Patriots OTA Notebook: Which boxes need to be checked this spring?

On Tuesday afternoon the New England Patriots were on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. It was their second organized team activity (OTA) practice of the spring, and the first that was open to the media.

As is the case throughout spring practices due to NFL rules, Tuesday's session was non-padded with limited contact. These practices are more instructional than competitive, as the playbook is installed and other basics are drilled to get players ready for training camp in the summer.

With that lack of contact, what are coaches looking for in these practices? Mike Vrabel explained before Tuesday's session...

"That we're in and out of the huddle, that there's clean substitution, that there's communication," Vrabel said when asked what makes a good OTA practice. "You hear the defense making checks when somebody on the offense moves or motions. There's coordination, that the offense is moving with urgency and that the play clock isn't sitting at zero for four seconds. All the operational things. Then obviously, there's got to be a level of execution when we're in the speed."

For the most part the Patriots seemed to check those boxes. There was only one point where the offense had to hold up for a substitution issue, and on defense there was only one clear issue where there was a miscommunication in coverage pre-snap in 11-on-11s.

Operationally, things looked good all around. Once the ball was snapped, one side of the ball clearly won the day. We'll start there with news & notes from Tuesday's practice...

The Patriots' defense won the day on Tuesday. It was a pass-heavy practice given the non-contact restriction and the defense picked off quarterback Drake Maye four times, with all four coming early in the practice.

Of those four interceptions, two went to cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who was the most dominant player on the field for the two-hour session. On Gonzalez's first interception he took advantage of a miscommunication and jumped a route underneath. On the second he showed tremendous instincts as he read Maye, came from a zone in a different part of the field, and covered the ground to get in front of a deep ball targeting rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams.

Those were the second and third interceptions by Maye. On the first he sailed a throw high, where safety Dell Pettus was in the right spot. On the final one he had to get rid of the ball quick with cornerback Marcus Jones coming unblocked on a corner blitz. His hot read was to tight end Hunter Henry, who was blanketed by cornerback Alex Austin. Austin knocked the ball away from Henry and up in the air, where rookie safety Craig Woodson made a diving catch.

The defense's big moments weren't just limited to interceptions. Jaylinn Hawkins had a pass breakup on a deep ball to Kayshon Boutte that was on target from Drake Maye, and there were multiple would-be sacks.

There will be two more closed practices before the Patriots practice in front of the media against next Wednesday. So while it won't be linear, it will be interesting to see what kind of progress the offense makes heading into next week.

Gonzalez did get beat once on Tuesday, and it was probably the play of the day. In the second half of practice Javon Baker ran a deep comeback up the sideline, and ended up in a back-shoulder situation. Maye put the ball in a favorable position, and Baker was able to jump up, box out Gonzalez, and complete the catch through contact.

Baker remained involved in the crowded wide receiver rotation. It's an encouraging sign for the former fourth-round pick who struggled to make an impact as a rookie.

Fellow 2024 wide receiver draft pick Ja'Lynn Polk looked to be limited during the session. He spent one-on-one time with offensive assistant Riley Larkin, going through different routes. Polk underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason.

Rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams made his presence felt during practice, and seemed especially involved running routes outside the numbers. His highlight play came on a deep out when he created significant separation and caught a pass from Maye. Later on in practice he had the same success on a similar route, but backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs threw the ball behind him allowing cornerback Miles Battle to catch up and break up the pass.

UDFA Efton Chism also showed his separation ability. As was the case at Eastern Washington he has a good knack for adjusting to different coverages and finding open space on the field.

Williams and Chism were two of the last players to leave the field following Tuesday's practice. Both stayed late and put in work on the JUGS machine.

Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson also had a significant role in Tuesday's practice. Coming out of the draft Henderson's burst and acceleration was noted as one of his best traits, and it's clearly visible when watching him in person.

With 12 wide receivers on the roster, wide receivers Todd Downing has his hands full. Downing has been an offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and tight ends coach but this is his first time coaching the wide receiver position. He spent the early portion of practice going over release and footwork technique during positional drills.

Later in practice Downing also appeared to take on some play-calling duties. When the team split into two units - starters on one field and backups on the other - Downing seemed to have the role of offensive coordinator for Joshua Dobbs' group. We'll see over the course of the spring if other coaches rotate into that role as well, but Downing did so on Tuesday.

Based on Tuesday's practice, this spring could be a feeling-out process for the offensive line. There were a lot of moving pieces as the day went on.

Part of that may have been certain players being limited. Guard Mike Onwenu and tackle Morgan Moses both took part in initial walkthrough periods, but not team drills. Moses in particular is coming off of a knee injury last season, and although he's limited spoke after practice and said he felt it was important for him to attend these optional practices as the young, rebuilt offensive line group tries to gel. After practice Moses stuck around and worked with a few of the young tackles in Will Campbell, Marcus Bryant, and Demontrey Jacobs.

With Onwenu and Moses off to the side it opened up reps for other players. Cole Strange (who looks like he might have bulked up in the offseason) got early reps at left guard, with other players rotating in. Veteran Wes Schweitzer was heavily involved at multiple positions across the offensive line in different groupings. The only spots that stayed relatively steady throughout the day were Campbell at left tackle and Garrett Bradbury as center.

In seven seasons in college Ben Wooldridge started 19 games, with 11 of those coming last year. He's spent plenty of time as a backup quarterback and it showed on Tuesday as he kept himself involved even when not getting reps.

It's not uncommon to see quarterbacks not taking part in the rep stand directly behind the active QB with the coaches, rather than on the sideline. It's a chance to get 'mental reps.' Wooldridge took it a step further though, physically going through the play as if he was under center. That included verbally and physically calling out pre-snap reads, doing full drop-backs and rollouts, and going through a throwing motion. At times he even called things out before Joshua Dobbs did in the live rep.

Wooldridge didn't get as many live reps as Dobbs or Maye did, and of course he'll need to show coaches he's capable of making throws, and not just knowing which ones to make. But staying engaged the way he did should go over well with the coaching staff.

The kicker battle began on Tuesday. Both Andres Borregales and John Parker Romo each got four kicks, two each from about 40 yards, and then two more 10 yards further back.

Borregales, a rookie sixth-round pick, hit all four of his kicks. Romo, who joined the team on the practice squad last season, missed one of his 40-yarders wide right and then a 50-yarder wide left, going 2-for-4 in total.

The Patriots had excellent attendance for this practice. Only four players didn't take part. Stefon Diggs and Rhamondre Stevenson's absences were not surprising - Diggs is working his way back from a torn ACL and Stevenson recently lost his father. Sidy Sow and Joshua Farmer also weren't present.

A few other players were present but not involved. Wide receiver Mack Hollins was in street clothes but still spent the entire practice with the team, at times coaching up other receivers. Vederian Lowe was also a non-participant.

One player who was on the field and active was defensive tackle Christian Barmore. After getting shut down twice due to blood clots last season Barmore shared last week that he's been fully cleared for football activities, and didn't appear to have any limitations on Tuesday.

The Patriots' next practice will be on Thursday. They'll then return next week with a practice on Tuesday before their next open session a week from Wednesday.