FOXBOROUGH - Practice No. 13 is in the books; let's run down all you need to know, including stats from what I would call just a step or two above a walkthrough, lineup adjustments and observations:
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
With the Colts coming to town for joint practices on Tuesday, Monday’s practice wasn’t as competitive as you may be led to believe elsewhere. I heard the word “shadow” on more than one occasion. No need to be overly physical on their first day back after the weekend off, and knowing the intensity is about to ramp up in a big way.
“It’ll be really good,” Christian Elliss told us, adding that hitting someone “that’s not your teammate - that’s always fun.”
Hunter Henry got himself a contract extension: It’s for two more years and gets him $14.5 million in bonuses and guarantees, a base value of $16 million, and with incentives could reach $20 million.
The 31-year-old put pen to paper this morning, then was more involved from a target perspective than he has been in at least a week (he’s had a quiet camp).
Henry had a career-high 768 yards a season ago, and has never recorded fewer than 40 receptions in a year since signing with the Patriots back in 2021.
When we spoke with him post-practice, he made it clear that having Drake Maye as the quarterback certainly made this an easy decision to sign up longer term.
“That’s my guy. He’s a special person,” Henry said of Maye. “Just a guy I’ve grown really close to over the last few years. I’m excited to build that relationship off the field but also on the field. He’s just a special player to be around. I’m excited to build on that.”
Marcus Jones reminded teammates at the beginning of the summer that they were no longer the hunter, but the hunted. He’s liked the way they’ve responded so far, giving a hat tip to the team’s leadership. “Because we get it right once doesn't mean that we're gonna get it right all the time,” he said. “I would say every single time that we do get something wrong, we're always harping, ‘Hey, we need to make sure that this doesn't happen again.’ Having the leaders that are in the room, you know, saying those things on the daily, and then also understanding that you're going to lose some reps, but it's always how you respond.”
Stats:
Drake Maye: 11-of-17, TD to Doubs, Sack (includes 4-of-7 in one-minute drill)
Tommy DeVito: 8-of-12, 2 TDs, 2 sacks (includes 4-of-5 in one-minute drill)
Behren Morton: 4-of-7, TD, Sack, 2 Passes tipped
TAKING ATTENDANCE
Physically unable to perform list: DE Harold Landry.
Non-football injury list: S Brendan Schooler
Red non-contact jerseys: QBs.
Returned to practice: Carlton Davis (limited basis/hamstring), Will Campbell (elbow) full go.
Out: DT Christian Barmore, CB Charles Woods, Julian Ashby
Limited: Davis.
New injuries: None, though Christian Gonzalez did appear to tweak his left ankle very late in the session. He walked it off.
DRESS CODE
Shells
LENGTH OF PRACTICE
1:45, and it was hot as Hades, though less humid than on Friday. Your boy drank so much water I may float away. The team had a couple of extended water breaks themselves.
IMPACT PLAYS IN TEAM PERIODS
Fumbles: None.
Drops: Kyle Williams.
Pass breakups: DT Casey Rogers (2x), Kindle Vildor, Christian Gonzalez, Xavier Holmes, Marcellas Dial
Interceptions: None.
Run stuffs: Milton Williams, Corey Durden (2x), Christian Elliss, Chad Muma, Casey Rogers
Pressures/sacks: Isaiah Iton, John Saunders Jr (2x), Marcus Jones, Durden
TOP PLAY (TIE)
Romeo Doubs made a beautiful catch in the end zone, skying above Gonzalez to win a jump ball fade from Maye. That culminated a one-minute drive with just 2 seconds remaining on the clock. The Pats had mixed in some tempo on the series, including on the play that resulted in a touchdown.
Efton Chism made yet another twisting catch in the end zone to cap the ensuing 1-minute drive, this time led by DeVito (and second-teamers). The second-year pro has made a habit of contorting his body in the red area to make some nice grabs this camp, and this one was no different. Dial was victimized on the play.
Red Zone 7-on-7
(Maye):
- Circle route to Rhamondre Stevenson (he does that well) with Elliss in coverage.
- Missed Pop Douglas in the back corner of the end zone (Craig Woodson trailing)
- Stevenson over Elliss in the end zone. The RB was shaken up briefly but continued practicing.
- Laser to Henry, who shielded Jones from the football.
- Return route to Douglas coming out of the slot (Robert Spillane)
- Held the ball too long, throws it away
(Devito)
- Hits Chism underneath
- Finds Chism in the left flat.
- Back to Chism underneath,
- Jack Westover leaks behind Khalil Jacobs in the back of the end zone for a score.
- Kyle Williams drops a crossing route.
- Chism catches a crossing route.
- Nice release from Henry, who gets inside LB K.J. Britt for the score.
FIVE UP
Romeo Doubs: He had the catch of the day, and added another from Maye to start the first team period.
Marcus Jones: Locked up Douglas a couple of times, including in the red area, and added a well-timed corner blitz that would have resulted in a sack of Maye.
Casey Rogers: The Pats signed the DT a week ago, and I couldn’t have picked him out of a lineup before today. But man, he was in the middle of everything with the backups, deflecting a pair of passes at the line of scrimmage, recording one run stuff and maybe was part of another (tough to tell with all the bodies down there). Rogers most recently played for the DC Defenders in the UFL. He’s 27 years old.
Kindle Vildor: He’s competing for a backup job, and saw all the first-team reps with Davis still limited by the hamstring injury. Held up well and had a very nice pass breakup on a go ball to Doubs that wasn’t as well-thrown by Maye as you would like (too much inside).
John Saunders: The safety had a pair of sacks after what has been a very uninspiring camp (he had a few reps with the ones in the first week).
FOUR DOWN
AJ Brown: He was out there but in more of a walkthrough pace than the rest of the guys. Caught a short hitch and then was wide open on what appeared to be a blown coverage. Otherwise, meh.
Kyle Williams: DeVito overthrew him by a mile against the blitz, but Williams didn’t seem to know the ball was coming and looked lost. He also dropped a short crosser down by the goal line. Not great.
Kobee Minor: He just doesn’t make many plays on the ball and is often on the wrong end of completions.
Four-man pass rush: We’ll see what it looks like tomorrow in the joint practice, but it’s been about as inconsistent as it was a year ago.
ODDS AND ENDS
- There was a new long snapper at practice today, Niko Lalos. Incumbent Julian Ashby is dealing with an ankle injury that is not considered serious.
- Caleb Lomu played left tackle with the 2s, while Marcus Bryant was on the right side. Lomu did get a few reps with the 1s at right tackle, but that was brief, and Morgan Moses handled the real business.
- Will Campbell ditched the elbow brace today.
- Decent day for a couple of tight ends: Eli Raridon and Jack Westover. Both were targeted multiple times and made the plays that were there to be made.
- James Hudson continues to work as the right guard with the second team and helped create a big hole for Terrell Jennings. Meanwhile, Caedan Wallace got released this morning (**Actually, he got traded to Miami, along with a 2029 7th rounder for a 2028 6th**). Another member of the failed '24 draft class that would be an all-time disaster if not for the guy at the top of it (Maye).
- Speaking of Jennings, he told us his stint on NFI to start training camp was nothing serious.