FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The Eagles have arrived.
The New England Patriots hosted the Philadelphia Eagles for their first of two joint practices on Wednesday, providing both the offense and defense with a new opportunity. And it was an opportunity both sides did not take lightly, as the Patriots had numerous successful drives, many of which were led by Drake Maye.
As head coach Mike Vrabel said before practice, it's a good measuring stick for the team to see where they stack up.
“I think they’ll be a good way to gauge that. Yes, I think that this is intentional,“ Vrabel said. ”This is a very good football team. It has been for quite some time.“
Here are the takeaways from Day 19 of Patriots training camp:
1. The AJ Brown-Drake Maye connection heats up
It was an impressive day for A.J. Brown, who caught
four passes from Drake Maye. But one of his best, which was also a highlight-reel moment, was when the receiver managed an over-the-shoulder catch along the right sideline on a long pass from Maye that would have resulted in at least a 20-yard gain.
His only miss of the day came during the one-on-ones, in which Brown went up against cornerback Quinyon Mitchell for his only rep. While he had a foot on the defender, he wasn't able to bring the ball in for the catch.
"Q got away with a little holding,” Brown told reporters with a laugh. “I just have to finish the play. My right hand didn’t get to the ball quick enough. My left hand got on the ball. That’s on me.”
2. One minor fight
The only time tensions rose a bit too high between the two teams came during a live field goal unit. Eagles’ defensive lineman Jalen Carter was right in the center of the action. Still, head coach Mike Vrabel immediately jumped in, breaking things up quickly before it could progress any further.
3. Highlights from 1-on-1s
The Patriots held a few different one-on-one drills, with some occurring between the receivers and defensive backs while others were between the offensive and defensive lines.
For the Patriots' offensive line, Mike Onwenu had two impressive wins, one of which came against Eagles star defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Jared Wilson also won both of his reps, while Will Campbell and Caleb Lomu each won one and lost one. Lomu's win came over A.J. Epenesa. As for the defensive line, Gabe Jacas split his reps, having a nice win over guard Myles Hilton. Milton Williams had a nice win over guard Landon Dickerson.
Switching over to the receivers, Brown took only the one rep he couldn't bring in. But the other receivers had success. DeMario Douglas proved to be a menace, beating star defensive back Cooper DeJean on three reps. Kyle Williams used his speed and impressive release package to get behind on each of his reps, winning all three.
4. More turnovers
The Patriots had five turnovers on defense during the first day of joint practice, with Craig Woodson recording two, followed by Marcus Jones, John Saunders Jr., and Kindle Vildor all adding one of their own.
Saunders has been having an impressive few weeks, and also recorded two picks against the Colts.
"I'm excited to continue to watch him grow and make plays," safety Kevin Byard III said.
5. Success in the two-minute drill on both sides of the ball and a solid performance by Andy Borregales
As has been a theme to end practice all summer, the Patriots wrapped things up with some two-minute situational sessions. Maye went first against the Eagles' top defense. His first pass was to Romeo Doubs, but the veteran receiver dropped the pass. Then, he hit DeMario Douglas for a first down, followed by a pass broken up by Eagles linebacker Zack Baun.
Maye then had another first-down completion to Mack Hollins, followed by an incomplete pass, and then the quarterback kept the ball and scrambled out of bounds. With the clock stopped at 18 seconds, Maye hit Hunter Henry, but the catch occurred in bounds, forcing the special teams unit to rush onto the field. Borregales kicked the 52-yard field goal with one second left on the clock.
When it was DeVito's turn, he struggled, having a few incompletions, but also completed passes to Efton Chism and Hollins. Borregales came out for a long field goal attempt and made it from 57 yards.
As for the defense, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was sacked three times to start the drill by Craig Woodson, Kevin Byard, and Christian Barmore. That brought up fourth down, but he was able to complete a pass to Darius Cooper for the first down. Philadelphia was then flagged for a false start.
Hurts followed that up with two completions to Dontayvion Wicks, and then Hurts spiked the ball. With 11 seconds remaining and on fourth down, Hurts targeted Wicks again, and while it was complete, he was stopped inbounds with the clock running out. Then, when it was Tanner McKee's turn, his drive was stopped by cornerback Kindle Vildor, who recorded the interception.
6. Here's how Drake Maye did and other QB stats
Drake Maye was on fire during the first day of joint practice, completing his first 13 passes with no incompletions across four periods. His completions were to players including A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, and Kayshon Boutte. His first drop of the day came during the two-minute drill, in which Romeo Doubs dropped a first-down pass from Maye.
Drake Maye: 16/19 in 11s, 4/6 in 7s
Tommy DeVito: 11/19 INT in 11s, 4/5 in 7s
Behren Morton: 2/3 in 11s, 4/4 in 7s
7. Attendance
Absent: CB Christian Gonzalez, ED Xavier Holmes, OL Ben Brown
Limited: OG Greg Van Roten
Returned: LB Chad Muma, WR Kyle Dixon
PUP/NFI: ED Harold Landry III, S Brenden Schooler
“They’re here. They’re rehabbing. They’re working through the return to play,“ Vrabel said before practice of Schooler and Landry. ”Where they are for Week 1, they won’t be out there today, so that’s the only update I can give you. They won’t play in the game this week, and I think they’re just continuing to work to try to get there. When they get there, obviously they’ll be there.“
8. Other notes
- Rookie linebacker Namdi Obiazor spent some time with the first-team defense.
- Romeo Doubs had another Randy Moss-esque catch, jumping up and making a nice catch over Quinyon Mitchell for the deep ball completion from Drake Maye.
- CB Channing Canada departed practice early, seen walking off with a member of the training staff.
- Will Campbell and Alijah Vera-Tucker did a nice job of opening up some lanes on the left side, which allowed for some improvement in the run game.
- RB Hassan Haskins had a fumble during one of the team periods
- Andy Borregales made four of his five field goal attempts during the live period, with his longest coming from 52 yards. Then, during the two minute situational periods to end the practice, Borregales made both of the attemps after Maye and DeVito got them within range. Borregales put it through the uprights from distances of 52 and 57 yards.
What's next?
The Patriots will return to the practice field on Thursday, Aug. 20, for the second day of joint practice with the Eagles. The expectation is for a bigger red zone focus. The session is set to begin at 10:15 a.m. ET.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 8 takeaways from Day 1 of Patriots joint practice with Eagles
