Five days into training camp, the New England Patriots decided to up the intensity. The introduction of full pads brought an increase in physicality and competition.
To recap what was a rainy session on the Gillette Stadium practice fields, please make sure to head over to our Patriots training camp notebook. In the meantime, let’s take a look at who caught our eye on Thursday.
Standout of the day
WR Kyle Williams: He had a relatively quiet start to his second NFL training camp, but Kyle Williams managed to take his game
up a notch in the first full-pads session of the summer. The 2025 third-round draft pick ran with the second-stringers, but the fact that he produced a pair of highlight-reel grabs speaks for itself: he had a very good session and seemingly has started building some momentum.
His first big play came against Kobee Minor, who he beat off the line of scrimmage and later overpowered at the catch point for a touchdown. Later, Williams got the better of Minor as well when he finished a one-handed back-shoulder fade by getting his knee down before going out.
“I just show up every day just ready to take advantage of the opportunities given to me,” Williams said earlier this week. On Thursday, he very much did just that.
Other performances of note
WR A.J. Brown: Brown’s first few practices with the Patriots were not particularly noteworthy. Thursday’s was different. His battles with Christian Gonzalez had high entertainment value, while he himself hauled in four catches on five targets from Drake Maye.
The other starting WRs: While Brown had a breakout performance of sorts, the three other starter-level wide receivers were quiet on Thursday. DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and Romeo Doubs combined for just one catch, a short throw from Drake Maye to Doubs in the low red zone. Douglas and Boutte, meanwhile, both went without a single target in team drills.
WR Efton Chism III: While he continues to see most of his reps with the second-stringers, Efton Chism joined fellow sophomore Kyle Williams among the top performers. The former UDFA was one of the top performers in 1-on-1s and later also caught an impressive leaping touchdown over Mike Brown on a pass from Tommy DeVito. The battle for the final roster spots at receiver is starting to heat up.
DT Eric Gregory: The Patriots defensive line got its first taste of full-contact work on Thursday, and Eric Gregory made the most of it. The second-year defender won both of his 1-on-1s against Ben Brown, as charted by Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, and later also saw some opportunities with the starting defense. All in all, a good day for heaviest D-tackle on New England’s roster.
The linebackers: Thursday was a mixed bag for the Patriots’ linebackers. Led by starting duo Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss, the group was very active in run support and found itself operating in the backfield on multiple occasions. Pass coverage was a different story, though, as the quarterbacks successfully targeted the position throughout the day.
CB Christian Gonzalez: Talk about iron sharpening iron because the first round of the full-pads Christian Gonzalez-A.J. Brown battle lived up to the hype. Gonzalez broke up one pass intended for Brown in 1-on-1s and later also had a pair of breakups versus Kayshon Boutte. He was beaten once by Brown on a fade in the offensive left-hand corner of the end zone, but that play was exemplary for the 24-year-old’s performance on Thursday: it needed a perfect throw and catch to beat him.
Other players worth mentioning include Tanner Arkin, who continues to look like New England’s best blocking tight end. Furthermore, Cameron Dorner had in an impressive touchdown catch, Will Campbell won both of his 1-on-1s against Dre’Mont Jones and Bradyn Swinson, and the connection between Jared Wilson and Drake Maye produced a second bad center-quarterback exchange in five practices.
The Patriots will hold their sixth practice of training camp on Friday. Gates are scheduled to open at 9:15 p.m. ET for that session, with practice again set to start approximately an hour later.
