The New England Patriots’ first preseason game is in the books, but training camp rolls on. On Saturday, the team of head coach Mike Vrabel returned to the fields behind Gillette Stadium for a ticketed practice for yet another full-pads session.
To recap the action, please head over to our Patriots training camp notebook. In the meantime, here is who caught our eyes for better or worse.
Standout of the day
WR Romeo Doubs: The arrow continues pointing up for the Patriots’ free agency investment, and Saturday might have
been his best practice to date. Doubs’ chemistry with quarterback Drake Maye continues to develop nicely, and the pair connected for three touchdowns during the session, including twice in 11-on-11 work.
His most impressive grab came in the left-hand back corner of the end zone. Doing his best Randy Moss impression, Doubs out-jumped cornerback Charles Woods to come away with the contested catch. His ability to win 50-50 balls like this could be an asset for the Patriots this year, and the team and its quarterback should feel very good about his progression over the last few practices.
Other performances of note
QB Drake Maye: Primarily operating in the low red zone, Maye had a productive day. He wasn’t perfect by any means, completing 10 of 16 passes with a pair of would-be sacks in full-team work, but he spread the ball around well and found the end zone on multiple occasions. His connection with Romeo Doubs stands out, but he also showed tremendous trust in Kayshon Boutte on a 40ish-yard deep ball. All in all, a good day for New England’s QB1.
WR Mack Hollins: Coming off a preseason opener that was ag mixed bag, in part due to quarterback play, Hollins had a solid practice hauling in two touchdowns from Drake Maye. Both plays were nearly identical and saw the big-bodied wideout high-point a play-action throw perfectly over the middle of the field. While not challenging for a regular starting spot in a crowded receiver room, Saturday served as a reminder that his size and physicality at the catch point can be tough to defend.
ED Gabe Jacas: While it is clear that he has plenty to work on, the Patriots continue showing trust in Jacas by putting him in high-quality practice situations. On Saturday, the second-round rookie saw his first reps with the starters in an 11-on-11 setting. Replacing Dre’Mont Jones, who left the session early, he registered a run stuff against Will Campbell on his first snap and later also registered a pressure against Drake Maye that could have been a sack in live action.
CB Carlton Davis III and CB Charles Woods: Carlton Davis and Charles Woods being on the field after recently missing time due to injury was good. Their performance, on the other hand, was not. Davis looked rusty at times and gave up three catches in team work, including touchdowns to Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins as well as the aforementioned deep ball to Kayshon Boutte. Woods, on the other hand, was beaten twice for touchdowns by Doubs.
K Andy Borregales: After going just 2-for-5 in the preseason opener, Borregales had a perfect day on Saturday. He split the uprights, which were narrower than normal NFL goal posts, on all six of his attempts. Maybe his mental toughness had something to do with this, maybe Julian Ashby’s return to the long snapper spot did. Regardless, the second-year kicker bounced back well from Thursday’s debacle.
Other players worth highlighting include Kayshon Boutte, whose twisted deep grab was one of the plays of camp so far. On the flip-side, DeMario Douglas had a quiet day while Karon Prunty surrendered a pair of touchdowns. Meanwhile, Jacob Rizy is the new backup center with Ben Brown out for multiple weeks and Andrew Rupcich sent to season-ending injured reserve.
The Patriots will be back on Sunday for a walkthrough that will not be open to the general public. As always, though, Pats Pulpit will have you covered and bring you updates straight from Foxborough.
