11 Players that stood out at Sunday’s Patriots practice
Sunday’s Patriots practice in Foxboro was fully padded and had some notable details worth knowing.
Sunday marked the 16th Patriots practice of the summer that was open to the media. Here are 11 players that stood out on the field, for various reasons…
QB Drake Maye
The rookie continues to impress from an individual standpoint. He finished 5-of-7 with two touchdowns in 11-on-11 drills, and 5-of-9 with three touchdowns in 7-on-7 action.
What continues to stand out about Maye is his improved decision-making and faster processing from the pocket. He’s not bailing out unnecessarily as much as he was earlier in camp, instead staying in there an extra second before finding an open guy. Maye is also making quicker decisions in general.
His best period was in a red zone 7-on-7 period, when he went 3-of-5 with three touchdown passes. He hit Tyquan Thornton with a well-placed fade that the wideout grabbed while keeping his feet in bounds. He also hit K.J. Osborn (more on him below) after rolling right and fitting the ball through a tight seam. One of Maye’s incompletions was a catchable fade that rookie receiver Javon Baker couldn’t corral, and the other was an overthrow.
Maye completed his final three reps of the day, most impressively with a deep out to Osborn that he dropped right over the cornerback’s shoulder. The rookie continues to rep mainly with backup offensive linemen, most notably taking no snaps from center David Andrews, and mostly backup pass-catchers.
However, Maye continues to show that he’s not just far more physically gifted than incumbent starter Jacoby Brissett, but is closing the gap in terms of decision-making as well. It might be too late for the Patriots to consider starting Maye over Brissett for Week 1, but the rookie’s rapid ascent in recent weeks should have an early-season switch on the table, provided he continues to mix in more reps with projected starters.
WR Ja’Lynn Polk
Polk has stood out over the past couple of practices this weekend because he’s starting to rep more with the projected starting offense. He caught 4-of-6 targets in team drills, including a touchdown from Maye on a crossing route in the end zone. He also made an impressive leaping grab on a pass from Brissett in 7-on-7, going up and getting it over cornerback Marco Wilson.
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The rookie has been arguably the most consistent receiver on the Patriots throughout camp. The team has certainly been patient with him and slow to install him in the starting offense, but he’s making a real push to get more playing time over most other receivers on the depth chart. He has a chance to make an early impact, regardless of who’s throwing him the ball.
WR K.J. Osborn
Osborn had the aforementioned touchdown from Maye, and caught 3-of-4 targets in total. His deep catch from Maye, however, was the best of the day. He leaped and snagged the ball over the shoulder of cornerback Marcus Jones and tapped his toes in bounds as he crashed to the turf, maintaining control. Osborn has been up-and-down after a hot start to the summer, but he’s clearly in line for a starting role in the offense.
TE Jaheim Bell
The Patriots were missing both of their top-2 tight ends, Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, on Sunday, and Bell was the primary beneficiary. The rookie caught three touchdowns in team drills, one each from Brissett, Maye, and Joe Milton.
On the Brissett and Maye TDs, Bell got a step on the coverage (Jaylinn Hawkins, Dell Pettus) and the quarterback delivered a strike on the run. Bell lacks the size of the other tight ends on the Patriots roster, which has made him more of an H-back projection. But if he can get open and catch the ball? There will be a role for him.
OT Caedan Wallace
Wallace gets the nod over other tackles in Sunday’s Patriots practice for one notable reason. During a late 2-minute simulation, Wallace played right tackle with the rest of the projected starters. The Pats tried a number of combinations on the offensive line, but the main group remained the same. If there’s one major change to watch for in the coming weeks before the start of the regular season, it’s Wallace at right tackle. Something to continue monitoring.
C David Andrews
Andrews stood out for two reasons. One, he exclusively snapped to Brissett, a sign that the Patriots are sticking with the same starting quarterback they’ve had all summer, for the time being. Two, he got in a brief scuffle with Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux (more on him below) after Brissett appeared to hit his hand on a helmet during 11-on-11. There’s no concern with Andrews individually. The biggest question is who he’ll be snapping the ball to in September.
DT Davon Godchaux
Godchaux had that aforementioned scrum with Andrews, where it appeared the two had to be separated after things got a little chippy. But the veteran nose tackle was active overall, as he was charted with one pressure and one run-stuff. He looks primed for a strong season after signing a new contract and taking part in a potentially more aggressive defense under new coordinator DeMarcus Covington.
LB Jahlani Tavai
Tavai generated at least one pressure off the edge during 11-on-11, and was also spotted in coverage over the short-middle area of the field. He allowed a catch to Osborn. This isn’t necessarily a Tavai problem, but a real question for the Patriots defense. With Sione Takitaki still sidelined, they have no clear candidate for an off-ball linebacker that can cover. Opponents that emphasize backs and tight ends in the passing game may be able to exploit this.
CB Alex Austin
Austin continues to mix in with starters on the defense, and as of Sunday seems like the best bet to line up on the outside after Christian Gonzalez, especially if Jonathan Jones moves inside. Quarterbacks were 0-of-3 targeting Austin in team drills, one of which was overthrown, but the other two were at least partially because of tight coverage. With Austin, the Patriots appear to have plucked a decent corner from obscurity.
S Jabrill Peppers
Peppers broke up a pass intended for tight end Jacob Warren in an early 7-on-7 period, which prompted a loud reaction from the veteran safety. He’ll be depended on to bring the physicality and make plays in coverage, and also provide leadership for the defense in the post-Matthew Judon era. Good day for him.
K Joey Slye
In a late field goal drill, Slye went 4-for-4, while incumbent Chad Ryland went 3-for-5. This was a fun and unique drill, in which the Patriots cranked the music and had the rest of the team crowd around the kicking unit in an effort to create distractions. Slye didn’t flinch in that moment. He’s making a strong push to make the team as the kicker over Ryland, who is still spraying the ball all over the field.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
