The New England Patriots ended their offseason program on Thursday with the third and final day of their 2026. mandatory minicamp. That led to a rather intense session, with plenty of things to take away from.
Here’s what went down on the lower practice field on a hot Foxboro day.
Attendance
Absentees: ED Gabe Jacas, ED Harold Landry III, FB/TE Jack Westover
Non-participant: OT Morgan Moses
Limited: WR Kayshon Boutte, LB Robert Spillane, CB Christian Gonzalez, CB Marcellas Dial Jr.
Edge rushers Gabe Jacas and Harold
Landry expectedly remained out on Thursday, while Jack Westover was a new absence. After being sidelined the last two days, veteran offensive tackle Morgan Moses was present but did not participate. Mike Vrabel noted the team will manage the 35-year-old’s workload throughout the offseason.
As he did on Tuesday, cornerback Christian Gonzalez participated in stretch and positional drills only. Gonzalez then sat out of competitive team drills.
“I think that’s just something that Christian and I talked about, and making sure that the most important thing is that we’re on the same page, which we are,“ Vrabel said before practice.
Joining Gonzalez as a spectator was wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. Vrabel noted earlier this week that Boutte may be limited at times, but the 24-year-old took on a heavy workload in his first practice back on Tuesday.
Additionally in the limited department, veteran Robert Spillane had his workload managed while Dial Jr. continues to work back from the torn ACL he suffered last summer.
Takeaways
Competition rises: After dialing back the intensity on Wednesday, the Patriots ramped things back up for the final day of minicamp. Still working in the red zone, it was a competitive back-and-forth showing with several big and close plays — including a pair of review-worthy end zone passes to TreVeyon Henderson and Romeo Doubs — between the offense and defense. That drew plenty of trash talk between the two sidelines.
Perhaps the top highlight from the day: Drake Maye working from right-to-left and throwing a ball up to A.J. Brown, who made an adjustment in the back left corner of the end zone to haul it in.
TD scorers: In addition to his highlight reel score, A.J. Brown was on the receiving end of the final pass of the day for another score. Maye also threw touchdowns to tight ends Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon, and dropped one in the bucket to TreVeyon Henderson on a wheel route.
Second-year wide receivers Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III both saw some reps with Maye, but their plays came on the receiving end of Tommy DeVito. Chism easily won his route from the inside to haul in an early touchdown — which was followed by quite the celebration — before Williams later made a nice adjustment himself in the back of the end zone himself. Jeremiah Webb also caught a score from DeVito, while UDFA WR’s Jimmy Kibble and Kyle Dixon found the end zone with Behren Morton’s unit also getting some competitive run for the first time.
Ending early: New England’s final practice of the spring ended roughly 20 minutes early after Drake Maye ended up on the ground with edge rusher Bradyn Swinson in his vicinity. Mike Vrabel then abruptly huddled the entire team together and broke things down to conclude the spring.
Maye made it back to his feet and went through his usual post-practice procedure throwing passes to some of his wideouts, seemingly being OK.
Defensive playmakers: The defense fought back throughout the afternoon in a strong performance, as Kevin Byard, Carlton Davis, Charles Woods, and Brandon Crossley all forced incompletions with breakups or tight coverage. Chad Muma, who wore the green dot at times, and undrafted rookie Khalil Jacobs also had pass breakups from the linebacker position.
Lomu’s versatility: Rookie Caleb Lomu continued to showcase his versatility on Thursday. With Morgan Moses a non-participant, Lomu continued to see the majority of his reps at right tackle, while also seeing some reps at left guard next to Will Campbell. Free agent addition Alijah Vera-Tucker remained the starting left guard and again took competitive team reps as he works his way back from injury.
Other notes:
- While it was largely a strong day for Drake Maye, backups Tommy DeVito and Behren Morton struggled after solid starts. DeVito’s last four passes were incomplete while Morton’s final three hit the turf.
- With Jack Westover sidelined, C.J. Dippre and Eli Raridon saw more time with the top unit. UDFA Tanner Arkin also hauled in a touchdown from DeVito.
- Along the backup offensive line, Caleb Lomu (left) and Marcus Bryant (right) served as the top tackle with Andrew Rupcich, Ben Brown, and Caedan Wallace manning the interior. Mehki Butler also got some elevated run at left guard at times.
- Leonard Taylor III continued to have a strong spring with another batted pass — the third deflection we have seen in five open practices.
