FOXBORO – “Real football” started Monday when the Patriots strapped on the pads for the fifth day of training camp.
Per the NFL collective bargaining agreement, teams are not permitted to hold padded practices until Day 5 of training camp. The Patriots held their previous practices as walk-throughs or in shells, helmets and shorts. The weather didn’t let up as players carried extra weight with humid temperatures in the 80s and a real feel creeping up into the 90s and 100s. The bleachers bordering the practice fields were mostly packed for Monday’s session despite being held on a workday in climbing temperatures.
New head coach Mike Vrabel answered, “I think so,” when asked Monday morning if he’s satisfied with the foundation the team built through the first four practices before allowing full contact. Vrabel is extremely involved in these training camp sessions, taking walk-through reps with various pinnies, and his voice is typically the loudest one spread across two practice fields.
“I love what coach is instilling in us,” safety Jaylinn Hawkins said of Vrabel. “I love the culture.”
The Patriots primarily focused on the red zone on Monday in both 1-on-1 and full-team drills after starting practice with individual workouts and special teams periods.
“Things happen a lot quicker down there, tighter windows, just the speed of everything,” Vrabel said. “It just gets sped up, and so that’ll be good for us to move on to that situation as well as see how we start to practice in pads and our pad level, our fundamentals, our hands, and those types of things.”
It was a first true test for rookie left tackle Will Campbell, who got thrown to the ground by defensive end Keion White in 1-on-1 run and pass-block drill but held his own when the team came together for 11-on-11 drills. Campbell didn’t allow any sacks in a limited number of dropbacks and flashed athleticism in the running game.
The defense, overall, won the day in a physical session. Starting quarterback Drake Maye was 11-of-19 in 1-on-1 drills that usually favor the offense. He also threw two incompletions that likely would have been called back due to defensive penalties on cornerback Marcellas Dial and safety Kyle Dugger. Dial, cornerbacks D.J. James and Marcus Jones, and Hawkins broke up passes during the 1-on-1 drills. Dugger also forced a fumble after a completion to Henry.
Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte beat cornerback Christian Gonzalez on two reps, and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson broke through a hold from linebacker Marte Mapu to get open and catch a touchdown from Maye. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs dropped a pass, reaching out for a slight overthrow from Maye, with Gonzalez in coverage.
Gonzalez left practice shortly after 1-on-1 drills, suffering what appeared to be a left leg injury while covering Diggs in 11-on-11s. Gonzalez pointed to his left hamstring as he limped off of the field with trainers and wasn’t spotted again after departing for a medical shed.
The Patriots already were without starting cornerback Carlton Davis III and were down to Alex Austin, Jones and Dial as their top three corners.
In 11-on-11s, the offense went extremely run-heavy with Maye completing 5-of-6 passes, including a touchdown to Ja’Lynn Polk, who practiced for the first time this summer. Backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs went just 2-of-2, and third-string undrafted rookie Ben Wooldridge was 2-of-3.
It does appear that using the quarterback on bootleg will be a new wrinkle in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ system. The Patriots barely used bootleg during McDaniels’ previous tenures as offensive coordinator. With a more mobile quarterback in Maye, that could be a fun emphasis for the 2025 offense.
The Patriots ran 27 times during the 11-on-11 portion with eight run-stuffs by the defense. Henderson received the most carries in the run game, taking seven handoffs from Maye and Dobbs. He did fumble an exchange from Dobbs.
The defense also brought the heat up front with four would-be sacks on just 11 dropbacks. Rotational pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson came through the line twice.
“Definitely the game changes when you put pads on,” linebacker Jack Gibbens said Monday after practice. “Everything from the run fits, the pass rush, how you cover people, everything’s different. The game’s played with pads on. So these days definitely mean more.”
Maye, Dobbs and Wooldridge avoided interceptions, but the offense still had ball-security issues with Maye and rookie center Jared Wilson botching a snap and Henderson’s fumble.
Things did get chippy at one point between two rookies: cornerback Kobee Minor – this year’s Mr. Irrelevant – and undrafted receiver Jeremiah Webb. Minor kept holding Webb’s facemask after a play during 11-on-11s. The two rookies exchanged words before Minor threw and missed a punch.
Vrabel told a story before practice of getting into a fight with a tight end during his first padded practice as a rookie with the Steelers. He wasn’t glorifying it, however, and said he wouldn’t encourage his own players to get into any scraps.
The Patriots are only five practices deep under Vrabel, McDaniels and new defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, and while things have not always been perfect, this appears to be a more disciplined and well-organized operation than the past three summers. The offense was a mess under Matt Patricia and Joe Judge in 2022, the quarterback situation was dire in 2023 under Bill O’Brien, and former head coach Jerod Mayo was not ready for primetime in his first and only offseason as a head coach.
Expectations have understandably increased for the Patriots this season. It’s too early to know whether they’ll match those – their current over/under win total is 8.5 wins at +100 – but there’s a sense of normalcy around the team this summer.
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