Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo called Monday's session "real football," with the pads going on for the first time in training camp.
To this point, the Patriots have been conducting light contact practices, mostly in helmets and shells, per league rules. On Monday, New England held a two-hour, fully padded practice that increased the intensity as we get into the training camp main event. It also saw quarterback Jacoby Brissett and the top offense have their best day of the summer.
The highlights in the passing game came on two deep completions from Brissett to rookie wide receiver Javon Baker and third-year wideout Tyquan Thornton. Baker leaped in between safety Jaylinn Hawkins and cornerback Alex Austin to haul in a rope from Brissett, while Thornton beat Austin on a go route that Brissett dropped perfectly in the bucket.
Although multiple pre-snap penalties put a blemish on a step forward for the offense, the play execution was at a much higher level thanks to positive strides from the top offensive line. Despite being down center David Andrews (absent), the Patriots have repped with essentially the same offensive line configuration for three consecutive days: LT Ceadan Wallace, LG Sidy Sow, C David Andrews/Nick Leverett, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Chuks Okorafor.
With some continuity and Wallace being fast-tracked at left tackle, the Patriots offensive line might be on to something here. Things were far from perfect, but the O-Line paved the way for two explosive runs. Plus, the pocket was cleaner for Brissett (not so much for rookie Drake Maye, but more on that later).
The Patriots are installing an outside zone-heavy run system under new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Frankly, this scribe was wary of featuring outside zone as New England's primary run-blocking scheme because it typically calls for athletic personnel along the offensive line—think more Cole Strange than Mike Onwenu. The Pats roster has more of the latter rather than the former's body type, who remains on PUP.
To the coaching staff's credit, the zone-blocking schemes were solid for the first time in pads. Gibson's run was the highlight for the top offensive line, but the second unit hit a big pin-pull scheme (outside zone adjacent). It's also encouraging that Wallace and fourth-rounder Layden Robinson, who is working with the two's, were at the point of attack on both runs.
"In and out of the hole. The O-Line did all the work. Made my read. Bounced out, and after that it's just speed, get downfield," Gibson told Patriots.com after practice. "There were holes there for us to hit. We had our choices."
The offensive line also fared well in the first one-on-one reps of camp against the defensive line. For new offensive line coach Scott Peters, it was a positive day, even if it comes with the caveat that the Patriots defense was missing multiple core contributors for the bulk of practice: Matthew Judon, Christian Barmore, Jabrill Peppers, and Josh Uche sat out most of the team drills.
It's important to keep things like the defensive personnel and the fact that it's been one day in pads in perspective. Still, encouraging practices for the offensive line have been few and far between during the last few training camps, so it's worth highlighting when they come around.
Here are six observations in the trenches from the Patriots first padded practice on Monday:
1. Notes From the Patriots O-Line vs. D-Line in One-On-One Matchups
There were 37 one-on-one reps between the offensive and defense lines, with the O-line having the edge at 21-13-3. The offensive line did a nice job in a drill that typically favors the pass-rushers.
The standouts were Mike Onwenu (3-0) and rookie Layden Robinson (3-0), who stunned Deatrich Wise with a stiff one-handed punch for a decisive win. The pop in Robinson's hands caught the eye in the first padded session, with the rookie crediting line coach Scott Peters's strike system for him varying up his hand usage to take Wise by surprise.
At offensive tackle, Wallace finished strong with wins over Keion White and undrafted rookie John Morgan to finish an even 2-2. Okorafor, who is working at right tackle, was the one weak link among the starting O-Line with a 1-2 record. Okorafor got beat clean on the very first rep of the drill by Wise's inside rip move, barely getting a hand on Wise.
Calvin Anderson (1-0-1) and Vederain Lowe (2-1) also held their own. However, Lowe was beaten badly by an inside spin move from Anfernee Jennings, which was a highlight for the pass-rushers during the drill. Keion White (power) and Oshane Ximines (speed) also had solid reps for the pass-rushers, but this was a decisive win for the offensive line.
2. Third-Round OT Caedan Wallace is 'Picking It Up Fast' Working at Left Tackle
The most encouraging development for the Patriots offense is that rookie Caedan Wallace, the 68th overall pick in last April's draft, is already emerging as a potential day-one starter.
The naysayers will note that the Patriots don't have many other options besides Wallace and veteran free-agent addition Chuks Okorafor to be their top tackles. However, Wallace is receiving rave reviews from teammates and coaches for how quickly he's picking up the offensive system and technique corrections given to him by the staff.
On Sunday, Wallace spoke about improving his hand usage with Peters's strike system and correcting his technique in his kick slide. Wallace tended to open his hips early in his pass set, swinging the door open to provide a short corner for the pass-rusher. Wallace has worked closely with Peters to improve his technique and is trying to become less predictable with his two-hand punch to keep pass-rushers off-balance.
On Monday, Wallace had some issues with his pad level in his first rep in one-on-ones versus Josh Uche's speed-to-power rush, but he finished strong with a nice win over Keion White. Then, in team drills, Antonio Gibson ran off the left side behind Wallace on his explosive run, while Wallace seemed to hold up well in pass protection in my live viewing.
It's still very early, with only one padded practice under his belt. It's also worth noting that flipping sides for Wallace is a pretty significant switch to make as a rookie. Still, the early returns on Wallace are positive, with teammates noting his playing strength as a standout trait.
3. Replacing DT Christian Barmore (Blood Clots) a Top Storyline for Pats D-Line
The Patriots released a statement with the unfortunate news that stud DT Christian Barmore is dealing with blood clots, leading to an indefinite absence with no timetable for his return.
It should go without saying that Barmore's health comes before football, and here's to wishing for a speedy recovery for the promising defender. However, the reality is that the show must go on for New England, who could be without Barmore for the season based on other players' issues with blood clots over the years. For example, captain David Andrews missed the entire 2019 season with blood clots.
The two interior defenders who could step into larger roles without Barmore in the mix are veteran Daniel Ekuale and free-agent addition Armon Watts. Although he struggled to get off blocks in Monday's practice, Watts spoke about getting more opportunities after practice.
The 28-year-old noted that his playing time with the Vikings increased in the 2021 season when starter Michael Pierce went down with an injury. Watts recorded a career-high five sacks that season, while the former Steeler was also an analytics darling a year ago. Watts recorded 17 quarterback pressures on 155 pass-rushing snaps in 2023, ranking third in pass-rush win rate.
Ekuale has also been a solid rotational sub-rusher when called upon for the Patriots in recent years, and second-year run-stuffer Jeremiah Pharms could fill in on early downs. Although the Patriots have some depth to pick up the slack for Barmore, Coach Mayo was objective about what a long-term absence for Barmore would mean for the Patriots defense:
"It's easy to say this guy can do it, that guy can do it, but a guy like Barmore, as disruptive as he is, it's kind of hard to get the same production," Mayo said before Monday's practice. "Other guys have to step up and treat it like a normal injury even though it's not a normal injury."
4. Edge Rusher Oshane Ximines Makes Strong Impression on Monday
With three of the Patriots top pass-rushers unavailable for the majority of the team periods, the defense leaned more on veteran Oshane Ximines rushing off the edge.
Ximines rotated in with the top defensive line along with Anfernee Jennings and Keion White. Ximines's speed and bend to turn the corner stood out. He smoked Tyrone Wheatley with a speed rush in one-on-ones, went around Vederian Lowe in team, and then logged an unblocked pressure with the line blocking down in another 11-on-11 rep.
When given the chance, the 27-year-old had some pass-rush production in five seasons with the Giants, recording 4.5 sacks and 25 total pressures in his rookie season. Ximines is a bendy speed rusher with good stride length to eat up ground quickly. He could push to make the roster as a depth piece and possibly a pass-rush specialist.
5. Backup O-Line and Drake Maye Struggle in First Padded Practice
Another major storyline you'll hear from many observers out at Pats practice on Monday was that third-overall pick Drake Maye had a rough day, and there's definitely some truth to that.
Although stats don't tell the whole story, Maye struggled to complete passes in his first padded session as a pro (3-of-11 with an interception). Some of those incompletions were arguably dropped passes, while the backup offensive line didn't do Maye any favors either (LT Calvin Anderson, LG Michael Jordan, C Atonio Mafi, RG Layden Robinson, and RT Vederian Lowe).
By my count, Maye was under pressure on three of his five drop-backs during 11-on-11s. In one sequence, Ximines came nearly untouched off the right side for a pressure, followed by a poorly pre-planned approach for a blitz that led to a Maye throw away on a play that stood no chance.
It appears that processing is more to blame than anything physical with Maye. The game seems to be moving fast for Maye, who is holding the ball a beat too long and doesn't look decisive in the pocket when the defense turns up the heat. He just doesn't seem to be seeing the field well or quickly enough, while you question how much control he has at the line of scrimmage to get out of bad plays pre-snap.
By all accounts, Maye looks the part from a physical tools perspective. But the rookie's timing and problem-solving are clearly behind Brissett's at this juncture, which isn't surprising.
6. Latest on Matthew Judon (DNP) and Davon Godchaux's Situation
It was an odd practice for the Patriots between the procedural issues by the offense that led to several penalty laps and other extracurriculars. First, Judon was spotted in street clothes sitting on the sideline. After discussions with Mayo, EVP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf, and Matt Groh, he left practice – it was a bit odd. Davon Godchaux was a more active participant in practice than Judon, with agent Drew Rosenhaus in attendance. Both players have spoken openly about being unhappy with their current contract situations, with Judon possibly holding in.
There also seemed to be a dust-up between pass-rusher Joshua Uche and OT Chuks Okorafor that led to Uche leaving practice. Again, some things need to be cleaned up on all fronts. They need to resolve Godchaux and Judon's situations before they boil over into a bigger problem.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
