As the New England Patriots’ Thursday night preseason opener against the Houston Texans approaches, it’s starting to feel more and more like a game week around Gillette Stadium. That includes Monday’s training camp practice – the team’s 11th of the summer – which felt a lot like a game-week practice as opposed to the more traditional training camp practices we’ve seen so far.
What does that mean? The main difference is that – unlike training camp practices that typically have starters facing starters in the most competitive reps – Monday saw the Patriots’ first and second units working against a scout team which was running plays off of cards instead of the Patriots’ own defensive system.
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This is what the team does during the regular season in order to prepare for what they’ll see from an opponent. Even though its the preseason, these reps are important to players fighting for roster spots have all the tools they need to play their best in the games.
Which player made the most of the scout team opportunities? Let’s start there as we get into Day 11 of Patriots training camp…
Malik Cunningham in a familiar spot
Jul 26, 2023; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Malik Cunningham (64) makes a catch during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Since signing with the Patriots as a UDFA this spring, college quarterback Malik Cunningham has mainly repped as a wide receiver. Although listed as a quarterback on the team’s roster, he hasn’t worn a red non-contact jersey like the rest of the quarterbacks and has spent more time with the wide receiver group.
On Monday that changed, with Cunningham leading the scout team offense. When Cunningham first signed, many pointed to his fit as a scout team QB, given his brings a different skillset to the position than the other quarterbacks currently on the roster. Monday offered a glimpse into what that might look like.
Catch of the day
New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (58) makes a catch during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
The play of the day came during some of Cunningham’s reps at quarterback. Working in the red zone, Cunningham rolled out and fired a pass to Kayson Boutte in the end zone. The throw was a bit high and behind him, but that didn’t end up being an issue.
Boutte jumped for the ball, twisting around in the process. He was able to grab the ball with one hand behind his head, then secure it to his body as he fell. It was a play that came with the same physical demands of a catch made famous by a fellow LSU wideout, Odell Beckham Jr.
This catch is the latest highlight in what’s been a strong string of practices for Boutte. He’s peaking at the right time heading into the preseason opener – expect him to be one of the spotlighted players on Thursday.
Tyquan Thornton’s rough camp continues
Tyquan Thornton at New England Patriots training camp. (Alex Barth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
Early on in training camp, second-year wide receiver Tyquan Thornton was struggling to earn targets, as he was struggling to get open. Over the last two practices – after missing two practices late last week – he’s been targeted more but still isn’t making the most of his opportunities.
Over these two practices, Thornton has done a better job of building separation. However, he’s still struggling at the catch point. There were two such instances on Monday. On one, the 6-foot-3 Thornton was boxed out by 6-foot-1 cornerback Shaun Wade on a goal line fade from Bailey Zappe. On the other, Thornton was able to get away from a defender in the end zone and Zappe put the ball on his hands, but he dropped it.
With rookie receivers Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas continuing to make plays, it’s looking more and more like there will be an open competition for the fourth wide receiver snaps that were expected to go to Thornton. There’s still a lot of camp left for Thornton to improve his standing, but he’s got his work cut out for him.
Familiar issues for Bailey Zappe
New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe does a footwork drill during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
For the second day in a row, Bailey Zappe had multiple passes broken up by defenders – both at the line of scrimmage and down the field. He also threw an interception, when he underthrew Raleigh Webb on a go route and was picked off by Marcus Jones. In total, Zappe finished the day 11-for-20 with an interception in the wet conditions.
Trent Brown’s workload increases
Patriots T Trent Brown takes the field at training camp (Jim Louth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
One offensive player trending in the right direction is left tackle Trent Brown. Brown has been limited throughout camp, but took a step forward on Monday by taking part in positional drills, which he hadn’t done yet this summer. However, he was still sidelined for team drills.
After practice Brown spoke to the media and clarified that he’s currently working through an injury, and the team has him on a program to ramp up to a full workload. Asked if his limited status is contract related, he replied with a chuckle “not at all.”
Referees highlight offensive line woes
Tackle Riley Reiff takes the field at Patriots training camp. (Jim Louth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
Without Trent Brown, the offensive line struggled in team drills. That’s not new, but what changed on Monday is the presence of officials. Land Clark’s crew is in town to work Thursday’s game, but was present at practice to work the team periods. Their work included multiple holding calls against the offensive line. As bad as the offensive line has looked to this point, penalties weren’t factored in. Now they are, and it’s showing another thing the group needs to work on.
One-on-one results
New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry makes a catch at 2023 training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Another padded practice means another period of one-on-one reps. Here’s who stood out, starting with the pass catchers and defensive backs.
Hunter Henry is still undefeated in one-on-one reps. Between that and team drills, he’s been arguably the team’s best offensive skill player so far in camp.
Along with Henry, Demario Douglas has been un-guardable in one-on-ones. He had two more wins on Monday.
Jack Jones had two reps against wide receivers at the top of the depth chart, and split them. He had an impressive skilled pass breakup against Kendrick Bourne in one, but got beat deep by Tyquan Thornton in the other. As for Thornton, he was also one-for-one with his other rep ending with a miscommunication between him and Mac Jones.
It was another strong one-on-one period for Tre Nixon. He won both of his reps, building on a string of strong practices.
Up front, the top two players battling for the right tackle spot – Conor McDermott and Riley Reiff – went undefeated and won two reps each.
Christian Barmore had a definitive win over Kody Russey, in which he lifted Russey off the ground with a ‘hump’ move. After practice, Barmore said that that is one of his favorite pass rush moves.
Overall, it was a dominant performance from the defense in the trenches. Josh Uche and Deatrich Wise also had wins.
Attendance
New England Patriots center David Andrews (60) works with a tackling sled during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
There were a couple of attendance changes for the Patriots on Monday. David Andrews returned to practice after missing the last two days, and Bill Murray was absent for the first time this summer.
Jonathan Jones, Matthew Slater, Ty Montgomery, Cole Strange, Mike Onwenu (PUP), Cody Davis (PUP), and Calvin Anderson (NFI) all remain out.
What’s next?
The Patriots huddle up before their first training camp practice of 2023 (Alex Barth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
The Patriots will practice again on Tuesday at 1 p.m., with gates opening for fans at noon. It will be their final practice before the preseason opener on Thursday.
