The New England Patriots took the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Tuesday for one final time before their upcoming preseason finale. They did refrain from going full-pads, but the competition level was still high in helmets and shoulder pads.
Please click here for a recap of Tuesday’s practice. In addition, here is who caught our eye for better or worse.
Standout of the day
DT Christian Barmore and DT Milton Williams: New England’s interior defensive line duo was on fire on Tuesday, looking every bit like the
disruptive force the Patriots were hoping to get when they added Williams to the mix this offseason. The high-priced free agency pickup found himself in the backfield on one occasion and also showed some outstanding chemistry with his teammate on a couple of line games. Barmore, meanwhile, had a hand in two would-be sacks and appears to be hitting his stride after the team limited his workload — something he referred to as a “big challenge” — early in training camp.
Other performances of note
Pass protection: The success Christian Barmore and Milton Williams enjoyed came at the expense of quarterback Drake Maye, with the offensive line serving as an intermediary of sorts: the unit had a rough time blocking the duo, and other defenders, throughout the day. In general, pass protection continues to be a concern for the Patriots. While rookie tackle Will Campbell looked OK on Tuesday, the rest of the group had a hard time keeping the QB clean. It’s clear the coaching staff is not happy with what it is seeing either, or else it wouldn’t keep inserting Ben Brown into the mix at both left guard and center.
ED Keion White: White looked like the Patriots’ most disruptive pass rusher early on in training camp, but he has cooled down significantly over the last few sessions. On Tuesday, he repped exclusively with the second-team defense, having lost his starting spot opposite Harold Landry to K’Lavon Chaisson. While that change might be temporary or a means of preserving the third-year man heading into the regular season, New England’s coaching staff has been quite transparent with its personnel choices this summer.
LB Robert Spillane: One day after registering a pair of interceptions against Drake Maye, the Patriots’ No. 1 linebacker added two sacks to his tally. The free agency addition continues to be poised for a high-volume role at the heart of New England’s defense, and is starting to build some momentum again coming off an uneven set of joint practices in Minnesota last week.
S Jabrill Peppers: The Patriots’ No. 1 safety, Peppers also got involved as a pass rusher on Tuesday: he found home for at least one sack on the day and might have had a second as well (although there was no consensus whether he deserved primary credit on that particular play). With defensive coordinator Terrell Williams willing to utilize safety and corner blitzes as a tool far more prominently than his predecessors, the veteran adding to his sack total as a Patriot — which stands at 1.0 in three seasons — seems like a fairly safe bet.
K Andy Borregales and K Parker Romo: New England’s kicking competition continues to be a highly-contested affair. Borregales and Romo both went 4-for-4 on Tuesday, with neither giving the other much of an opening to build a lead in the race. From our point of view, this battle is a true coin flip that could go either way; both contestants are deserving of a spot on the roster, and the upcoming game against the New York Giants will be a big one for both.
Other players worth pointing out are Hunter Henry and Mack Hollins, who both were actively involved on the offensive side of the ball. The same is true for Stefon Diggs, although the veteran interestingly enough also saw reps with Joshua Dobbs and the second-stringers. Long snapper Julian Ashby seemed to have some less-than-perfect snaps, but he was bailed out by some good holding and kicking.
The Patriots will hold their traditional pre-game walkthrough on Wednesday and then travel to East Rutherford for their preseason finale the next day.
