Patriots Minicamp Observations: Everything We Saw On Day 2
FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots held their second mandatory minicamp practice Tuesday outside Gillette Stadium. Here’s everything we observed while watching the non-padded session:
ATTIRE
Helmets and shorts.
ATTENDANCE
We got our first glimpse Tuesday of Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown, who practiced in front of reporters for the first time this offseason.
But Brown, whose arrival at minicamp reportedly was delayed by a hail storm, didn’t do much in his spring debut. He exited the main field shortly after warmups and spent most of practice doing conditioning work.
There still was no sign of wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton, who remained sidelined by injuries. Smith-Schuster has yet to practice with media present since joining the Patriots in March, with head coach Bill Belichick calling him “day to day” on Monday. Thornton hasn’t been spotted since the first open OTA. Rookie wideout Kayshon Boutte also missed his second straight minicamp practice.
Defensively, the Patriots were without second-round draft pick Keion White, who was evaluated by team trainers during Monday’s practice.
Also absent Tuesday:
G Mike Onwenu
DL Lawrence Guy
CB Quandre Mosely
DL Justus Tavai
Guy’s absence from minicamp reportedly is believed to be contract-related. Belichick wouldn’t comment on the former team captain’s situation Tuesday morning.
Tavai just re-signed with the Patriots on Monday. It’s unclear why he was not at practice.
QB REPORT
In most practices reporters have watched in OTAs and minicamp, Mac Jones has looked like the clear and obvious starting quarterback, with Bailey Zappe second on the depth chart and Trent McSorley third.
That delineation wasn’t as apparent Tuesday.
Jones again took first reps in each drill, but he and Zappe each got one round with the first-team offense and one with the second team during 11-on-11s. The order went like this:
Jones with starters
Zappe with backups
Zappe with starters
McSorley with backups
Jones with backups*
*For most of that fifth period, Jones was working with top receivers DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne but with the reserve O-line and backup tight ends.
Jones’ initial series in 11-on-11s was a rough one for the offense. The first two plays were a blown-up screen and a throwaway. Then, after a short completion to Parker, Christian Barmore batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage. Jones then completed back-to-back passes to Rhamondre Stevenson before finishing with an incompletion on an out route by Hunter Henry with Jabrill Peppers in tight coverage.
Zappe went 5-for-5 with a sack during his turn with the starters, but all of his completions (two to Mike Gesicki, one to Henry, one to Stevenson, one to Kevin Harris) were within a few yards on the line of scrimmage.
In their rounds with reserves, Jones went 6-for-6 and Zappe went 3-for-6 with pass breakups by Joshuah Bledsoe and Christian Gonzalez.
Earlier, in 7-on-7s, Jones went 9-for-12 and exclusively worked with the top offense. He connected with Gesicki, Henry and Parker on contested deep balls but had one heave to Henry intercepted by cornerback Jack Jones, who ranged over to undercut the tight end’s vertical route. Zappe was 6-for-11s in 7s and repped with the backups.
During many of Zappe’s periods, Jones stood away from the rest of his teammates or sat alone on a sideline bench.
Zappe also got one round of 11-on-11 work with the offensive regulars Monday, but Jones didn’t see any reps with the twos in that practice. Whether Tuesday’s rep distribution was a sign of a budding QB competition or a temporary result of a strong day for New England’s defense remains to be seen, but Zappe’s chances of challenging Jones might be stronger than they appeared a month ago.
McSorley went 4-for-6 in 7-on-7s and 3-for-5 in 11-on-11s.
ASSORTED OBSERVATIONS
— On Monday, cornerback Jonathan Jones took reps in the slot for the first time this spring. On Tuesday, he saw some action at safety in 7-on-7s. He, Christian Gonzalez and Jack Jones also have been New England’s top three options at outside cornerback, with Marcus Jones also rotating in with that trio.
The versatile veteran has prior experience at all three spots, so it’ll be interesting to see where the Patriots plan to deploy him this season. Jabrill Peppers and Matthew Judon both noted after practice how New England boasts a rare number of multipositional defenders, which should make its defense especially unpredictable this season.
— With Brown still not back in the mix, the Patriots trotted out Conor McDermott and Calvin Anderson as their starters at right and left tackle, respectively. Riley Reiff, who’s been their top-choice right tackle for much of the spring, slotted in at left tackle on the second O-line opposite rookie Sidy Sow.
Fourth-round pick Jake Andrews took first-team reps at right guard, which will be Onwenu’s spot once he returns from offseason ankle surgery. Andrews is visibly undersized for that position. Bill Murray and Atonio Mafi also have played there with the top unit this spring.
— Parker’s contested touchdown catch over Jonathan Jones in 7-on-7s was the play of the day for the offense. Jack Jones’ deep-ball interception was the flashiest defensive highlight, though New England’s D-line and linebackers also created a fair bit of disruption up front.
It’s been a strong spring overall for Jack Jones, who also had two pass breakups on Day 1 of OTAs. He’s responded well since returning from the team-imposed suspension that ended his rookie season.
— A Bourne drop resulted in a Marcus Jones interception during an 11-on-11 period that might not have been fully competitive. Bledsoe registered two pass breakups, and Gonzalez, Barmore and Marte Mapu logged one apiece.
Mapu, a linebacker/safety hybrid, has been one of New England’s defensive standouts of late. He’s broken up at least one pass in each of the last three practices.
— There was a heavy special teams emphasis in Tuesday’s practice, with several periods dedicated to punts and kickoffs.
Myles Bryant, Marcus Jones and rookies Ed Lee and Demario Douglas all took reps at punt returner. Seventh-round pick Isaiah Bolden and Lee got looks on kick returns.
Two under-the-radar roster battles to watch in training camp will be the ones between kickers Nick Folk and Chad Ryland and punters Corliss Waitman and Bryce Baringer. Ryland and Baringer — fourth- and sixth-round picks in this year’s draft, respectively — are the favorites to earn those spots, and both have looked good so far.
Performance in training camp and preseason games will be crucial for both rookies, though. Belichick said Tuesday morning that he would consider keeping two kickers if need be.
— Add a new name to the list of ex-Patriots who have returned to watch practice this spring. Julian Edelman was on hand Tuesday, watching from the sideline in jeans and a Red Sox cap.
Patriots alums LeGarrette Blount and Aaron Dobson attended their third straight practice as part of the Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship.
— OTA and minicamp practices generally are closed to the public, but the Patriots invited a select group of fans to watch Tuesday’s session. Several players, including Mac Jones and Zappe, took time afterward to greet the lucky spectators and sign autographs.
Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe both took time to sign some autographs for Patriots fans after today's practice pic.twitter.com/AH87JA6Kyo — Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) June 13, 2023
UP NEXT
The Patriots are scheduled to close out their three-day minicamp with one final practice Wednesday morning. After that, players will be off until they reconvene for training camp in late July.
Source: NESN
