FOXBOROUGH — And we’re back!
Practice No. 1 of the Patriots’ 2020 season is, finally, in the books. We'll be back with our comprehensive practice report, but for now, we want to give you the headlines — including who is getting more time, who's moving around, and first impressions of newcomers.
Just to let you know up front, because there are no fans at practice, the restrictions on what we can report are much tighter (we can't report formations, personnel groups, first-team/second-team groupings, positions, and non-conventional plays, and we also can't report on players who line up in positions different from the one listed on the roster). Not complaining — it is what it is — but letting you know the ground rules and what to expect.
FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Enthusiasm was very high for the first real practice: It started almost immediately after Cam Newton was the last quarterback on the field, and could often be heard hooting and hollering. As he ventured over to the field nearest the indoor practice facility, Newton couldn't contain his excitement to some of the receivers. That attitude carried over for everyone in practice as the pace, considering this offseason, was very good and the execution was pretty good — the ball wasn't on the ground as much. Probably the thing that stood out the most in this regard was once the team began running the ball — it was a run-heavy session, as most early camp practices are — it was very physical off the bat. I mean, you didn't hear clanging of the pads, you heard legitimate huge thuds (and FB Jakob Johnson had a lot to do with that). It was almost like these guys were bottled up for months and just let loose. Safety Terrence Brooks said that was the case. "Honestly, it was awesome, man," he said. "It was a lot of fun. The guys were talking about it before practice. ... At one point I was trying to bump into my kids to get some contact. This was fun."
A lot of competitive situations: This being the first practice we've seen since last summer, there were a lot of unknowns in terms how the team viewed certain players. We got a little clarity on that today. Among the players that, based on just one practice, are vying for major or increased roles: LB Josh Uche, safeties Terrence Brooks and Cody Davis, OL Jermaine Eluemunor, OL Hjalte Frohodt, FB Jakob Johnson, and DT Byron Cowart. Among those that showed versatility in how they were deployed, Uche and Froholdt stood out.
All the quarterbacks were good: I would say there weren't many fully competitive reps, outside of the inside runs. Even 7-on-7 was kind of at a slower pace and there were a lot of completions. The reps were pretty much split evenly, though Jarrett Stidham and Cam Newton had a slight edge. The order initially was Brian Hoyer, Stidham and Newton, but that flipped throughout practice.
Newton's arm was very strong, as he zipped in a TD pass to Devin Ross. On some plays, he was hesitant and late.
Stidham showed a greater comfort with the offense and was efficient.
Hoyer was solid, and was let down by a Dalton Keene drop over the middle.
Rookie watch: First-blush impressions of some of the rookies, or new players —
TE Dalton Keene needs to add more strength if he's going to play at key role in the backfield.
TE Devin Asiasi looked hesitant and is feeling is way through the offense.
OL Yodny Cajuste was also thinking too much and often didn’t sustain his blocks.
OL Hjalte Froholdt, for Day 1, earned the most improved player star.
WR Gunner Olszewski might be No. 2 for most improved.
LB Josh Uche is quick but he's slight to play on the inside.
WR Damiere Byrd didn't register much in a run-heavy practice.
RB Damien Harris ran very well inside the tackles and has a real chance to run away with this competition.
WR UDFA Will Hastings might be the slightest NFL positional player I've ever seen.
Didn't see S Kyle Dugger do very much, outside of look good catching the ball in positional drills. Looks like Brandon Meriweather on the field.
Attendance: UDFA WR Jeff Thomas and DT Beau Allen were not spotted on the field. Also, one of the 52s in blue (Anfernee Jennings and Brandon Copeland) was not present. It's tough because they're both the same size and play both on the edge and off the ball. RBs Lamar Miller and Sony Michel are still on PUP and not seen. ... There were two new TEs on the field.
Will be back later with much more.
