Tuesday’s New England Patriots OTA practice focus mainly on the red zone, where it was an up-and-down day for the offense.
On Tuesday the New England Patriots held their eighth OTA practice of the summer. It was also the third and final Patriots OTA practice that will be open to the media (not including next week’s mandatory minicamp.
The big focus on Tuesday was red zone work. Most of the team drills throughout the two-hour practice were run from snaps in the low red zone – or inside the 10 yard line.
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While these reps were – like all of spring practices – unpadded and non-contact there was still a noticeable uptick in the intensity. That may be because the offense was able to start getting a bit more creative in these scenarios.
“Today you’ll see us working in the red area and third down; that’s when you can really see the creativity of offensive coordinators,” head coach Jerod Mayo noted before practice.
However, the biggest chance on the day was the distribution of reps at the quarterback position. Let’s start there as we look at the highlights from Tuesday’s Patriots OTA practice…
Drake Maye’s reps increase
Drake Maye drops back to pass during Patriots OTA practices. (Alex Barth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
For the first two open practices, rookie Drake Maye was pretty much always the third quarterback up in team drills behind Jacoby Brissett and then Bailey Zappe followed by fellow rookie Joe Milton. On Tuesday that changed with Maye not only repping second but seeing an increase in chances overall despite the team mostly practicing on one field instead of going split-squad as they did last week.
As for the outcome – it was hit an miss. Maye had some noticeable flashes in 7-on-7, throwing on the run and using different arm slots. Red zone work usually means tight windows, and Maye thread the needle on a couple.
However, later in practice Maye struggled. In full-field work he had wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster open, but sailed the throw right to UDFA defensive back Kaleb Ford-Demet, who picked it off. A few plays later, back in the red zone, a miscommunication with running back Antonio Gibson led to a second pick. Gibson was running a crosser, but sat down in space while Maye led him, which resulted in a diving pick for Kyle Dugger.
Maye wasn’t the only quarterback who had a roller-coaster day. Brissett had one of the best throws of the day, splitting two defenders on a rope for a touchdown to tight end La’Michael Pettway, but he also took a number of sacks. Zappe’s best throw was a high-point ball to rookie tight end Jaheim Bell in the back of the end zone in 7-on-7s, but he was also slow to release at times and had multiple passes knocked away by defenders at the catch-point.
Pop pops
WR Pop Douglas gets lined up to run a route at Patriots OTA practice. (Alex Barth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
Part of the reason the reps on Tuesday felt more ‘intense’ is simply that the players were going at a faster pace. That meant more competitive battles between pass-catchers and defensive backs.
The standout in that regard was second-year receiver Pop Douglas. He was the most-targeted receiver in the red zone drills for Brissett, Maye, and Zappe and for good reason – the defensive backs were struggling to stay with him.
Douglas’ performance was reminiscent of his breakout in training camp last year. Granted for a player his size (listed 5-foot-8, 192 pounds) there’s always the caveat of being able to keep it up once contact is allowed. That will be something to follow once we get to the summer, but the early impression is that Douglas is ready to build on what was an impressive rookie season.
Along with Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster stood out during Tuesday’s practice. After declaring earlier this spring he’s now 100 percent healthy after not getting above ’60 percent’ last year, all eyes are on Smith-Schuster as he competes for one of the final (or the final) wide receiver spots available. He caught multiple touchdowns in the red zone, and ran a solid route in an open-field period before Maye overthrew him for the INT.
Meanwhile, it was a down day for free agent signing K.J. Osborn. Osborn dropped two passes in the end zone.
Shakeup at tackle
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 29: Caedan Wallace #70 of the New England Patriots walks to the field during the New England Patriots OTA Offseason Workout on May 29, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Mike Onwenu and Chuks Okorafor have repped as the top two tackles for most of the spring, but neither was at practice on Tuesday. That opened up more reps for those battling for depth tackle spots on the 53-man roster.
One of the beneficiaries of that was rookie third-round pick Caedan Wallace. However, despite the Patriots saying they plan to develop him at left tackle Wallace spent almost the entire day playing his college position at right tackle. Meanwhile, Calvin Anderson got an extended look at left tackle after being seen mostly on the right side to start the spring.
It’s very possible the Patriots were doing a cross-training day with tackles playing on their off-side to get a look at potential swing tackles. Still, given the Patriots are already trying to work on Wallace switching sides, it seems like it could have been a valuable day for him to work on the left side.
Gonzo ramping up
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez at Patriots OTA practice. (Alex Barth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
For the first two practices open to the media, second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez appeared to be limited. He took part in individual and positional drills, but not team drills.
That changed on Tuesday. Gonzalez, who is recovering from a shoulder injury that cost him most of his rookie season, was a full participant. He looked to be moving well and had a pass breakup working against Smith-Schuster in the red zone.
Alex Austin still making plays
Cornerback Alex Austin stretches at Patriots OTA practice. (Alex Barth/98.5 The Sports Hub)
Few players have stood out as consistently in spring practices as Alex Austin. Signed late last year after stops in Buffalo and Houston as a rookie, Austin flashed some ability down the stretch for the Patriots and now is looking to build on that in his first full season with the team (and first full NFL offseason).
“When we finished up last year, he was one of those guys where we’re like, ‘look, this is an NFL player,'” Mayo said when asked about Austin before practice. “It’s good to see him coming back in shape, going out here and making plays.” Austin had another pass breakup during Tuesday’s session. He’s putting himself in good position to make a run at the second or third boundary cornerback job, behind Gonzalez and potentially Jonathan Jones.
Kickoffs
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)
For the first time this spring (and since the kickoff rules changed), we saw the Patriots do team work on kickoffs and kick returns. From a kicking standpoint they worked on multiple kinds of kicks such as direct line drives and more looping sky kicks. Meanwhile some of the return designed resembled outside runs in the way the blockers set up.
There was one other thing that stood out, which may fly a bit more under the radar with the new rules. Players aren’t allowed to move until the ball hits the ground or is caught by the returner. That’s easy to for the coverage team, which is looking in the backfield. But the blockers for the return team will have the ball land behind them. How will they know when to move?
They could turn around and look, but then the coverage team has an advantage in the half-second it takes for the blockers to look back around at them. It could also be off the sound of the ball landing, which works in a practice setting but is something that could be negated in louder environments on the road. The solution could be having one player looking back and calling it out to the rest of the blocking unit, but again crowd noise could be a playoff factor.
It’s all just a reminder that there’s a lot coming in terms of experimenting with these new kickoff rules. The teams that figure things out quicker will have an advantage this season.
Attendance
Dec 7, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New England Patriots guard Mike Onwenu (71) blocks against Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Tuesday’s practice has the lengthiest list of absences for far this spring. Here’s who wasn’t spotted on the field…
WR Kendrick Bourne
WR T.J. Luther
IOL Cole Strange
IOL Jake Andrews
OT Mike Onwenu
OT Chuks Okorafor
OT Zuri Henry
DL Davon Godchaux
DL Daniel Ekuale
LB Matthew Judon
LB Sione Takitaki
LB Jahlani Tavai
LB Joshua Uche
CB Marcus Jones
CB Jonathan JonesAdditionally, defensive back Shaun Wade left practice with a Patriots staffer late. However, he did give a thumbs up to the sideline as he was walking off.
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 wrap up the OTA portion of their schedule this week behind closed doors. Then they’ll be back on the field next Monday for the start of mandatory minicamp.
