Patriots training camp notebook: Wrapping things up on Day 20
New England Patriots training camp wrapped up for the summer with the final practice on Friday.
That’s a wrap on Patriots training camp for 2024. On Friday the team held its 20th and final practice of the summer.
Throughout this final week the trend was practice scripts emulating a regular season game week more than the typical more competitive training camp practices. That continued on Friday in a shorts and shells session that lasted just under two hours.
Still, there were few notable things that stood out. Let’s get to those in our final Patriots training camp notebook…
New-look offensive line stays together
Projected starting left tackle Vederian Lowe missed his second practice in a row on Friday, after leaving early Wednesday with an injury. When Lowe left that Wednesday rookie Caedan Wallace stepped in for him without any other changes.
In the first full practice without Lowe on Thursday though, the Patriots changed things up again moving Chuks Okorafor over to left tackle, Mike Onwenu out to right tackle from right guard, and putting rookie Layden Robinson in the right guard spot.
On Friday the team stuck with that combination for the second practice in a row. With it being a non-padded practice it’s tough to truly evaluate their performance, but the fact that group got a look two days in a row should be an indication the team likes that as the alignment to go with if Lowe can’t be on the field.
Polk closes strong
Rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk had a strong final two weeks of camp. He put the cap on his final practice of the summer on Friday with the catch of the day, high-pointing a ball over his head thrown by Drake Maye (who again worked briefly with the starters on Friday) on an out route, and still landing with his feet in bounds against tight coverage.
Polk has been more and more involved in the offense as the summer goes on. Of all the Patriots’ rookies, he seems to be on track to get the most time on the field early in the regular season.
WATCH: Where is the Patriots’ coaching staff at with Drake Maye?
Cornerback rotation
Something that has stood out over the past three days as the Patriots have been in more of a game preparation mode is how much they’ve rotated the cornerbacks with the starting defense. Jonathan Jones, Christian Gonzalez, Alex Austin, Marco Wilson, and Marcus Jones (in no particular order) have all gotten significant time with that unit.
It wouldn’t be surprising if that trend continues into the regular season. Under Bill Belichick the Patriots would rotate corners, especially on the boundary, to have their top players be more fresh at the end of games. Jonathan Jones and Christian Gonzalez still seem like the starters (and closers) on the outside, but don’t be surprised if we see a good amount mixing and matching during games too.
Backup tight ends
The Patriots’ depth at tight end has been tested in recent practices due to injuries, yet none of the players on the bubble have made much of a push. Finally on Friday we saw a couple of standout plays, with skilled catches from rookies Jaheim Bell and Jacob Warren. Can either build on that and make a late push for a roster spot in the preseason finale?
Attendance
There were only two changes to attendance for the Patriots on Friday. UDFA cornerback Mikey Victor missed practice after leaving Thursday’s session late due to an injury. Deatrich Wise was limited, along with Oshane Ximines and Mitchell Wilcox. Calvin Anderson, Vederian Lowe, Christian Barmore, Marte Mapu, Hunter Henry, Joshua Uche, and Armon Watts remain out.
What’s next?
The Patriots play their preseason finale Sunday night in Washington against the Commanders. Then attention turns to roster cuts, with teams having to be at 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
