Three more days.
The Patriots offseason workout program comes to an end this week with a three-day mandatory minicamp. These non-padded practice sessions are scheduled to run Monday through Wednesday. Although it remains to be seen if Mike Vrabel will have his players practice all three days, this will be the last time we see the 2025 Patriots until training camp.
Over the last month, the Patriots have had their first OTA sessions under Vrabel. The media was present for three of the team’s nine scheduled practices.
Since players aren’t wearing pads, there’s no contact allowed in any facet during these sessions. These practices are also optional, so the Patriots haven’t had everyone present this spring.
On Monday, minicamp marks the first mandatory practice of the offseason. That’s the only difference between minicamp and OTAs as players won’t be in pads until camp starts at the end of July.
Here’s what to look for in Patriots minicamp:
Drake Maye
It’s not wise to overreact over non-padded practices. Still, Maye’s performance in the first two open OTA sessions left a lot to be desired. The quarterback threw four interceptions in the first session. In the second, he completed 53% of his passes in team drills. The offense didn’t look efficient.
Before the third open practice, Josh McDaniels said he wasn’t worried. Maye proved him right, completing 14-of-16 (87.5%) of his passes in competitive team drills. The second-year quarterback looked really, really good. It would be nice if Maye showed that upward trajectory this week.
Stefon Diggs
Diggs made headlines for the wrong reasons this offseason when he was videotaped on a yacht handing out a mystery substance to several women. This happened at a time when Diggs wasn’t a regular participant at OTAs. A week later, that changed.
Last week, Diggs was present and accounted for at Patriots practice. The receiver, coming off a torn ACL, looked to be in great shape. He was a limited practice participant, but his speed during individual drills was noticeable. We haven’t seen Diggs participate in full-team drills yet, but his presence will be one of the bigger things to monitor this week.
Efton Chism III
The hype train for Chism is in full effect. The undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington came to New England after breaking Cooper Kupp’s collegiate records. It’s easy to see why. Chism has had no problem learning Josh McDaniels’ system. On top of that, he keeps getting open. Through three practices, he leads everyone in Foxborough with 13 catches in team drills. Hunter Henry and TreVeyon Henderson are second with 7 receptions.
For the first time last week, Chism was on the field with Maye and his offensive unit. That’s a big deal for an undrafted rookie receiver in his first spring. There’s a lot of competition at receiver on the Patriots, so Chism needs to keep it up. So far, however, he’s been one of the best storylines in New England.
Cornerback position
On paper, the Patriots should have two of the best cornerback duos in the NFL with Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis. Thus far, we haven’t seen the two veterans on the field together that much. Davis wasn’t at the last practice and looked limited in the two sessions before that.
When healthy, this pairing should be a lot of fun to watch. Their presence on the practice field will only help Maye and his offense. It’ll also tell us a lot about the team’s receiver position. We’ll see if Davis is more of a full participant this week – and how that impacts Maye and the offense.
Linebacker
Last week, the Patriots lost a defensive starter when Jahlani Tavai left practice with a reported calf injury. The veteran started 16 games last year and led the Patriots in tackles with 115. This offseason, that group has undergone many changes with the departure of Ja’Whaun Bentley and the additions of Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens.
With Tavai reportedly out until training camp, it’ll be interesting to see if anyone else emerges from this group. In OTAs, Spillane and Christian Elliss looked like the top middle linebackers. Tavai’s absence will create more playing time for the likes of Gibbens, Monty Rice, Cam Riley, and Elijah Ponder.