11 Players that stood out on day 6 of Patriots training camp
Patriots training camp continued with day 6, day 2 of full pads, on Tuesday in Foxboro. Here are 11 players that stood out on the practice field, for both good and/or bad reasons.
FOXBORO — Another day in full pads, another struggle for Drake Maye and the backups on offense.
There are often two ways to look at a play in NFL football. Was it the defense making a play, or the offense being poorly executed? There was a little of both during the Patriots’ sixth practice of 2024 training camp, but when Maye took the field with the No. 2 offensive line and mainly backup receivers, that’s when the Pats’ offensive struggles were amplified.
That being said, there’s a silver lining to every dark cloud, and for this team, it’s that the projected starting offense with Jacoby Brissett continues to make some plays. Although, it also wasn’t a perfect day for them, either; at one point, Brissett and the O-line appeared to mess up their alignment coming out of the huddle, prompting an outburst from Brissett and a penalty lap around the field for the entire offense.
MORE: Matthew Judon contract situation takes a tumultuous turn
With that in mind, here are 11 non-quarterback players that stood out on day 6 of Patriots training camp, for one reason or another, some good, some bad…
WR DeMario Douglas
“Pop” Douglas stood out in this practice because he finally got to rep in team drills. The second-year slot receiver practiced in a red non-contact jersey, so he’s still somewhat limited physically as he works his way back from a hand injury. But the Patriots have yet to do live tackling in competitive drills, so Douglas was able to get out there and rep with the rest of the team like normal.
Douglas made one catch in 7-on-7 on Tuesday, on a nice ball from Maye, while regularly getting work in individual drills and side sessions with the quarterbacks as well. He told reporters this week that he’s “good” in his recovery from the hand injury. It appears the team still wants to gradually ramp up the physicality with him.
Douglas figures to be a key piece of the Pats’ new offense under Alex Van Pelt, after an impressive showing when he got on the field as a rookie. There have been a lot of quick passes over the middle in team drills, and tons of play-action, so if and when Douglas lines up as the Pats’ primary slot target, he should have plenty of opportunities to get open.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
The veteran stood out in a bad way on Tuesday. He had the most egregious drop of practice, as he got wide open on an out route to the left sideline but bobbled the ball out of his hands. He later caught a pass from rookie Joe Milton III in 11-on-11, but there’s more weight to the drop with the starters than the catch with the third-stringers.
Smith-Schuster may be on the books for $6.5 million this season, but from a pure football standpoint, he’s not performing well enough in camp to justify a roster spot right now.
TE Hunter Henry
Henry and Brissett connected for the best passing play of the day in 11-on-11. Working out of the red zone for the first time all camp, Brissett threaded the needle to Henry over the shoulder of safety Joshuah Bledsoe for a “touchdown.” That got the whole offense fired up for a celebration as if it had happened in a game.
Don’t forget about Henry. He may yet be the Patriots’ most consistently reliable pass-catcher, considering the uncertainty at wide receiver. He sure looks like he can still be a red zone threat, based on Tuesday.
TE Mitchell Wilcox
Wilcox appears to be in the lead for the third tight end spot behind Henry and Austin Hooper. He’s known mainly for his blocking, which the Pats are surely going to need for their zone-based running game, but he also made two catches in 11-on-11, one each from Brissett and Maye. He also had one target broken up by linebacker Christian Elliss, but overall, a solid day for Wilcox.
RB Kevin Harris
Harris stood out in the worst possible way on Tuesday. He and Maye botched a handoff during one 11-on-11 drill, which cornerback Marco Wilson recovered for what could’ve been a scoop & score in a real game. From our vantage point, Harris had the handoff in his hands alone and simply dropped it to the turf. A tough moment for the third-year back, who is competing for snaps with Antonio Gibson, and possibly for a roster spot with JaMycal Hasty, Deshaun Fenwick, and Terrell Jennings.
OL Atonio Mafi
Mafi has been repping as the No. 2 center with Maye, and his snaps have been all over the place. He continued to spray the ball all over the field, which appears to be messing with Maye’s timing in team drills.
The rookie could certainly handle the adversity better, but it’s hard to gauge his actual progress when guys around him aren’t executing. Mafi is (pardon the pun) at the center of those issues right now.
DT Davon Godchaux
Credit Godchaux with a sack and two total pressures on the interior during 11-on-11, which came against the starting offensive line. It’s possible he’s made progress on his contract with the Patriots, after his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, attended practice on Monday.
Godchaux is back to practicing in full, and, especially if the Patriots are going to be without Christian Barmore for extended time, they’re really going to need him.
DE Keion White
White disrupted things off the edge against both the run and the pass in 11-on-11, and also dominated his 1-on-1 reps in Tuesday’s practice, according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald.
The Pats defensive front is taking a serious hit this summer, with Barmore out indefinitely and Matthew Judon off the reservation with his contract situation. So, it would be a fantastic development for White to emerge as a game-changer.
DE Oshane Ximines
We credited Ximines with one sack and two total pressures in 11-on-11 on Tuesday, and he also held the edge well on one running play against the starting O-line. Entering his sixth NFL season, Ximines has an opportunity to carve out a role in his first year in New England.
CB Shaun Wade
Wade made one of the best secondary plays of the day, with a nice pass breakup in tight coverage on rookie wide receiver Javon Baker. Leaping on a well-placed corner fade to the end zone from Maye, Wade disrupted Baker at the catch point to prevent the finish.
Wade is embroiled in a real competition at cornerback behind Christian Gonzalez, and took a good step forward on Tuesday.
S Joshuah Bledsoe
Despite giving up the touchdown to Henry, Bledsoe also made multiple pass breakups, one against Austin Hooper in 11-on-11 and another in 1-on-1. The Patriots still need to figure out their best option to cover tight ends, and Bledsoe is getting a good, long look at that. The Henry “touchdown” was a perfect throw in tight coverage.
