Patriots coach Mike Vrabel's players appreciate his willingness to get in the mix with them on the field.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel's players appreciate his willingness to get in the mix with them on the field.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
FOXBOROUGH — Midway through Wednesday’s joint practice with the Commanders, Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas noticed a cut on Mike Vrabel’s cheek.
Douglas asked Vrabel, “Coach, what’s wrong with you?”
“You should see the other guy,” Vrabel replied.
A fight broke out during the team period, sparked by Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson picking up a blitz and throwing the defender to the ground. The two started scrapping, before more of New England’s offense and Washington’s defense got involved. Vrabel, in an effort to break up the growing dustup, ended up getting caught in the middle of the scrum, and emerged with a bloody cheek.
“I was in the end zone, so as I turned around, everybody was with each other,” Douglas said. “I didn’t really see too much. I just saw the scar.”
Added Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, “Somebody was saying it was like [President] Trump’s gunshot wound. I was laughing at that. You saw it when [Vrabel] was breaking down the huddle. I’m not even sure when it happened, but he said, ‘Don’t worry about it. You’ll see it on film.’ ”
Vrabel clearly didn’t think his scratch was a big deal, wiping his cheek with a towel. But his players expressed an appreciation for his willingness to get in the mix on the field.
“That shows a lot about our coach,” Douglas said. “He’ll do anything for us.”
Since his tenure began, Vrabel has regularly participated in practice. He’ll sport a pinnie and line up with the defense in walkthroughs or he’ll be on the other end of a block in one-on-one work. Remember when he brought his own blocking pad to a pre-draft workout to go up against left tackle Will Campbell?
“That’s what we’re trying to build,” Maye said. “It starts with the head coach, the intensity, bringing it every day, taking no crap when we’re out there on the field.”
A key part of Vrabel’s style is his active role during practice.
Earlier in practice, Vrabel broke up a small skirmish involving wide receiver Kayshon Boutte and Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
Part of Vrabel’s post-practice message will undoubtedly be the importance of avoiding after-the-whistle behavior that could draw penalties. He had previously preached the importance of staying physical without costing the Patriots.
But Maye acknowledged he was happy to see that level of fire from his team — the aggressive pass protection from Henderson, the spirited response from Campbell and undrafted rookie tight end Gee Scott, and the fearless nature from Vrabel.
“You don’t want to fight and get into trouble, but at the same time you don’t want to back down from nobody,” Maye said. “Kind of at the back of our minds, that’s kind of how we want to play.”
Maye celebrated that tenacious mentality.
“I like it,” he said. “It’s what you want. I almost got in there, but I think maybe another day.”
Other notes and observations from the lively joint practice …
⋅ Wide receiver Stefon Diggs was a late arrival but ended up participating in conditioning and 7-on-7 drills. Vrabel previously referenced a training plan for the 31-year-old Diggs as he returns from a torn ACL suffered last October.
Non-participants included wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, outside linebackers K’Lavon Chaisson and Bradyn Swinson, cornerback Christian Gonzalez, linebacker Jahlani Tavai, and offensive lineman Caedan Wallace.
Wednesday also was a star-studded practice for special guests, with Celtics star Jayson Tatum, former Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola, former Patriots defensive backs Devin and Jason McCourty, and Bon Jovi frontman Jon Bon Jovi in attendance.
⋅ Commanders coach Dan Quinn said that quarterback Jayden Daniels will not play in Friday’s preseason game. Backup Marcus Mariota did not make the trip, so Josh Johnson and Sam Hartman will be splitting the snaps.
Vrabel would not hint at his personnel plans for the game, only saying that “everybody that’s healthy” should expect to play.
“How long they’ll play, I don’t know,” Vrabel added. “But we have to prepare to play in football games and prepare to win football games, so that’s the mentality that we’re going to take.”
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her @nicolecyang.