FOXBORO — Well, that’s a wrap.
The Patriots held their last practice of the spring Tuesday inside their practice bubble to shield themselves from a rainy afternoon outside Gillette Stadium. Had they practiced outside, it might have been tempting to ascribe the occasional lapse in focus and sloppy execution to poor weather. But, they didn’t.
A streaky Drake Maye finished 9-of-14 with an interception in team drills, including a 3-of-6 showing over two red zone periods where he tossed just a single touchdown. His offensive line and Mike Vrabel’s defensive front took turns jumping offside, and Rhamondre Stevenson had a drop, which largely amounted to standard spring slop.
Already content with their overall body of work, the Patriots cancelled what would have been their third and final minicamp practice Wednesday. Now, players head into what Vrabel described as the “five most important weeks of the offseason,” when they will simultaneously step completely away from football and inch closer to another grueling season.
Elsewhere at practice Tuesday, Christian Gonzalez starred, DeMario Douglas out-shined all the wideouts, a rising pass rusher nabbed his second sack in as many days and a rookie maintained his lead in a major position battle.
Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations:
Attendance
Absent: OG Wes Schweitzer (retired), 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, was placed on the retired/reserve list. For a second straight day, Hollins, Battle and Tavai were all present in street clothes. Tavai wore a sleeve around his injured left calf.
Onwenu increased his participation slightly, participating in a few live drills with contact. The other limited participants, including Diggs and Dugger, engaged in most drills but sat out the competitive, more physical team periods. Diggs (ACL), Polk (shoulder) and Dugger (ankle) are recovering from known injuries.
Play of the Day
Christian Gonzalez’s one-handed INT
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) does drills as the Patriots hold OTA practice at Gillette on May 20. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) does drills as the Patriots hold OTA practice at Gillette on May 20. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
On his last snap of 11-on-11s with a full field, Drake Maye gambled.
He lost.
Maye tossed a go ball down the right sideline intended for third-round rookie wideout Kyle Williams, who had drawn the unfortunate assignment of beating Christian Gonzalez. Not only did Gonzalez contain Williams off the line and run the route for him, he was two steps ahead of the rookie when he shot his right arm out to secure a one-handed interception. A masterful piece of coverage, start to finish.
Player of the Day
CB Christian Gonzalez
Again, the man caught a one-handed interception while sprinting more than 25 yards downfield.
Other than that, Gonzalez allowed just a single catch in team drills: an out route to Kendrick Bourne shy of the goal line during red-zone work.
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)
Drake Maye: 9-of-14, INT
Joshua Dobbs: 9-of-15
Notes: The Patriots split their 11-on-11 work into two full-field drills and a couple red-zone periods. Mirroring Monday’s practice, Maye started fast and cooled late.
He opened 4-of-4 with a sack, thanks to a short throw to Kayshon Boutte running on a stop route, bootleg toss to TreVeyon Henderson in the right flat, checkdown to Henderson over the middle and connection with DeMario Douglas on a deep in-breaker despite tight coverage from veteran corner Carlton Davis. In the next period, Maye misfired low for Boutte, found Hunter Henry on a corner route versus Jabrill Peppers, scrambled, hit Rhamondre Stevenson in the flat and got picked off deep looking for rookie Kyle Williams.
Inside the red zone, Maye’s offense immediately had to re-huddle after approaching the line due to a procedural error. His ensuing reps went: scramble, out-route completion to Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas slant completion, Stevenson drop and bad throw for Henry amid shoddy protection. Maye’s last four snaps brought another short Bourne completion, near pick after Keion White jumped offside, quarterback run and overshot right seam throw for Henry with Peppers in the tight end’s back pocket.
Patriots training camp 2025 dates and times announced
Studs
S Craig Woodson
The fourth-round rookie safety posted two pass breakups in team periods. He broke up a Joshua Dobbs pass in the left flat intended for tight end Jaheim Bell, then jumped a short Maye pass over the middle in the red zone.
LB Cam Riley
An undrafted rookie out of Florida State, Riley also broke up two passes. Both of his deflections came at the expense of veteran running back TrayVeon Williams. Riley's speed was evident throughout practice.
Duds
WR Kyle Williams
Williams caught one of four targets during live team drills, including the pass Gonzalez intercepted and a would-be touchdown Marcus Jones ripped away from him as they tumbled out of the end zone late in a red-zone period. The third-round speedster experienced an up-and-down spring, as most rookies do.
WR Javon Baker
Baker went catch-less in minicamp, thanks to an 0-of-2 performance in team drills Tuesday. His first target was a long ball, where Baker couldn't lose linebacker Jack Gibbens in deep coverage and the other another tightly-contested pass he batted down.
Offensive notes
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)
Top targets in team drills: RB Antonio Gibson 4/4, WR DeMario Douglas 3/3
Drops: RB Rhamondre Stevenson
Top position battles: WR (Bourne, Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams), Backup RG (Sidy Sow, Jack Conley)
Running backs
Quiet no more! Antonio Gibson was the most productive back as a pass-catcher Tuesday, securing all four targets he saw, all on different routes and all courtesy of Joshua Dobbs. Gibson has been overlooked much of the spring.
Second-round rookie TreVeyon Henderson caught two of Maye's three first throws, then didn't see a target the rest of the day. He did, however, make an impact in blitz pickup, halting a corner blitz later in practice.
Rhamondre Stevenson butter-fingered one of two passes he saw, a Maye throw late in the progression after he couldn't quite shake Christian Elliss in coverage.
Zero targets for undrafted rookie Lan Larison.
Wide receivers
Stefon Diggs finished the spring just like he started: limited. Diggs did not partake in live, 11-on-11 drills, but participated in every other part of practice. He looks sudden in his movements and sharp with his cuts, certainly ahead of schedule for a typical ACL tear.
Without Diggs, the top wide receivers in team periods were DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne and Kayshon Boutte. Rookies Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III were next up, but both far less productive than the leading vets.
Douglas led the way with three catches, including two red-zone touchdowns from Maye and Dobbs. He scored on a slant and an out-breaking route.
The coaching staff seems intent on moving Douglas around the formation, an effort to weaponize his long speed as an outside receiver as much as his quickness from the slot. So far, so good.
Chism finished without a catch in team drills, a second consecutive quiet practice for the undrafted rookie who had been the buzz of OTAs.
Nice day for John Jiles, a second-year wideout who went undrafted last year and signed to the Patriots' practice squad midseason. He capped practice with a touchdown catch in the back right corner that had Vrabel sprinting over to celebrate.
Tight ends
Heading into the summer, the depth chart here shows Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper and a load of question marks.
With Hooper limited, none of the Patriots' young tight ends, including a few undrafted rookies, have emerged as legitimate No. 3 options.
Jack Westover, a holdover from last season and another practice-squad signee, continued to take reps ahead of former seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell, who had yet another pass batted away from him during team drills.
Undrafted rookie Gee Scott Jr. did bounce back from a rough Monday practice to make two catches in a red-zone period, including a touchdown grab.
Offensive line
From this view, the Patriots' starting offensive line heading into training camp can safely be projected as: left tackle Will Campbell, left guard Cole Strange, center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Mike Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses.
Strange will still have to prove himself at left guard, despite Wes Schweitzer's retirement. Strange took virtually all the reps at left guard in front of Maye.
Meanwhile, Bradbury didn't see much competition this spring from third-round rookie Jared Wilson who again sat out team periods Tuesday.
Perhaps thanks to Schweitzer's retirement, the coaching staff again trotted out second-year lineman Caedan Wallace at left guard. Wallace is a lifelong offensive tackle, who primarily split his backup guard reps with Boston College product Jack Conley.
Defensive notes
Foxboro, MA - June 9 - Milton Williams #97 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 - Milton Williams #97 of the New England Patriots walks onto the field during mini camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
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 Christian Gonzalez
Pass breakups: S Craig Woodson 2, LB Cam Riley 2
Would-be sacks: DL Keion White, Team
Defensive linemen
Milton Williams, get ready to move. Williams aligned all over the defensive line during team drills, a small peek at how the coaching staff intends to weaponize the highest-paid player in franchise history.
Behind Williams and Christian Barmore, who applied steady pressure, the staff ran out Khyris Tonga and Jeremiah Pharms Jr.; presumably the Pats' No. 3 and 4 defensive tackles until further notice.
White, like Williams, moved into several defensive line spots and has tallied would-be sacks from outside and interior alignments. After practice, he spoke positively about the coaching change and Vrabel's demanding style.
Linebackers
Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss manned the top inside linebacker spots in Jahlani Tavai's absence.
Behind them, Jack Gibbens ran as well as any linebacker on the field, going almost step for step with Javon Baker on a deep incompletion early in practice. Gibbens' presence on the top kick return unit should help his chances of making the roster.
On the edge, K'Lavon Chaisson, who signed a flier, 1-year contract in free agency, took some top reps on one edge opposite Keion White. Harold Landry, who had been a staple opposite White, worked with the first and second defensive units in team drills.
Undrafted rookie Cam Riley wrapped himself around veteran running back TrayVeon Williams for an easy, well-timed pass breakup on the third-to-last snap of team drills and also beat Williams to a
Defensive backs
Christian Gonzalez, as to be expected, was the best player on the field Tuesday. In addition to his interception, Gonzalez throttled some of the Patriots' receivers early in their routes during 11-on-11s and bottled up DeMario Douglas on a couple reps.
Carlton Davis saw two targets: one catch he allowed to Douglas on an in-breaker and another Maye throw that couldn't find Kayshon Boutte.
Projected starting nickelback Marcus Jones spent time at outside corner and in the slot. He notably ripped away a touchdown from Kyle Williams on one outside rep during 11-on-11s.
Alex Austin, the Pats' No. 3 or No. 4 corner, blanketed Williams on the same route one period later to force an incompletion. The play seemed like an effort from Joshua Dobbs to give Williams another chance to score, though Dobbs underthrew the pass.
Austin and Marcellas Dial Jr. were the top corners on the defense that most often matched Dobbs.
The Patriots worked Kyle Dugger back in slowly this spring; so slowly he repped behind Jabrill Peppers and Jaylinn Hawkins in team drills, though it should be noted Peppers also repped with a group of backups during some 11-on-11 work.
Special teams
Kick returners: CB Isaiah Bolden, RB TreVeyon Henderson, RB Antonio Gibson, RB Trayveon Williams, RB Lan Larison, WR Javon Baker
Top kick return team: S Brenden Schooler, S Jaylinn Hawkins, S Dell Pettus, LB Christian Elliss, TE Jaheim Bell, CB Marcellas Dial Jr., CB Alex Austin, DL Truman Jones, LB Jack Gibbens
Extra points
The Patriots won't practice again until the start of training camp on July 23. All practices are open to the public and will be held outside Gillette Stadium at 10:15 a.m.
Stefon Diggs, Keion White, Hunter Henry, Will Campbell, TreVeyon Henderson, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism spoke with reporters after practice.