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10 observations from first day of Patriots’ mandatory minicamp
The Patriots did not have perfect attendance on the first day of mandatory minicamp at Gillette Stadium.
FOXBORO — The Patriots returned to Gillette Stadium on Monday for the first day of the team’s mandatory minicamp, with a nearly-full roster taking to the practice fields in Foxboro in their most comprehensive offseason program until training camp opens in late July.
Unlike training camp, New England’s minicamp is closed off to the public. However, media is allowed to watch the on-field reps as Bill Belichick and the coaching staff start to lay the groundwork for the 2023 season.
Here are 10 observations from Monday’s minicamp:
1. Lawrence Guy’s reported contract holdout headlines absences
Unlike the voluntary organized team activities (OTA) that the Patriots held over the last few weeks, minicamp is a mandatory three-day event for New England’s roster.
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But before Monday’s on-field session commenced, Belichick acknowledged that New England likely wasn’t going to have perfect attendance.
“I don’t think everybody’s here,” Belichick said. “Working through a couple things.”
In total, nine players missed practice on Monday: OT Trent Brown, DT Lawrence Guy, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, RB James Robinson, WR Tyquan Thornton, WR Kayshon Boutte, G Mike Onwenu, CB Tae Hayes, and DB Quandre Mostly.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Guy’s absence at the start of minicamp is believed to be related to his contract.
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The 33-year-old veteran has been a rock in the middle of New England’s defensive line since 2017 and was named team captain in 2020. Guy signed a four-year contract extension with New England in March 2021 with a maximum value of $24 million.
Per Reiss, Guy is believed to be looking for an “adjustment” to his current deal. There is no guaranteed money remaining on Guy’s four-year contract, although he is scheduled to earn a base salary of $2 million.
Last season, Guy totaled 46 tackles with two sacks. Even with his established role up front for New England’s defense, a reworked contract could be a sticky situation for all parties. Along with Guy’s age, he missed three games last season due to injury.
2. Trent Brown’s travel delay leads to little clarity for tackle situation
Trent Brown wasn’t spotted at OTAs over the last few weeks, leading to questions regarding his contract status and whether New England could cut him in order to create salary cap space.
Brown ultimately wasn’t spotted on the field during Monday’s mandatory session. But according to MassLive’s Mark Daniels, it might be an excused, travel-related absence.
Daniels reported that Brown’s flight up to New England was canceled due to a hail storm, delaying his arrival.
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The lone returning starter at tackle, Brown is the likely favorite to earn left tackle reps once again in 2023.
During OTAs, New England used free-agent pickups Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson as its starting tackles. But that configuration changed on Monday, with Anderson starting at LT and Conor McDermott at right tackle. Reiff rotated in at right tackle, but McDermott earned most of the reps.
The tackle position was a recurring flaw on the 2022 Patriots, leading to both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe feeling pressure on the outside early and often. As new O-line coach Adrian Klemm looks to augment this grouping, Brown’s return should offer some early hints at his plans.
3. Strong start for Mac Jones and the offense
As Bill O’Brien and Mac Jones look to right the ship for New England’s offense, the Patriots’ starting QB got off to an impressive start on Monday morning at Gillette.
After going a perfect 21-for-21 in 7-on-7 drills, Jones completed another four straight passes during 11-on-11s before Josh Uche bumped into Mike Gesicki en route to an incompletion.
Jones was eventually knocked for two interceptions during 11-on-11s. However, both Kyle Dugger and Adrian Phillips secured their picks during sequences where the defense was playing at full speed and the offense was operating at more of a walkthrough pace.
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Jones laughed it off after practice wrapped.
“[Dugger] asked for an interception, so I just tossed it to him,” Jones said with a laugh. “They always ask me for them, so I might give them to them in the walkthrough period.”
4. Two tight-end set featured heavily once again
One of the hallmarks of Bill O’Brien’s offense in Foxboro over the years was an effective two tight-end set. From what we’ve seen so far during OTAs and minicamp, it doesn’t seem like the Patriots are straying from that formula.
While Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker both impressed during their first-team reps, Mac Jones regularly targeted both of his tight ends in Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki.
Henry and Gesicki teamed up for 12 combined receptions during Monday’s session, with Gesicki continuing to impress as a fluid route-runner capable of getting open on slant routes.
5. Christian Gonzalez continues to earn plenty of reps with starters
After an impressive showing during OTAs, 2023 first-round pick Christian Gonzalez has continued to hold court as an outside corner on New England’s first unit this spring.
Gonzalez’s athleticism and defensive instincts could make him a Week 1 starter if he continues to build his game during training camp. But his presence on the boundary might also create a positive domino effect throughout the Patriots’ secondary.
On Monday, the Patriots penciled in Gonzalez and second-year DB Jack Jones as the outside corners for a number of snaps, which allowed Jonathan Jones to go back to his usual position in the slot.
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With Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Adrian Phillips, and Jalen Mills also earning reps at safety, the Patriots should have plenty of defensive backfield depth in 2023. Marcus Jones and rookie Marte Mapu also slotted in for snaps at corner and safety, respectively.
6. Smith-Schuster was limited due to injury
JuJu Smith-Schuster should play a key role in New England’s offense this season, with the free-agent pickup expected to serve as a more explosive replacement for Jakobi Meyers.
But so far, the Patriots’ new wideout has not been able to build that much on-field chemistry with Mac Jones.
After failing to make an appearance at OTAs, Smith-Schuster was absent once again on Monday, with The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reporting that Smith-Schuster was not expected to practice due to injury.
Still, Mac Jones stressed that he has already put in plenty of work off the field with the 26-year-old receiver.
“We have gotten some reps together. We are always talking about the offense, certain plays, and things that he likes. I think that’s good, just the conversations to try to see it how he sees it,” Jones said. “He really does have a good understanding of football. He has really bought into the offense. He is always studying and things like that.”
Second-year wideout Tyquan Thornton was also not able to practice on Monday. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Sunday that Thornton is dealing with a soft-tissue injury.
7. Play of the day?
Mac Jones dropped a perfect pass right into the hands of Henry during a 7-on-7 drill for a major chunk of yardage. With Mills draped over Henry, Jones managed to throw into a tight window where only the Patriots’ TE could reel it in.
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Trace McSorley — the No. 3 QB on the depth chart — also made the highlight reel with a 50-yard pass that Tre Nixon snagged over Shaun Wade during 7-on-7s.
8. Judon — and his red sleeves — return
After missing OTAs, Matthew Judon was back at Gillette for the first day of minicamp. It’s tough to miss the charismatic Pro Bowler, as he was spotted with his trademark red sleeves on a muggy morning in Foxboro.
Even though Monday’s session had no live contact, New England’s pass rushers did make things interesting for Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. Uche and Deatrich Wise both registered pass breakups, while Christian Barmore had a “sack” on Jones.
9. Plenty of guests on the sidelines
There was no shortage of former Patriots on hand to take in Monday’s practice, with James White and Devin McCourty holding court on the sidelines. LeGarrette Blount and Aaron Dobson, who were spotted in Gillette during OTAs, were also on hand.
Both Blount and Dobson are taking part in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
“I’m glad to have them, it’s great to have them here,” Belichick said. “They’re here to learn, observe, and they’re doing that. So, I’m happy to help them with their coaching careers. I’m sure there’ll be others around, too. Pat [Chung] was here last week, so yeah, it’s great to have those guys around.”
Penn State football coach James Franklin and a few of his assistants were also in attendance. Belichick spent a few practice periods chatting with the collegiate coach.
10. Keeping things in perspective
As we comb over attendance and some of the early highlight-reel plays of the preseason, it is important to highlight that minicamp is still more of a learning exercise for the players than anything else.
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With several practice periods limited to a walkthrough pace and no live contact allowed, these three days serve more as a window for coaches to start to install the various game plans that will be built upon in July.
“It’s a long way, still a long way before we start playing games,” Belichick said. “At this time of the year at one point in time, Rob Ninkovich wasn’t on the team. He was a July signing. So, there’s no real calendar for that.
“We look at when people are available or when they’re ready. Some players aren’t ready to participate at this time, but they’ll be ready at training camp, or maybe some weren’t ready earlier in the spring and they are ready now, or more ready now. So, it’s an ongoing process.
While we can start to see glimpses of what Belichick, O’Brien, and the coaches are planning, we won’t get into real roster battles and more of the juicer headlines until camp officially opens next month.
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