Patriots sign yet another wide receiver, cut another
The New England Patriots simply cannot stop signing wide receivers.
As the team officially announced Thursday, the Patriots are adding yet another new wide receiver to the 90-man roster: JaQuae Jackson out of Rutgers. Jackson is another undrafted rookie, joining the recently signed David Wallis among the Pats’ newest additions at the position.
Jackson, 24, was previously with the Atlanta Falcons this off-season. The team waived him and ended up claiming former Patriots offensive tackle Andrew Stueber off waivers, essentially making this a convoluted “trade” between the two clubs.
As a sixth-year senior at Rutgers, Jackson played 13 games and caught 22 passes for 361 yards and one touchdown. He’d previously spent five seasons at California University of Pennsylvania.
PISCATAWAY, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 9: Wide receiver JaQuae Jackson #9 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights runs after making a catch on a pass as cornerback Ben Osueke #24 of the Temple Owls pursues during the second quarter of a game at SHI Stadium on September 9, 2023 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Jackson joins an already-crowded Patriots wide receiver depth chart that already includes (deep breath) JuJu Smith-Schuster, K.J. Osborn, Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Reagor, Tyquan Thornton, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kawaan Baker, and fellow rookies Wallis, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker.
The Patriots also announced that they released wide receiver T.J. Luther as a corresponding move, keeping them at the 90-man roster limit and still at 12 receivers total.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
Patriots minicamp notebook: A very competitive Day 1
Patriots minicamp kicked off on Monday, and in the first minicamp practice with Jerod Mayo as head coach the team jumped right into competitive reps.
2024 New England Patriots Minicamp began on Monday, marking the final stage of the team’s offseason program. After off-field work and optional OTA practices the past few weeks, this week’s mandatory minicamp will put a cap on spring practices in Foxborough.
Will pretty much the full roster (we’ll get to attendance in a bit) on the field together for the first time, the Patriots didn’t waste any time. Relative to this time of year Monday was a highly-competitive practice – pretty much as competitive as it gets with no pads or contact.
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“Now we’re getting into football, down and distance, two-minute type of drills. It’s just part of the progression,” head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters before Monday’s practice. “Look, it’s still a non-contact camp, so it’s not like we’re going to go out there and tackle. But at the same time, those guys are going to go out there and compete.”
Highlighting the focus on team drills was the fact that the team brought in a full referee crew for practice. That’s something we’ve seen from the Patriots in the past in training camp, but not in the spring. The crew had their moments as multiple flags were thrown during the numerous team periods.
We’ll start with the highest-impact reps of the day, which came at the end of practice, as we take a look at Day 1 of Patriots Minicamp…
‘Live’ late game drills
Again, there’s no contact allowed in these practices. That limits just how much the coaches can mimic in-game situations, but they did their best on Monday. At the end of practice they ran 11-on-11 periods with down and distance markers and a running clock, simulating late-game situations. First, each of the four quarterbacks got a chance to take over with 1:32 to go, needing to go 75 yards for a touchdown with no timeouts. Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye both picked up a couple of first downs before turning the ball over on downs – a false start penalty played a key role in stalling Brissett’s drive, while a sack set back Maye. Bailey Zappe was up next, and was intercepted by Kyle Dugger short and over the middle on his first play. Joe Milton went last, and after picking up a few first downs took a sack that allowed the clock to run out just before a fourth down. Then Brissett, Maye, and Zappe each got the ball with one minute remaining, needing a field goal. Brissett went twice, once turning the ball over on downs and then leading the offense down for a 43-yard field goal. Maye had the clock run out on him, while Zappe took two sacks which drained his clock to 0:00. Milton did not get a drive during that period. Credit should go to the defense here, particularly the secondary. They were swarming throughout the period and taking away the passing lanes the quarterbacks needed to push the ball down the field. Still, it’ll be worth watching when training camp rolls around if the offense – which is going through a much greater install than the defense – catches up in these kinds of periods.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 29: Jacoby Brissett #14 of the New England Patriots makes a pass during the New England Patriots OTA Offseason Workout on May 29, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Maye’s growth continues
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 29: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots makes a pass during the New England Patriots OTA Offseason Workout on May 29, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Even though the offense didn’t end up with the results they wanted during those live late-game periods, it was still overall a very positive day for Drake Maye. For one thing, his workload continues to grow. Spring practices began with him repping as the third quarterback behind Bailey Zappe, and while he’s still behind Jacoby Brissett (for now), he’s passed Zappe and continues to get more and more opportunities in team drills.
Early on this spring Maye’s improving footwork was a popular topic, but this Monday’s practice showed another area of growth. In college, Maye displayed an ability to make all kinds of throws (bullet passes, touch passes, etc.) but at times didn’t always use the right one when needed.
Throughout the spring he’s done a much better job of this, highlighted by his performance on Monday. He’d thread the needle one play (a touchdown on a crosser to Pop Douglas may have been his play of the day), then would come back with a lofting touch pass the next (a few plays after the Douglas touchdown, he put a high-point ball in just the right spot for Jaheim Bell for a touchdown). He also made some good throws off platform, including one to Ja’Lynn Polk during one of his two-minute drills.
Standout pass catchers
WR Pop Douglas gets lined up to run a route at Patriots OTA practice. (Alex Barth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
Pop Douglas continues to have a great spring. He caught two more touchdowns on Monday.
Beyond Douglas, some more depth pass-catchers stood out. Jalen Reagor was on the field quite a bit, and the ball found him regularly. He didn’t have any spectacular, highlight plays but at this time of year just heavy involvement can be notable. His five catches were the most by any receiver on Monday in team drills.
This was also Jaheim Bell’s most involved practice of the spring. He caught a touchdown from Maye early in practice during a red zone drill, then spent time working with multiple quarterbacks during the situational portion of practice.
Bell wasn’t the only tight end fighting for a roster spot who stood out on Monday. La’Michael Pettway made the catch of the day, climbing the ladder to haul in a pass from Maye in the back of the end zone. Pettway fought for the ball to the ground through contact, ripping it away from a defender.
One final wide receiver note – rookie Javon Baker appeared to once again be limited. There’s been no report of any specific injury for him, but it does appear he might be dealing with something.
Another extension on the way?
Sep 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) runs the ball against the Miami Dolphins in the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
We haven’t talked much about running backs this spring because it’s one of those positions that is very difficult to evaluate in non-padded practices. However, we did get an off-field nugget today that was notable.
In an offseason that has seen the Patriots hand out multiple big contract extensions, Rhamondre Stevenson is the lone extension candidate left. However, he told reporters after Monday’s practice that he feels like he and the Patriots are “getting close” to getting a deal done, which will be something to watch for in the coming weeks.
Moving pieces of the offensive line
Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots guard Mike Onwenu (71) lines up against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Pretty much every offensive lineman who is expected to be a factor for the Patriots at the start of the season (Cole Strange being the lone exception) was a full participant in Monday’s practice. That allowed the opportunity to see where the team may plan on playing certain players.
The most notable in that sense was Mike Onwenu. He spent most of practice at right tackle, but did spend some time at right guard. Rookie Caedan Wallace got plenty of time at right tackle with and without Onwenu on the field. His development track at this point seems to be more on the right side, despite the team saying on draft night they saw him as a potential left tackle.
On the left side, Chuks Okorafor got the majority of the reps. Calvin Anderson mixed in there too, after playing mostly at right at the start of the spring.
Inside, Sidy Sow played a good amount on the left side, after spending most of last year at right guard. With Strange expected to miss the start of the season, that move could stick. At right guard, Nick Leverett looked like the leader on Monday.
Field goals
Patriots kickers Chad Ryland (37) and Joey Sly (13) and punter Bryce Baringer (17) work on kickoffs during Patriots OTA practice. (Alex Barth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
To this point in the spring, Chad Ryland had been the only kicker attempting field goals in live drills. That changed on Monday.
Ryland and Joey Slye split the lone live field goal period, alternating on a total of eight kicks. Sly hit all four of his (from 32, 37, 42, and 47 yards), while Ryland hit from 32 and 42 but missed from 37 and 47. He did also hit the one kick in the end-of-game period, a 43-yarder.
Does this mean the Patriots will give Slye a real chance to compete for a job? Will the team add another kicker (UFL free agents are now eligible to sign, except players playing in the Championship this weekend)? The kicker battle still feels unsettled with one practice left this spring.
Punt hang times
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 05: Bryce Baringer #17 of the New England Patriots punts the ball during the first half in the game against the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium on November 05, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
The Patriots did two team punt periods on Monday. One was practicing quick kicks backed up in their own end zone. Those punts generally aren’t hit full force, so the hang times are lower. Here’s a look at the hang times from the full-field punts for Bryce Baringer…
5.00 seconds
4.33
5.03
4.96Attendance
Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon (9) greets fans before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Attendance at minicamp is mandatory, but sometimes players will skip it if they have contract issues. Players like Matthew Judon and Davon Godchaux were seen as potentially being on those kind of situations, but both were on the field on Monday (although Godchaux was limited).
Most of the players not spotted on the field are all known to be dealing with some sort of injury. The injury-related absences Monday were wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, offensive linemen Cole Strange and Jake Andrews, and linebacker Jahlani Tavai. Linebackers Josh Uche and Sione Takitaki also weren’t present.
What’s next?
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 29: New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo looks on during the New England Patriots OTA Offseason Workout on May 29, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Patriots will be together on Tuesday, but not on the practice field. “We’re going to do something special tomorrow, which we think is important for the state,” Jerod Mayo said ahead of Monday’s practice, without getting into specifics. After that, the Patriots will wrap up minicamp with practice on Wednesday.
