The New England Patriots held their second training camp practice of the summer on Sunday morning. Attendance was again good, the weather was nice, and the action was plentiful.
If you want to recap it, please make sure to check out our daily practice recap. In the meantime, here are the players that caught our eye for better or worse.
Standout of the day
The pass defense: We couldn’t just name one player from the Patriots’ pass defense today because the unit as a whole performed at a high level. Whether it was Christian
Gonzalez and Carlton Davis providing tight coverage throughout the day and both breaking up passes, John Saunders Jr. registering a PBU on a deep attempt from Behren Morten, or Milton Williams getting his hands up to bat a Drake Maye attempt incomplete at the line of scrimmage, the unit came to play on Sunday.
It’s most notable moment, however, was the first interception of the summer. Drake Maye attempted to hit A.J. Brown on a deep crossing route, but threw a bit too high, which led to the wide receiver simply tipping the pass. The deflection landed right in the waiting arms of Craig Woodson for the pick.
Woodson, like the rest of the Patriots’ secondary, was around the ball quite a bit during the session. It’s early, of course, but this defensive backfield is going to be fun to watch this season.
Other performances of note
QB Behren Morton: Entering training camp, the Patriots’ pecking order at quarterback appeared set in stone. And while that still looks to be the case after two practices, Morton is performing quite well as the third-stringer. On Sunday, he completed five of his six passes in team drills — the lone incompletion being the deep ball mentioned above — and was confident operating the unit and showed some creativity in the pocket.
WR Nick DeGennaro: Working with the third-string unit, DeGennaro had an active day in team drills. The undrafted free agent finished the session with multiple receptions from the aforementioned Behren Morton, and looked like the most reliable target in the young QB’s arsenal. He’s still a long way from pushing for a roster spot, but he did perform well on Sunday.
TE Tanner Arkin: The Patriots added Arkin as a rookie free agent after the draft, and just three months later he is getting reps with the first-team offense. He saw action as a blocking tight end, and not just that: with Reggie Gilliam a surprise absentee, Arkin also lined up as a fullback. In addition, he practiced some long-snapping alongside Julian Ashby. While the full-pads sessions will show just how good his chanced of making the roster ultimately are, Sunday appeared to be a step in the right direction for the 23-year-old.
K Andy Borregales: After not seeing any action on Saturday, the Patriots’ sophomore attempted six kicks during a field goal period. Working from a distance between roughly 30 and 50 yards, Borregales split the uprights on all six of them and looked mightily comfortable in the process.
The Patriots will hold their third practice of training camp on Monday. Gates will open at 9:15 p.m. ET with the session set to start approximately an hour later.
