rookie Craig Woodson saw increased reps with the 1s over Dugger. When he was on the field, we had him charted with a reception given up to Hunter Henry in team work.
Other players worth pointing out include Ja’Lynn Polk and Kyle Williams, who went 4-0 and 3-0 in 1-on-1s, respectively. Elijah Ponder looked good during his own 1-on-1s, while fellow edge defender Anfernee Jennings had a run stuff and a would-be sack in red zone work. Marcus Bryant saw first-team reps at right tackle, and both kickers went a perfect 4-for-4 again.
The Patriots will be back at work on Tuesday for a 10 a.m. ET session. The expectation is that training camp practice No. 11 will be lighter in nature given that the Washington Commanders will be in town for a joint practice session a day later.
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