FOXBOROUGH, Mass – After a slow day on Monday that consisted of just a walkthrough practice, the New England Patriots certainly ramped things up on Tuesday. The players took the field in shells, preparing for their first padded practice which is set for later this week.
And with that, those in attendance got their first look at the offense doing 7-on-7 drills as well as some time spent on 1-on-1s between the offensive and defensive lines.
With a higher-intensity practice comes lots more to talk about, so let's get into some takeaways:
1. Carlton Davis, Charles Woods, and Rhamondre Stevenson leave practice early
The Patriots had three players depart practice early on Tuesday. First, it was starting cornerback Carlton Davis, who left after covering A.J. Brown during the 7-on-7 session. Kindle Vildor replaced him, and then
Charles Woods. Then, when 11-on-11s began, it was Woods who was playing opposite Gonzalez, but he also left early. And lastly, there was Rhamondre Stevenson, who departed in the final minutes of practice.
2. Kayshon Boutte delivers the play of the day once again
Kayshon Boutte is unstoppable.
The wide receiver, who many thought might not even be on the roster when camp first began due to the trade rumors, has been the best player in training camp by far, delivering highlight-reel catches every single day.
And on Tuesday, he managed to outdo himself, making an impressive 45-yardish touchdown grab from Drake Maye over safety Kevin Byard.
3. Drake Maye and A.J. Brown aren't on the same page just yet
Drake Maye and A.J. Brown have only had a few weeks to work together, and it is clear the two are still learning each other's styles of play and working on their connection. On Tuesday, Maye continued to target Brown, but many of the passes were not successful, specifically with the quarterback starting 0-for-2 in team drills with two off-target throws when going to the veteran receiver.
They did get a bit better as practice continued, with Maye finding more success when targeting Brown in shorter-distance situations. He also went 1-for-2 during the 7-on-7 drills.
That deep ball will take a bit of time, and training camp is the time to try things out and see if they work. No need to freak out just yet.
4. Caleb Lomu and James Hudson III get reps with the starters
During the 11-on-11 periods, Morgan Moses subbed out for some of the reps, providing Caleb Lomu with the opportunity to slot in with the starting offensive line. However, he wasn't the only one, as the Patriots also had James Hudson III working at right tackle beside Mike Onwenu.
5. Andy Borregales suffers first miss of training camp
Andy Borregales got another six field goal attempts on Tuesday after going a perfect 6-for-6 on Sunday. And while he had five that sailed through the uprights from 33 to 50 yards, Borregales missed one from roughly 45 yards out that went wide left.
6. Cory Durden is earning his spot
With Khyiris Tonga having signed with the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason, that opened a spot for Cory Durden, who impressed last season, to take over as the starting nose tackle. And Durden has wasted no time picking up where he left off, having a nice showing on Tuesday where he recorded a pass breakup after batting down a pass at the line of scrimmage, as well as a would-be sack on DeVito.
7. Gabe Jacas and Harold Landry make an appearance
While they are not yet taking part in practice, newly signed edge rusher Gabe Jacas and veteran defender Harold Landry both made an appearance at practice. For Jacas, it was the first time he was seen on the practice fields since rookie minicamp due to his contract situation that resolved itself during the team's first training camp practice.
8. A nice day for the tight ends
When it comes to Maye, it's no secret that one of his favorite players to target is Hunter Henry, with many referring to him as a security blanket for the quarterback. And on Tuesday, Henry stepped it up, hauling in two impressive catches during the team portion of practice. The first was a nice grab by Henry over Byard in which he fell to the ground, but was able to maintain control and hold onto the ball. He made a similar play shortly after, but this time, it was with cornerback Marcus Jones in coverage.
Rookie Eli Raridon also flashed during the team periods, catching three passes from Tommy Devito, including a nice catch over safety Dell Pettus.
9. Quarterback Stats
7v7sDrake Maye: 4/7Tommy DeVito: 4/4Behren Morton: 3/3
11v11sDrake Maye: 10/13Tommy DeVito: 8/10Behren Morton: 2/4
10. Attendance
The attendance was the same as it was on Monday, with no players missing outside of the expected few on the physically unable to perform and non-football injury lists.
PUP: TE CJ Dippre, ED Harold Landry
NFI: RB Terrell Jennings, ED Gabe Jacas, S Brenden Schooler
What's Next?
The Patriots will get a day off on Wednesday after four straight days of practice, but will return on Thursday morning for the first padded practice of the summer. However, with rain in the forecast, it's possible that the practice gets moved indoors.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 10 takeaways from Day 4 of Patriots training camp
