FOXBORO — The penultimate practice of the offseason brought Mike Vrabel’s Patriots as close as they’ve come yet to real football.
Mandatory attendance for players.
Red-zone work.
Almost an hour of competitive periods pitting their top offense against their top defense.
The results? Pretty good.
Quarterback Drake Maye went 14-of-18 in team drills, including a perfect start through his first eight pass attempts. Working with a full field, he hit three intermediate to deep passes, then a series of checkdowns and screens before buckling in for two ensuing periods inside the red zone.
There, starting at the 10-yard line, Maye cracked Vrabel’s defense for three touchdown passes in eight tries. He tossed one to DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne and another to rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson. Backup Joshua Dobbs threw his own touchdown and the day’s only interception.
Overall, Monday marked a step forward for an offense still learning to walk with a new playbook and coordinator, and enough encouraging moments for a defense shouldering rising expectations.
Elsewhere, a rookie receiver produced the Play of the Day, Stefon Diggs continued to be limited, a forgotten cornerback ripped off a pick-six and the kicking competition, for one day, was a dead heat.
Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations:
Attendance
Absent: OG Wes Schweitzer, OL Tyrese Robinson
Non-participant: WR Mack Hollins, CB Miles Battle, LB Jahlani Tavai
Limited: WR Stefon Diggs, S Kyle Dugger, OL Mike Onwenu, TE Austin Hooper, WR Ja’Lynn Polk OT Vederian Lowe, C Jared Wilson, DL Jacquelin Roy
Notes: Schweitzer, who started at left guard for long stretches of OTAs, missed his first practice open to reporters. Hollins, Battle and Tavai were all present in street clothes. Tavai wore a sleeve around his injured left calf.
Most of the limited participants, including Diggs, Dugger and Onwenu, engaged in most drills but sat out the competitive team periods that involved the most contact. Diggs (ACL), Polk (shoulder), Dugger (ankle) and Onwenu (hand) are dealing with known injuries.
Play of the Day
Kyle Williams’ 50-yard touchdown
Foxboro, MA - June 9 - Kyle Williams of the New England Patriots walks onto the field during mini camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
Foxboro, MA - June 9 - Kyle Williams of the New England Patriots walks onto the field during mini camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
It was a quiet day for the third-round rookie — until it wasn’t.
Midway through practice, Williams flew down the right seam against a zone defense with two high safeties. As Williams surged past the second level, both began to converge on him, perhaps fearing it was too late to keep him contained. Turns out, it was.
Backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs uncorked a perfect deep pass that fell right into Williams’ arms as he cruised across the 10-yard line at full speed, then coasted into the end zone for a touchdown.
Player of the Day
QB Joshua Dobbs
For authoring the two best throws of the day, Dobbs deserves both his flowers and forgiveness for tossing the only interception.
He delivered an accurate pass on 10 of 13 attempts, including the aforementioned touchdown to Williams and a brilliant 10-yard score to backup running back Lan Larison with perfect touch. Dobbs’ throw to Larison not only punctuated the end of a nice wheel route by the rookie but beat step-for-step coverage. This was by far Dobbs’ best media-attended practice yet, pick aside.
QB Corner
Foxboro, MA - June 9 - Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots during mini camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
Foxboro, MA - June 9 - Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots during mini camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
Note: The passing stats below were tallied during competitive 11-on-11 periods only. The stats in parentheses represent the quarterbacks’ camp-long performance.
Drake Maye: 14-of-18
Joshua Dobbs: 9-of-13, INT
Notes: Maye cooked at the start, hitting DeMario Douglas on a corner route after Keion White pulled up on a would-be, unblocked sack for the first competitive 11-on-11 rep of practice. Next, Maye found Kayshon Boutte on a deep curl versus Christian Gonzalez, Kendrick Bourne short over the middle, Hunter Henry on a right-to-left crosser and Douglas again for another deep sideline connection.
The next drill, another full-field team period, featured two screen completions and a checkdown. Maye also missed TreVeyon Henderson on a checkdown throw at the running back’s feet and ran away from a sack courtesy of edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson.
Maye’s opening red-zone period went as follows: checkdown to Rhamondre Stevenson, checkdown to Bourne, touchdown pass to Henderson over the middle on an angle route, Bourne touchdown catch in the back left corner and incomplete to Bourne against the back line of the end zone, where safety Jaylinn Hawkins pushed him out.
The next and final team drill featured a short completion to Henry, back-to-back misses forced by good coverage courtesy of veteran corner Carlton Davis and nickelback Marcus Jones, then a Douglas touchdown over the middle against zone coverage.
Studs
Foxboro, MA - June 9 - DeMario Douglas #3 of the New England Patriots runs a drill during mini camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
Foxboro, MA - June 9 - DeMario Douglas #3 of the New England Patriots runs a drill during mini camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
WR DeMario Douglas
Like Kendrick Bourne, Douglas caught three of four targets in team drills, including a red-zone touchdown. Unlike Bourne, he won downfield and impressed with his separation. Two good receiving days, one better than the other.
CB Isaiah Bolden
Few players on the Patriots’ roster are as fast as Bolden, a seventh-round pick from the 2023 draft. And Bolden showed it late in practice, racing a Joshua Dobbs interception back for what would have been a pick-six down the right sideline during a red-zone period. Before the pick, Bolden remained patient in zone coverage, watching Dobbs work left-to-right on his read and throw back across the field in an ill-advised decision.
Duds
TE CJ Dippre
The undrafted rookie out of Alabama dropped his only red-zone target, a gimme touchdown at the goal line.
TE Gee Scott Jr.
Another undrafted rookie, Scott had two of his three targets broken up in team drills. The first he lost after failing to separate from second-year safety Dell Pettus up the right seam, and the latter he bobbled before getting shoved to the ground for a red-zone incompletion. Scott also caught a pass in the flat.
Offensive notes
Top targets in team drills: WR Kendrick Bourn 3/4, TE Hunter Henry 3/4, WR DeMario Douglas 3/3
Drops: TE CJ Dippre
Top position battles: WR (Bourne, Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams), Backup RG (Cole Strange, Sidy Sow, Jack Conley)
Running backs
Rhamondre Stevenson led off all team periods and finished with two catches, one on a screen and the other a checkdown at the end of Maye’s first red-zone rep.
TreVeyon Henderson beat inside linebacker Christian Elliss for a touchdown during red-zone work, a nice angle route where he broke into the middle all alone for an easy pitch and catch. Like Stevenson, he totaled two grabs.
Veteran Antonio Gibson extended what’s been a quiet spring for arguably the team’s best back a year ago. He had one catch, as did Lan Larison, who beat backup linebacker Cam Riley for a touchdown on a wheel route.
Fourth-string back Trayveon Williams worked with backup quarterbacks Joshua Dobbs and Ben Wooldridge, securing one pass from each and ripping off a long run on a draw play.
Wide receivers
Stefon Diggs and Ja’Lynn Polk participated in non-competitive 11-on-11 periods, but sat out the contact-heavy periods.
With both of them sidelined, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne and Kyle Williams led most periods among wideouts. Undrafted rookie Efton Chism saw less time with Maye than he did a week ago during OTAs.
Williams had two catches, both from Dobbs: a back-shoulder grab and the deep touchdown. Boutte recorded his only grab running a deep curl against Christian Gonzalez on a play-action concept.
No other receivers stood out, including former fourth-round pick Javon Baker, who didn’t see a target.
Tight ends
Veteran No. 2 option Austin Hooper remained limited, which opened up more opportunities for young players further down the depth chart. At least for one day, none took advantage.
Meanwhile, Hunter Henry caught three passes, including one on a nifty fake screen concept.
Offensive line
Without free-agent addition Wes Schweitzer at left guard, Cole Strange took the majority of snaps there in front of Maye.
Strange worked next to Will Campbell at left tackle and Garrett Bradbury, who seems to be entrenched at center with third-round rookie Jared Wilson limited most of the spring.
At right guard, incumbent starter Mike Onwenu lined up for the non-competitive team drills, then ceded snaps to 2023 fourth-round pick Sidy Sow in contact periods.
Shuffling along the backup lines, 2024 third-round pick Caedan Wallace played some left guard and undrafted rookie Jack Conley backed up Sow at right guard.
Backup center Ben Brown fired a low snap in the last 11-on-11 period of the day to rookie quarterback Ben Wooldridge.
Defensive notes
Top personnel during team periods: defensive linemen Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Keion White, Jeremiah Pharms Jr., Khyris Tonga and Wilfried Pene ; linebackers Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens, Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson; defensive backs Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Alex Austin, Marcus Jones, Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawkins, Craig Woodson and Marcus Epps.
Interceptions: CB Isaiah Bolden
Pass breakups: CB Carlton Davis, S Dell Pettus, S Josh Minkins
Would-be sacks: DL Keion White, OLB K’Lavon Chaisson
Defensive linemen
Keion White tallied the first “sack” of practice looping inside on a stunt that would have swallowed Maye on the first snap of 11-on-11s.
White often manned one edge opposite Harold Landry, who praised the third-year rusher during a post-practice press conference.
Christian Barmore continued to practice without limitation, as positive development as any for the Patriots after his bout with blood clots last year.
Khyris Tonga and Jeremiah Pharms Jr. were next up after Barmore and Milton Williams in the defensive tackle rotation.
Linebackers
Projected pass-rushing specialist K’Lavon Chaisson chased Maye on a would-be sack after speeding around the left side of the offense in one team period.
Christian Elliss replaced Jahlani Tavai at the inside linebacker spot next to Robert Spillane. Elliss got beat for a touchdown in red-zone work, and teamed with backup Jack Gibbens during second-team work.
Anfernee Jennings could be a casualty of regime change, as he continues to take reps behind other veterans after being an early-down staple in recent seasons.
Defensive backs
Welcome back, Carlton Davis. The high-priced free-agent corner participated in his first practice open to reporters this spring, and knocked a potential touchdown away from Hunter Henry, who failed to box him out at the goal line during team drills.
Davis worked opposite fellow projected starter Christian Gonzalez, who yielded just one catch in man coverage. Together, they sent Alex Austin back to reserve reps. Austin allowed two catches, including a harmless grab in the flat during a red-zone period.
Another welcome back: Marcus Jones. The fourth-year nickelback/return man blanketed DeMario Douglas on the only incompletion Douglas was involved in and started with the top grouping in initial 11-on-11 periods.
At safety, Jabrill Peppers and Jaylinn Hawkins took the top reps, followed by free-agent signing Marcus Epps and fourth-round rookie Craig Woodson. Epps was covering a deep half of the field on Kyle Williams’ long touchdown.
Dell Pettus, also in the area on Williams’ touchdown, earned his pass breakup in man-to-man coverage.
Kyle Dugger participated in walkthrough 11-on-11 periods, but no drills involving contact.
Extra points
The Patriots will hold their second and final minicamp practice Tuesday outside Gillette Stadium starting at 12:30 p.m.
Players are scheduled to return to the facility Wednesday, then break for five weeks before training camp next month.
Drake Maye, Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Harold Landry and DeMario Douglas spoke to reporters after practice.