The New England Patriots’ first open practice of the 2022 season took place on Monday at the fields next to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Sessions remain closed to the public, but reporters were able to get their first look at the team, and we’ve got a roundup of the most interesting developments.
It was a non-padded, non-contact practice for the Pats, who had plenty of players absent and more limited. But starting quarterback Mac Jones let it rip in front of reporters for the first time as an NFL sophomore, and notably, he had head coach Bill Belichick working very closely alongside him. We’ll see how involved Belichick is with the offense in particular when the regular season starts. But clearly, he’s taking on a significant role in a crucial year of development for Jones.
A couple of Patriots rookies stood out to those in attendance, while other information came out about the coaching staff and who they were working with on the field. The Sports Hub had boots on the ground in Foxboro with our own Alex Barth, who will have more in-depth coverage of OTAs in the near future.
There was a surprisingly good amount of things to take away from the first day of open practice, as light a day as it was. Without further ado, here’s our first practice roundup of 2022…
Mac Attack
BUFFALO, NEW YORK – JANUARY 15: Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots looks on against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter in the AFC Wild Card playoff game at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2022 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Starting quarterback Mac Jones stood out to reporters with his
Mac Jones was very vocal while running drills with wide receivers. Pumping everybody up, cheering on every catch even when he wasn’t throwing.
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) May 23, 2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vocal approach running the offense during team drills. Let’s not give him a trophy just yet, but it’s good that Jones is looking to take on the kind of commanding leadership role that is a prerequisite for a successful quarterback at the NFL level.Per multiple
Three players remain on the field for extra work, well after practice has ended — QB Mac Jones and d-linemen Deatrich Wise Jr. and Bill Murray.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 23, 2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports, Jones also stayed on the field after practice for extra work, along with perennial overtime grinder Deatrich Wise, according to Mike Reiss. PerMost every player has left the field and Mac Jones is staying late, working on his deep ball. pic.twitter.com/gU5DftvjEj
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) May 23, 2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, Jones worked specifically on his deep ball.Most every player has left the field and Mac Jones is staying late, working on his deep ball. pic.twitter.com/gU5DftvjEj
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) May 23, 2022Coaches
Jun 16, 2021; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the New England Patriots mini camp at the New England Patriots practice complex. Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
This year, eyeballs will be all over the Patriots’ coaching staff, almost as much as the players. Who’s running the offense in the post-Josh McDaniels era?
Per multiple reports, it looks like Bill Belichick is handling it himself. For now, anyway. As you can see in this video from ESPN’s
Bill Belichick spent most of practice with the offense, with this snapshot a good reflection of that. He was working with WRs on keeping their eyes up in this drill. pic.twitter.com/GDxvMiCn9X
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 23, 2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Reiss, Belichick worked closely with the offense, here with the wide receivers during individual drills:Bill Belichick spent most of practice with the offense, with this snapshot a good reflection of that. He was working with WRs on keeping their eyes up in this drill. pic.twitter.com/GDxvMiCn9X
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 23, 2022Belichick spent most of practice with the offense, per multiple reports. He also called the offensive plays during the final 11-on-11 drills of the day, according to
Patriots OTA notes:
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) May 23, 2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Callahan. But, as reported by
- Bill Belichick called offensive plays in live 11-on-11s.
- No pads, no hitting.
- Mac 11/16, Hoyer 12/16, Zappe 6/10.
- Play of the Day: DeVante Parker smoked Justin Bethel on a post-route TD.
- Trent Brown at LT for Isaiah Wynn (absent), Cole Strange at LG.There was a lot happening with the offensive play calling. Bill Belichick called the final 11-on-11 period of the day. Matt Patricia called some plays earlier. Joe Judge was involved. They also appeared to run plays off a script for a couple periods.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) May 23, 2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeff Howe, Matt Patricia also called some plays and Joe Judge “was involved.” So, unsurprisingly, the Patriots still have some roles to hammer out in the coaching department.Patricia mainly worked with the offensive line, while Judge worked with the quarterbacks, per multiple reports. Jones said after practice that Judge has “done a great job coaching us” (via
Mac Jones on Joe Judge: “He’s done a great job coaching us.” pic.twitter.com/ZKSRmltdrZ
— Karen Guregian (@kguregian) May 23, 2022" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Karen Guregian).Rookie Watch
Nov 27, 2021; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Jack Jones (0) against the Arizona Wildcats at Sun Devil Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Of all the Patriots rookies who practiced, cornerback Jack Jones was the
We’ll start with the rookies…Jack Jones was the most involved of the group. Watching him in person, it’s stands out how effortlessly he moves and changes direction. He should be in the mix for at least a rotational outside CB role.
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) May 23, 2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“most involved”. His fluid movement and change of direction stood out. Considering the Pats’ question marks at outside corner, it wouldn’t be surprising if Jones carved out a role for himself in year 1.Elsewhere, guard Cole Strange “spent a lot of time” with Patriots starting center David Andrews. It wasn’t a full-contact practice for the offensive line, but it’s good that Strange is
When they weren’t actually lining up during plays, Cole Strange spent a lot of time around David Andrews. Hard to think of a better mentor for him.
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) May 23, 2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">learning as much as he can from Andrews early on, because they will most certainly be lining up together when the real football starts.According to
No surprise here but Cole Strange saw lots of time at left guard with Michael Onwenu at right guard
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) May 23, 2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal, Strange appeared to line up at left guard, with Mike Onwenu at right guard.
