Organized Team Activity #2
The Patriots opened up their practice to the media on Wednesday. The media were under strict direction not to disclose any depth chart or starting lineups.
General reaction is that the Offense played better than in the 1st open practice. Drake Maye was 9 of 15 and didn’t throw any interceptions. However, he did have a fumbled snap with Garrett Bradbury. Greg Bedard reported that Maye had several passes sail high and still shows signs of that hitch in his throwing motion.
The following players were absent: Stephon Diggs, Carlton Davis (on Vacation in Turks and Caicos) Caeden Wallace, and Austin Hooper. It appears that Diggs is being held out from the eyes of the media. Diggs appeared in a photo released by the team participating in OTA’s last week. Mack Hollins didn’t participate but was at practice in street clothes. He even spent some time with Javon Baker on the sideline after he got chewed out by Mike Vrabel for not hustling back to the huddle. Remember this is a voluntary workout according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players. Mike Vrabel has emphasized that numerous times this off-season.
Those participating on a limited basis were Michael Onwenu, Ja’lynn Polk (Recovering from shoulder surgery), Kyle Dugger (Recovering from ankle surgery), Vederian Lowe, Jared Wilson, Rhamondre Stevenson, Jaquelin Roy and Wilfried Pene. Polk did don a yellow Non-Contact jersey and participate in a few routes.
A video of Stefon Diggs has surfaced, showing him on a yacht and partying with some women in bikinis. Such is the life of a single NFL superstar. Diggs is seen handing one of the women a baggie with a pink substance in it. Mike Vrabel was asked about the video in his press conference before the practice. He seemed annoyed that he had to answer questions about this incident. Vrabel answered by saying “we want to make great decisions on and off the field … any conversations that I’ve had with Stefon will remain between him and I and the club.” Thanks to Ian Logue for publishing the entire transcript of Vrabel’s Press Conference.
Still no Terrell Williams on the field yet. When asked about Williams Vrabel stated “the communication that I see every day with him and the players in their meetings, in the Zoom meeting. I know that he’s excited, and hopefully, we’ll get him back here sooner rather than later.” There is no timetable for his return. I anticipate it won’t be until Training Camp. If it’s longer than that then I have some real concerns about his overall health situation.
A forgotten name surfaced in practice. Tyrese Robinson received a lot of reps and appears to be in the competition for the starting Left Guard position. This will be the one positional battle to watch with any number of players getting the opportunity to start. Cole Strange, Wes Sweitzer, Layden Robinson, Jared Wilson and now Tyrese Robinson. The 6’3”, 319-pound Guard played his first NFL game in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills backup players. He went undrafted in 2022 out of Oklahoma and signed with Washington, was cut at the final cutdowns and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles where he spent 2022 and 2023 on their Practice Squad. He signed with Minnesota for 2024 camp but was cut and then signed by the Patriots Practice Squad. Pro Football Focus gave him a good overall grade for the one game he played versus the Bills backups. He had a 75.4 overall grade (88.2 Run Blocking and 67.3 Pass Blocking). If he played at least 5 games, he would have been ranked 18th in the league. In that one game he had 1 penalty and gave up a sack.
Kyle Williams
(PHOTO: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)
Rookie WR Kyle Williams made a nice back-shoulder catch from Josh Dobbs. He faced CB Myles Battle. Williams blazed past Battle, and he was able to stack the CB and make the adjustment on the ball thrown to the back side. That stacking move is a veteran move, one that former Carolina WR Steve Smith would often do. Williams has been compared to Steve Smith, by Smith himself. That is high praise by Smith.
Javon Baker had a deep ball catch, but it appeared to all who viewed it as Offensive Pass Interference as Baker pushed off the defender. He took it into the end zone and celebrated a bit too much. Baker then jogged to the sideline and got a mouthful from Coach Vrabel. It was noted that Vrabel left the Practice Field with Baker on the way to the locker room.
Lan Larison, and fellow UDFA Efton Chism were signaled out as standouts in the practice. Many of the completions were checkdowns and not deep down the field. Chism was particularly impressive on a pass where he came all the way back to Dobbs, caught the ball and them put a jump stop on the DB and watched him fly by to gain additional yardage. I know this is just OTAs and no pads are on, but when you see multiple reporters saying the same thing about a player you have to take notice. Larison has developed a rapport with the backup QBs and it is their bailout option when they can’t find someone open downfield.
With Stevenson sitting out, TreVeyon Henderson got a lot of reps. He did have a drop on a screen pass but overall, his speed and catching ability did impress. I thought it was interesting that he was getting reps ahead of Antonio Gibson.
On the Defensive side, Joshua Farmer stood out. He beat Wes Sweitzer on an interior move and put pressure on the QB. On another play, he batted down a pass from Josh Dobbs. This was the first look at Farmer, as he missed the 1st OTA.
Alex Austin played in the slot again. This is a big potential change. Austin stands 6’1”, a bigger slot corner than Marcus Jones. However, Austin doesn’t have the speed or quickness of Jones. This will be an interesting change and one that should be watched through Training Camp.
Keon White got the best of rookie LT Will Campbell after he absorbed Campbell’s two-handed punch. White knocked down his arms and proceeded around him for what would have been a sack. White has been used on the outside. I can’t say for sure if his hand has been on the ground or if he is in a stand-up position. Overall, Campbell played well. Has White improved or is it that he is going up against a rookie? We won’t find out until we see those joint practices. If Campbell is giving up a sack a practice against a mediocre pass rusher, like White has been over his two seasons with the Patriots, then that will be a big problem in the regular season. This is White’s contract year, so I believe he is highly motivated to have a good season.
Christian Elliss has been getting lots of reps, and Jahlani Tavai hasn’t.
Dell Pettus had an interception of Josh Dobbs off a pass that WR John Jiles tried to catch in his body. The ball bounced off Jiles, and Pettus was the beneficiary. The secondary is dominating the play right now and making it very difficult for the QBs. We will not find out how they are really doing until they go up against the Commanders and Vikings in the joint practices.
Funny I didn’t see or hear the names Boutte or Bourne mentioned at all. With Diggs and Hollins out, this was a big opportunity to shine, and it doesn’t look like they took advantage.
The last point I want to bring up is that many have said what great shape Christian Barmore is in. He seems more focused after the health scare last season and is more dedicated. It doesn’t hurt that he has Milt Williams pushing him. I am excited to see this combination of Williams and Barmore together.
About Mark Morse
Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.
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