As much as a couple of football practices can be considered must-see entertainment, the two sessions between the Patriots and Eagles this week behind Gillette Stadium were box office. Drake Maye and A.J. Brown on one side, Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley on the other. Big plays by big stars brought lots of attention to players who carry major national recognition.
A football team, though, requires a whole lot more than a few stars. And with that in mind, Patriots insider Phil Perry decided to share his list of young New England players whose stock is on the rise after these sessions as well as those whose stock took a hit at joint practices on the Next Pats Podcast.
“We just talked so much about Drake Maye, A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Marcus Jones and Craig Woodson and those guys on the Patriots Talk Podcast that I think it’s a good time to just kind of focus in on these first, second-year guys that maybe we haven’t talked as much about and determine how are those guys doing,” Perry said.
Perry compiled the list after joint practices on Thursday and — obviously — before the preseason game on Saturday. We’ll include Perry’s reasoning for each player, as well as an update on how each player performed in the preseason game vs. the Eagles.
Stock Down – OT Caleb Lomu, OT Marcus Bryant
“I think in terms of what Caleb Lomu showed over the course of two days of practice, I would go stock down,” Perry said, noting that Lomu was at right tackle for one of Maye’s interceptions on the practice field. “[Lomu] got turned around basically right off the snap, to the point where he was showing his back to the defense and trying to figure out where to go to keep people off Drake Maye.”
Perry also marked Lomu down for a loss against Zach Baun in one-on-one drills, while noting that Marcus Bryant also endured some struggles against the Eagles in practice.
“I’m not sure either guy, based on these two practices that we just watched, is ‘ready’ for that kind of role,” Perry said of the team’s primary swing tackle job. “So, what the Patriots do with their second unit offensive line and what they would do in case of an injury, I’m just not sure at this point. So, I would put Lomu and Marcus Bryant after these two Eagles practices in the stock down.”
How Caleb Lomu performed in preseason game vs. Eagles: Lomu started at left tackle, and while he held his own on many snaps, he also gave up a sack before halftime.
Lomu ended up playing deep into the fourth quarter, as head coach Mike Vrabel clearly wanted to give the rookie a lot of playing time.
How Marcus Bryant performed in preseason game vs. Eagles: Bryant was injured on the Patriots’ first drive of the game when a defender fell on his ankle at the end of a short run. He required help to get off the field and was ruled out of returning shortly thereafter.
Stock Down – RB TreVeyon Henderson
“Very quiet couple of days,” Perry said of Henderson. “Whereas a year ago at this time, I can remember him making explosive plays really all over the field — pass game, run game in Minnesota against the Vikings. He just hasn’t stood out. And even the reps that he’s getting, they’re just far less than what Rhamondre Stevenson sees.”
Perry added that “there is no question” that Stevenson is their top running back “really in any situation.”
“You just don’t get those explosive pops that you got a year ago, whether it was regular season or preseason,” Perry added on Henderson. “So, still waiting for a little more in the way of consistency and even the occasional explosive play from TreVeyon Henderson.”
How Henderson performed in preseason game vs. Eagles: As expected, Henderson did not play.
Stock Up – EDGE Gabe Jacas
Perry reported that Jacas had a decent first day against the Eagles but was noticeably better on Day 2.
“Had a pass breakup right at the line of scrimmage on Jalen Hurts, saw him get some first-team reps, saw him come up with a pressure as well in team period,” Perry said. “So I thought Gabe Jacas really had a nice day for himself.”
Perry added: “They’re gonna need him to have a bunch of nice days.”
How Jacas performed in preseason game vs. Eagles: Jacas had a bit of an up-and-down first half vs. Philadelphia, as he was flagged for roughing the passer, negating an interception by Kindle Vildor. He pressured QB Andy Dalton two snaps later, forcing a quick incompletion, and also applied pressure on Dalton on a boot to his side earlier in the first half. Jacas continued to play well into the third quarter, and Vrabel was asked about Jacas after the 24-21 win.
“I think just still inconsistent,” Vrabel said of Jacas. “I think that the effort is certainly there. The willingness. He’s a very coachable player. We’re just putting a lot on him right now as far as special teams and covering kicks and the plan on kick return. We have to be able to see what he can do, or maybe what we feel like we can count on when the regular season comes. And I think he’ll just continue to improve because he has that type of attitude and he’s willing. And I know he’ll get back to work real quick.”
Stock Up – EDGE Elijah Ponder
“I thought it was his best practice of the summer,” Perry said of Ponder’s second day vs. the Eagles. “I had him down for two sacks today. He had multiple plays where he’s chasing a scrambling Jalen Hurts from behind. There was one play I thought he actually flushed Jalen Hurts out of the pocket. Would he have had a sack if it were live initially? Maybe. But the play continued on because Hurts extended it. [Ponder] didn’t stop chasing after the guy, and so he basically chased down Jalen Hurts twice on one play. And I just thought that spoke to the effort that he does give. Even though if he’s not the most gifted guy when it comes to his size — he’s a little undersized — he is a great athlete and he gives great effort. And I think that’s going to be a staple of what you see from the three edge guys that the Patriots do have.”
Perry added that Ponder ended up in coverage down the field and broke up a pass.
“I don’t know what kind of coverage would cause a linebacker and D-end to be the guys responsible for one of the fastest receivers on the other team’s offense [Hollywood Brown], but that’s how it looked to me. And just, again, a play that featured his athleticism.”
How Ponder performed in preseason game vs. Eagles: Just like last week, Ponder did not play.
Stock Up – C Jared Wilson
“I thought Jared Wilson had a really good practice on Day 1, where he won both of his reps against Jordan Davis. That is no easy task,” Perry said. “And then I saw him win at least one more rep against Jordan Davis [on Day 2]. I had him down as 2-0. I know there are others who maybe kind of look at that second one as a draw, but I I would say he was 2-0 in one-on-ones both days of practice and against this interior. … That, to me, is highly, highly impressive.”
Perry added that while Mike Onwenu might have aged out of this exercise, the 28-year-old guard has been “fantastic” in one-on-ones this summer. Fellow linemen Alijah Vera-Tucker and Will Campbell had more up-and-down times in their one-on-ones.
“[Campbell]split his reps and was competitive. So, that’s about what I would expect from Will Campbell, who I thought was basically a league-average tackle last year,” Perry said. “If he could be slightly better than that in Year 2, I think that’s a win and that makes last year’s top-five pick still worthwhile.”
How Wilson performed in preseason game vs. Eagles: Wilson, like the rest of the starting offensive line, did not play.
