After holding their first padded practice of the summer on Monday, the Patriots took a step back for their sixth training camp practice of the year on Tuesday. This wasn’t unexpected. Over the last few years, the Patriots have had a routine of going into pads, then after watching the film stepping back the following day to make the improvements and changes they feel are warranted following those film sessions.
That’s exactly what we saw for most of practice on Tuesday. It was a slower tempo as the team worked through some of the run concepts we saw debut for the summer on Monday. Expect them to ramp those back up when they’re back in full pads on Wednesday.
Those teaching periods weren’t the full practice, though. Late in practice the Patriots got in more red zone work – a staple of their summer this far. We’ll start there with our Day 6 recap…
Red zone work
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones drops back to pass during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Early in training camp, the story for the offense was an inability to score in the red zone. They’ve made progress since, and Tuesday was the best red zone period thus far from the presumed starters. Mac Jones was 3-for-4, including a touchdown pass to Hunter Henry. Overall Jones was 10-of-14 on the day, putting together another solid performance. He’s yet to truly flash in camp, but the negative plays have been few and far between.
It was a big of a tougher go for the other two units. Bailey Zappe was 0-of-2 inside the five, and took multiple sacks. Trace McSorley threw the lone interception of the day for any of the three players, missing J.J. Taylor in the middle of the end zone which allowed Joshuah Bledsoe to make a play on the ball for an INT.
Beyond the quarterbacks, it was another tough day for Tyquan Thornton in the red zone. He was held without a catch once again, and at times was out of the top rotation all together.
Offensive line tested again
Tackle Riley Reiff takes the field at Patriots training camp. (Jim Louth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
As was the case on Monday, the offensive line was down three starters in Cole Strange (knee injury on Monday), Trent Brown (limited), and Mike Onwenu (PUP). That had Riley Reiff and Conor McDermott at left and right tackle, and rookie Atonio Mafi at left guard. Just like on Monday, it was a struggle for this group at times. Jones was left throwing off his back foot often in practice.
With padded practices ramping up the next few days, it will be worth watching if they start getting starters back in place. The defensive line dominated the first fully-padded of the year on Monday, and the offense will need more push of front to work on what they need to work on.
Taking attendance
Patriots OL Cole Strange arrives for training camp practice. (Jim Louth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
As mentioned above, it was another day with multiple absences for the Patriots. Strange was on the field at the start of practice with a knee on his left sleeve, but spent the stretching session chatting with Bill Belichick before leaving the field all together.
Wide receiver Jalen Hurd, guard Chasen Hines, and safety Brad Hawkins were all absent from the session entirely. All three were banged up during Monday’s practice. Ty Montgomery and Terez Hall remained out as well. Rookie guard Jake Andrews returned to practice after missing Monday.
Highlight plays
New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker makes a catch during training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
There were two highlight plays over the course of practice, both impressive feats of athleticism. The first came early in practice when DeVante Parker was running a go route up the sideline against Christian Gonzalez. Parker was able to high-point a threw from Jones over Gonzalez, then through contact was able to keep his feet in bounds. Contested catches like that have been Parker’s bread-and-butter this summer.
The other play came midway through practice, on the defensive side of the ball. In another 11-on-11 session the Patriots defense was in zone coverage. Mike Gesicki ran across the field on an over route, and looked to be open near the sideline. However, Mack Wilson was lurking in zone, and jumped up to nearly make a one-handed interception of Jones.
Kicker talk
New England Patriots kicker Chad Ryland warms up during 2023 minicamp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Day 5 was all about rookie punter Bryce Baringer, but Day 6 saw a couple of notable moments for rookie kicker Chad Ryland. Tuesday saw the Patriots work repeatedly on kickoff and kickoff returns, and Ryland took every rep as the kickoff kicker. That’s a good sign for his chances of making the team.
Late in practice, Ryland also got a live field goal session. He knocked through the first five attempts, but did have a miss to close out the day.
What’s next?
Jul 27, 2023; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick watches squads practice during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
The Patriots will be back on the practice fields Wednesday morning for the fourth day of six practices in a row. It is expected to be a fully-padded practice.
