One joint practice down, one exhibition to go.
The Patriots and Colts will reconvene Thursday night for their preseason opener just two days after clashing on the practice fields outside Gillette Stadium. Like most preseason games across the league, several starters are expected to sit for both teams. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a lot to learn about these Pats.
Here are five things to watch for:
#### 1\. Quarterback reps
Drake Maye won’t play.
Probably.
“I wouldn’t anticipate seeing Drake out there on Thursday, but that’s all subject to change,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said Tuesday. “That’s where my mindset is right now, standing here today. It’s important that we get the work in and get things accomplished that we are looking to get accomplished. That can always change, but I wouldn’t anticipate that happening right now.”
Without Maye, the Patriots will have veteran backup Tommy Devito and seventh-round rookie Behren Morton. To date, both have impressed in training camp, and especially DeVito, who threw a long touchdown in his one-minute drill that helped cap Tuesday’s joint practice with the Colts. Overall, DeVito has completed 68% of his passes in team drills and thrown just one interception over 14 practices.
As for Morton, he hasn’t thrown a single pick in practice, and should expect to see the bulk of the reps Thursday. He did not see any 11-on-11 action during the joint practice.
#### 2\. Lomu’s best position
For most of the summer, Caleb Lomu has taken snaps at right tackle.
The Patriots are trying to cross-train their first-round rookie, who spent virtually his entire college career at left tackle. Lately, that’s where the coaching staff has placed him in practice. At left tackle, Lomu saw immediate improvement in his performance during a frequent 1-on-1 pass rush drill. But his play regressed some Tuesday when he was more effective in team drills than individual work versus unfamiliar Colts pass rushers, who bested him a few times.
Offensive lineman Caleb Lomu heads off the field after a recent Patriots' practice at training camp. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)
Ideally, Lomu will serve as the Patriots’ swing tackle this season before developing their right tackle of the future. But that all depends on how well he takes to his new position. Will the Pats give Lomu a shot to prove himself at right tackle in his preseason debut? Or will he be back on the blindside as he has been most of the week?
#### 3\. The other rookies
It wasn’t all that long ago all mentions of Gabe Jacas were related to a contract he had yet to sign. Thankfully for him, and the Patriots, that’s all behind them.
Jacas has been an active practice participant for more than a week now, having completed a ramp-up process that involved increasing his reps each day he was on the field. Teammates and coaches know Jacas, a second-round rookie, will be critical to their defense this season. He may, in fact, be the most physically gifted edge rusher the Patriots have.
Increasingly, third-round rookie Eli Raridon has become more involved with the starting offense this summer. He’s now caught several passes from Maye in team drills and should warrant several snaps Thursday. Raridon’s catch radius and long speed have been particularly apparent on intermediate routes.
And don’t forget fellow rookie tight end Tanner Arkin, a fierce blocker, undrafted free agent linebacker Khalil Jacobs and fifth-round rookie cornerback Karon Prunty, who have all flashed at various points during training camp.
Patriots tight end Tanner Arkin talks to the media after a training camp practice in Foxboro. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)
#### 4\. Edge depth
With Harold Landry still unable to practice on the Physically Unable to Perform list, the Patriots have tested their outside linebacker depth ever since the start of OTAs.
Second-year edge rusher Elijah Ponder has taken most of the reps opposite free-agent addition Dre’Mont Jones. Ponder had a quiet spell over the last two weeks, but came alive versus the Colts in Tuesday’s joint practice with a would-be sack, batted pass and drawn holding penalty. Last year, Ponder had four sacks as an undrafted rookie. Since then, his position coach, outside linebackers coach Mike Smith, has said he expects big things from Ponder.
Will he show up tonight? And can Jacas, 2025 fifth-round pick Bradyn Swinson or a training camp darling, like undrafted rookie Xavier Holmes, make some splash plays? If not, it may not be long before the front office looks for some outside help to address one of the most important, and shallowest, positions on the roster.
#### 5\. Will a backup corner step up?
Following recent practices, it would be a surprise to see any of the Patriots’ top three cornerbacks — Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis or Charles Woods — play tonight.
That leaves Vrabel with a handful of backups who all appear to be on the bubble. Between Prunty, former seventh-round pick Kobee Minor, free-agent addition Kindle Vildor and forgotten man Marcellas Dial, none of them have seized a roster spot based on their play in training camp. Minor and Vildor have run with the top defense lately, but Dial enjoyed the best practice of any corner on Tuesday, and Prunty has the benefit of being a recent draft pick.
Then again, that sense of security could change soon if a teammate begins to rise up the depth chart tonight. Who will it be?