The New England Patriots held their seventh open practice of 2023 training camp in Foxboro on Wednesday. Here are 11 players who stood out to us on the field, for various reasons…
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (7) makes a catch during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
If the Patriots had to declare a WR1 – and they do not, because this is Earth and not a fantasy team – it would be JuJu Smith-Schuster.
For this offense, and these quarterbacks, Smith-Schuster makes the most sense as the top dog at receiver. He will be used in a number of different ways and leaned upon in high-leverage situations like third down. He’s caught both drive-starters and finishers in the end zone in team drills during camp, and made his best play yet with a leaping catch and toe-tap in the end zone on a pass from Mac Jones.
So, Smith-Schuster is our top standout from Wednesday. He looks like he’s being installed as the engine of the new Patriots offense. And if he can produce like Julian Edelman or Wes Welker did back when they were the most-targeted wideouts (and at times coordinated by Bill O’Brien), that can only mean good things for the offense as a whole.
New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster makes a catch during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Smith-Schuster said the right things when asked if the Patriots have a “true No. 1 receiver” on the team. They certainly don’t have a high-end talent that can dictate coverages and make big plays regardless of the matchup, but they do have several good pass-catchers. And for passers like Jones and Bailey Zappe, it makes sense to run the offense through the “Y” receiver, whoever it is.
“I mean, just because they signed me to a three-year deal and I’m a new receiver doesn’t mean I’m a No. 1 receiver,” Smith-Schuster said. “I think DeVante Parker is a guy who is arguably the No. 1 receiver. I think Kendrick Bourne is a No. 1 receiver. I think I can be a No. 1 receiver.
“At the end of the day, you got three receivers on the field, you have two receivers on the field, whoever gets the ball, I know they’re going to make plays on their opportunities. I’m not really too big into who’s 1, who’s 2 and who’s 3. It’s about who’s on that field and who can make plays.”
QB Mac Jones
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) throws a pass during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Jones was the top standout of Monday’s practice, but he was just as good on Tuesday, if not better. Jones has been decisive and accurate with the football, and not just in the short parts of the field but the intermediate areas as well.
It’s all subjective as to what counts as “competitive” 11-on-11 drills. Some of them are too light and walkthrough-ish to really count. But I had Jones 8-of-10 in the most competitive team drills of the day, and one of the incompletions was a throwaway.
Jones completed passes to Smith-Schuster (3), Hunter Henry, DeVante Parker, Rhamondre Stevenson, Mike Gesicki, and even rookie receiver Kayshon Boutte (more on him below). Strong day for Jones and the starting offense, and he remains clearly in the lead over Zappe in the quarterback “competition” – that is, if there even is one.
WR DeVante Parker
New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker makes a catch during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Parker made plenty of noise during a highly entertaining and competitive 1-on-1 battle against rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez. On a pass about 30-40 yards down the field from Jones, Parker finally got the separation he needed down the left sideline and reeled it in.
He followed that up with some jawing with … cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino. It looked to get heated out there, but from our view, it was good to see that fire out of Parker. He later beat Gonzalez again in 11-on-11 with a “touchdown” in the back left corner of the end zone.
With the starting offense starting to cook a bit in recent practices, Parker is following suit.
TE Hunter Henry
New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry runs a drill during minicamp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Henry was arguably the single best player in the 1-on-1 drills, according to Alex Barth in his latest training camp notebook. He got separation deep down the field against both Adrian Phillips and Kyle Dugger. Henry has been arguably the most consistently productive player on the team so far in camp.
WR Kayshon Boutte
New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (58) makes a catch during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Boutte, a sixth-round rookie out of LSU, popped for the first time all summer on Wednesday. He got reps with the starting offense in competitive 11-on-11, and ended up catching a pass from Jones about 15-20 yards down the right sideline, after Jones had rolled out to the right to escape pressure. Nice play by the rookie to connect with Jones. We’ll see if he can stack days together.
WR Demario Douglas
New England Patriots wide receiver Demario Douglas runs a drill during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
At this point, it wouldn’t be a list of standouts without the Pats’ other rookie receiver. Granted, plenty of his reps are coming with/against the 2’s, but Douglas’ speed and quickness are real. He had a definitive win 1-on-1 against Myles Bryant in those drills.
LB Mack Wilson Sr.
New England Patriots linebacker Mack Wilson Jr. trains with a resistance rope during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Wilson has been coming on this week. He was used a little on the edge in team drills on Wednesday, and his speed looked to be a problem for left tackle Riley Reiff. Now in year 2 in the Patriots system, Wilson looks like he’s thinking less and reacting more, and he looks explosive as a result.
LB Calvin Munson
Linebacker Calvin Munson (43) during a Patriots special teams practice. (Katie Bennert, 98.5 The Sports Hub)
Munson is on this list simply for repping with the 1’s on defense during an early walkthrough period. He was also part of a side session with core special teamers. Now in his third stint in New England, Munson has a chance to stick around on the bottom of the roster, if his reps are any indication.
OG Atonio Mafi
New England Patriots guard Atonio Mafi makes his way to the practice fields for 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
For the third straight day, we need to highlight the rookie fifth-round pick out of UCLA. Mafi played both left guard and right guard with the starting offense on Wednesday, shifting to the right after the team moved Bill Murray down to the 2’s. They are showing a lot of trust in the rookie, who might be something of a savior on the O-line if injuries persist into the season.
OL Kody Russey
New England Patriots center Kody Russey (66) works on the tackling sled during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Russey is making real headway on the depth chart in recent days. Part of that is due to left guard Cole Strange going down with a leg injury. But it’s notable that Russey stepped in at left guard with the starters in team drills. He’s also second or third on the center depth chart. Seems like the team is feeling good about Russey as a versatile reserve interior lineman.
K Nick Folk
Nick Folk (6) takes the field for the New England Patriots before practice during 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (98.5 The Sports Hub)
I still feel that Folk’s days in New England are numbered, due to the presence and performance of rookie Chad Ryland, who has considerably more pure leg strength and makes less than half the money. But Folk was the primary kicker in team kicking drills, both field goals and kickoffs. Solid day for Folk, but it still feels like a last gasp kind of opportunity for him.
