Coming off a walkthrough on Monday, the New England Patriots turned the tempo and intensity up a notch on Tuesday. The two-hour session behind Gillette Stadium was the most competitive so far this training camp, and quite an eventful one.
To recap the action, please head over to the latest version of our Patriots training camp notebook. For who caught our eye, please keep reading.
Standout of the day
WR Kayshon Boutte: Boutte continues to make big plays on a daily basis. On Tuesday, his biggest moment came when he caught
a deep touchdown from Drake Maye during 11-on-11s. Lining up in his typical spot as an X-receiver, the fourth-year man was able to get a step on safety Kevin Byard on a go route and showed some tremendous ball tracking and concentration skills to complete the over-the-shoulder catch for a score of 40-plus yards.
It was not Boutte’s only reception on the day. He also caught a throw from Maye over the middle during 7-on-7s and added pair of catches when backup Tommy DeVito targeted him on out routes. It was an active day for a player who, through four practices, has been New England’s most impactful wide receiver.
Other performances of note
QB Drake Maye: The Patriots’ quarterback started a bit slowly and his connection with A.J. Brown remains a work in progress, but he overall had a good day — an encouraging development after struggling with accuracy during the last full-speed practice on Sunday. Maye got into a rhythm during 11-on-11s, finding Boutte on his long touchdowns and also connecting with Hunter Henry and Rhamondre Stevenson for long completions.
WR Romeo Doubs: The Maye-Brown connection is not yet where it needs to be, and the same is true for the one between the Patriots’ starting quarterback and fellow offseason addition Romeo Doubs. He continues to be part of the top receiver trio alongside Brown and DeMario Douglas, but he was targeted only once late during the session.
The tight ends: New England’s top tight end duo was heavily involved on Tuesday, with Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon on the receiving end of multiple passes. Henry hauled in two Drake Maye throws during team drills, beating Kevin Byard on a corner route and Marcus Jones on a deep out. Eli Raridon, meanwhile, started his day with a contested grab versus Dell Pettus and later added two more catches — all on passes from Tommy DeVito. Undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin, meanwhile, seemingly continues to lead the blocking tight end competition.
ED Elijah Ponder: No Harold Landry, no problem? Filling the veteran’s role with the starting defense, the second-year edge was the most notable of New England’s pass rushers on Tuesday. He finished with a would-be sack and drew a hold against Caleb Lomu. Ponder’s development at a position missing two of its supposed top three players — Landry and second-round rookie Gabe Jacas — has been a definitive positive so far.
LS Julian Ashby: The long snapper position is arguably the most anonymous in football, so whenever you hear a team’s snapper mentioned by name, chances are something went wrong. That was the case on Tuesday: Ashby delivered a low snap on one of Andy Borregales’ field goal attempts, forcing the second-year kicker to hook the kick to the left from 45 yards out. It was Borregales’ only miss on six attempts.
The Patriots will enjoy their first off-day of the summer on Wednesday before returning for their fifth practice of training camp on Thursday. Gates are scheduled to open at 9:15 p.m. ET for that session, with practice again set to start approximately an hour later.
