Taking the field for their final practice ahead of the preseason finale, Day 18 of the New England Patriots’ training camp saw another highly competitive session.
Here is what went down on the practice fields at Gillette Stadium.
Setting
Attire: Shorts and shoulder pads
Duration: ca. 120 minutes (10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. ET)
Conditions: Cloudy, temperatures in the 70s
It was a cooler day in Foxborough. With the Patriots again just wearing shoulder pads, they went through plenty of full-field, backed-up work before
ending with end-of-half situations.
Attendance
Not participating: CB Christian Gonzalez, WR Ja’Lynn Polk, WR Javon Baker, WR Kyle Williams, RB Terrell Jennings, CB Tre Avery, LB Anfernee Jennings, LB Cam Riley, LB Jahlani Tavai, WR Kendrick Bourne, WR Efton Chism III, TE Jack Westover
Red non-contact jersey: RB Rhamondre Stevenson
The absentee list remains long for the Patriots two days before their preseason finale versus the New York Giants.
Tre Avery was the only new player missing, as the cornerback was released to make room for newly signed running back Micah Bernard. Elsewhere in that running back room, Rhamondre Stevenson remained in a red non-contact jersey during team work.
Takeaways
Pressure piles up: Drake Maye was under attack for the majority of the afternoon and in full-team work appeared to be the victim of seven would-be sacks in 18 dropbacks — a disruption rate of 39 percent. While the quarterback noted after Saturday’s preseason game that “sack” numbers in practice situations can be skewed due to his ability to escape the pocket, the pressure in his face was consistent throughout the day and came from across the offensive line.
Along the edge, K’Lavon Chaisson gave Will Campbell issues while Harold Landry got home appearing to wrap inside off the right side. Along the interior, Christian Barmore and Milton Williams were dominant while defensive coordinator Terrell Williams even schemed up quick, unblocked pressures for Jabrill Peppers and Carlton Davis in the secondary.
New England’s top offensive line consisted of Jared Wilson at left guard and Garrett Bradbury at center, although Ben Brown was quick to work in for both players at each spot. The competition continues.
End-of-half success: After a rocky start, Maye’s unit took the field with 1:30 on the clock at their own 25-yard line needing just a field goal to end practice. While it’s been a situation the offense has consistently struggled with throughout the summer — including an interception to Robert Spillane on Monday — the second-year quarterback marched down the field to cap the session off on a high note.
His best throw came on a seam ball to Hunter Henry just over the head of Christian Elliss. He then completed several short passes to move the offense into field goal range. The biggest note of the drive, however: no pressure.
Preseason preview: To end practice, New England’s top offense and defense (that just completed two end-of-half drives) ran sprints on one field while the scout team worked through a script on the adjacent field. It appeared to be a preview of Mike Vrabel’s plans for playing time in the preseason finale: there might not be any starters on the field on Thursday night in New York, and maybe not even backup QB Joshua Dobbs: third-string quarterback Ben Wooldridge handled the scout team work in that particular segment.
Chaisson’s rise: For the second straight practice, K’Lavon Chaisson served as New England’s top edge rusher across from Harold Landry. The 26-year-old made his opportunities count, continuing his strong summer with at least a pair of pressures working against first-round rookie tackle Will Campbell.
With Chaisson replacing Keion White with the starters, White repped with the players who are expected to suit up Thursday night to end practice.
Kicking competition: After not kicking during Monday’s practice, both Andy Borregales and Parker Romo received work on on Tuesday. With attempts ranging from between 32 to 49 yards, each kicker went a perfect 4-for-4. Borregales then received the aforementioned end-of-half field goal which he knocked home from 42 yards out. New England then scripted a similar situation for Parker Romo, who split the uprights from roughly the same range.
Despite the perfect results, rookie long snapper Julian Ashby appeared to have some struggles with snaps — including one visibly low and inside on Romo’s second attempt.
Other notes: Stefon Diggs — perhaps due to their limited depth at wide receiver — spent time with Joshua Dobbs and caught two passes from the backup. He also caught two of three passes from Drake Maye. … Mack Hollins continues to be one of Maye’s top targets in recent weeks with four passes coming his way in addition to a big completion from Dobbs. The veteran made a spectacular one-handed catch along the sideline, but the play came on a clear sack. … New England’s backup offensive line featured Vederian Lowe, Caedan Wallace, Cole Strange, Sidy Sow, and Marcus Bryant from left to right. … Milton Williams batted down a pass off Maye in addition to his pressure.
Preview
The Patriots will hold a private walkthrough on Wednesday before hitting the road for their preseason finale versus the New York Giants. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is set for 8 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video.
