The New England Patriots were back to work on Friday for their third training camp practice of the week. The session itself was a rather slow one even for the league-mandated ramp-up period.
Here is what went down on the fields behind Gillette Stadium.
Setting
Attire: Shorts and no helmets
Duration: ca. 75 minutes (10:00-11:15 a.m. ET)
Conditions: Sunny, temperatures in the 90s
The Patriots’ third practice of the summer took place in a hot Foxborough, which was part of the reason Mike Vrabel dialed back the intensity.
The session overall was a shorter one without pads or even helmets.
Attendance
Absent: WR Ja’Lynn Polk, WR Mack Hollins (PUP), OT Vederian Lowe (PUP), TE Austin Hooper (PUP), Josh Minkins (NFI)
Returnees: CB Carlton Davis, DT Jahvaree Ritzie
While Ja’Lynn Polk remained the lone absence excluding players on the PUP or NFI list, New England did see cornerback Carlton Davis and defensive lineman Jahvaree Ritzie return to the practice fields on Friday.
When it comes to Davis, who opened camp on the NFI list, head coach Mike Vrabel shared his absence Thursday was “kind of maintenance and continuing to kind of give him what he needs as part of the plan.”
Takeaways
Intensity dialed back: As Vrabel shared prior to camp that he would alter practice tempos to best prepare his team, Friday’s session saw that intensity dial all the way back to a walkthrough pace without helmets.
“Today will be a lighter day so that you guys can understand that this will be more of a walkthrough,” Vrabel said prior to practice. “But again, it’s important, I think, to see how our team responds and are able to work in that capacity. I’m hopeful that we can get something out of this, come back, really have some speed tomorrow and really have a good one tomorrow before our day off.”
Wilson’s versatility: New England still went through 11-on-11 team work at a walkthrough pace, which shared a glimpse at the usual starting line of Will Campbell, Cole Strange, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu, and Morgan Moses. However, as he has been all this summer, rookie Jared Wilson worked in at both guard and center.
“I think that he’s a quick learner. He’s been able to learn two positions inside, as far as center and guard,” Vrabel said. “He was one of those players that maybe wasn’t out there as much on the field in the spring, but really was able to grasp it mentally and allow that to carry over when he had an opportunity to be on the field. So, he was able to show, for a young player, some of those things to be ready when he got his opportunity to be on the field.”
Wide receiver hierarchy: As the team broke into two sides of the field, Drake Maye’s top wide receivers were consistently Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and DeMario Douglas. That mainly left Kendrick Bourne and Kyle Williams to operate as the top two receivers for Joshua Dobbs — a top five that has been largely consistent through the first three days of camp.
Depth options: Elsewhere along the offensive line, Demontrey Jacobs remained the top third tackle working on both sides in relief of Will Campbell and Morgan Moses.
On defense, Christian Elliss continued to rep next to Robert Spillane while Miles Battle and D.J. James were the rotational options behind Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis.
Preview
The Patriots will be back on the fields behind Gillette Stadium on Saturday for their fourth practice of the summer. Gates will open at 9:15 a.m. ET with the session set to start at 10:15 a.m. ET. A select group of players will be made available to talk to the media afterwards.
More from patspulpit.com:
- WATCH: New Patriots WR Brandin Cooks makes ridiculous one-handed grab against the Jaguars
- Patriots release first depth chart of the season; list Mike Gilleslee as the number five running back
- Patriots-Jaguars Monday joint practice notes: WR Brandin Cooks puts on a show
- Patriots 2017 training camp: 08/07 live news feed, updates and open thread
- New England Patriots links 8/07/17 - Pats-Jags joint practices kick off preseason
- Former Patriots, Texans NT Vince Wilfork announces retirement
- Patriots 2017 training camp: Four things to watch during joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars
