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10 takeaways from Patriots’ final minicamp practice
Drake Maye and Ja'Lynn Polk ended minicamp on a high note, but New England's defense still thrived.
The Patriots closed out their final mandatory minicamp practice of the offseason on Wednesday, holding a final full-squad session that lasted roughly 90 minutes in the fields behind Gillette Stadium.
With New England and the rest of the NFL set to take an extended break until the start of training camp in late July, Wednesday stood as a chance for several key players to end this first leg of preseason work on a high note.
Here are some takeaways from Wednesday’s practice:
1. Defense shines once again
Drake Maye and Ja’Lynn Polk ended practice on a high note with an impressive, last-second touchdown. But Wednesday’s practice was largely dominated by the defense, with Maye and Jacoby Brissett both trudging through some sluggish stretches during team drills.
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According to charting data from Mark Daniels of MassLive, Maye and Brissett only completed three of their eight pass attempts during 7-on-7 drills, with Maye going 7-for-12 with an interception from Azizi Hearn during 11-on-11 work.
Maye improved down the stretch during red-zone drills, especially on that great throw to Polk. But it’s clear New England’s defense is way ahead of the offense at this stage.
Christian Barmore and Keion White continue to stand out on the defensive line, while 23-year-old corner Alex Austin has held his own on the outside during team drills. New England might have found something in Austin, who was one of the few bright spots over the final weeks of the 2023 season.
2. Maye takes steps forward
Even with a few growing pains along the way, Maye has made significant strides since we first saw him on the field with most of the team during OTAs. After starting those sessions third in pecking order for QB reps, Maye and Brissett were the lone signal-callers to earn 11-on-11 reps on Wednesday.
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“Yeah, he’s done a great job,” Jerod Mayo said of Maye’s progression. “He’s going the right direction. Now, in saying that, we know there are going to be some down days. That’s one thing that I’ve been trying to stress to him is, ‘Alright, just keep chipping at the rock, get 1 percent better every day.’ It’s not always going to be great. He’s done a good job.”
Maye acknowledged he’s far from a polished product at this stage of his rookie season, with the 21-year-old QB continuing to harp on footwork, calling plays, and navigating the pass rushes as areas of emphasis leading into training camp.
But, it’s clear Maye has been on an upward trajectory since first donning a Patriots jersey.
“I think it’s hard to judge,” Maye said of his timeline for when he thinks he’ll be ready to run an NFL offense. “I think I’ve made some progress. … At the same time, I think I’ve got a lot of work to go. I still haven’t been touched out there. I’m a quarterback in a red jersey. It’s different taking hits from those guys.
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“There’s some big dudes up front. But I look forward to seeing what we got. I think the closer and closer we get to the season, the more you kind of feel like those bullets are flying.”
3. Kayshon Boutte dominates
Polk might have made the play of the day with his last-second snag, but it was second-year wideout Kayshon Boutte who put together the best performance of the morning, finishing practice with four touchdowns — including three straight from Maye during red-zone drills.
With New England further bolstering its receiver room this offseason with draft adds like Polk and Javon Baker — coupled with free-agent pickup K.J. Osborn — Boutte might need to put together a strong training camp in order to carve out a set spot on this roster.
“That’s what guys get paid to do, win 1-on-1 matchups,” Maye said of Boutte’s highlight-reel catches in tight coverage on Wednesday. “He’s a good ballplayer. Played in the SEC so he can make plays.”
4. Another hold-in?
Matthew Judon earned himself a restructured contract last summer by taking part in a “hold-in” — with the veteran avoiding fines by being present in mandatory practices and camp sessions, but opting to not take part in the actual drills out on the field.
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New England could have a similar situation this year with veteran nose tackle Davon Godchaux, who is entering the final year of his contract. The 29-year-old defensive lineman was present during both Monday and Wednesday’s minicamp practices, but did not take part in any drills.
“DG — look, we want him here,” Mayo said of Godchaux’s status. “He’s one of our best players. He’s working. I will say that. He is working. He’s here every single day, has been here every single day. We look forward to getting him on the field in camp.”
Godchaux is set to earn $7.15 million in base salary this season, but none of that payout is guaranteed, according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald.
Mayo disagreed with the notion that Godchaux is following a similar script as Judon’s hold-in.
“I wouldn’t put it in those words. But there are guys that, obviously, they want to redo contracts and stuff like that,” Mayo said. “And not just DG, it’s a bunch of guys that want to do those things, and we’re working through it. Eliot and his staff, they do a great job as far as handling that. I don’t get into the player contracts.
“What I will say is one thing I’ve learned is sometimes the value that the team has on a person is a little bit different than the value that the market has on a person.”
5. More shuffling on the offensive line
The Patriots handed offensive lineman Mike Onwenu a three-year, $57 million contract this offseason, with New England reportedly planning to keep the 2020 sixth-round pick at right tackle in 2024 and beyond.
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But those plans haven’t translated out on the field so far during the preseason, with Onwenu spending most of mini-camp at his familiar spot at guard. So far, 2024 third-round pick Caedan Wallace has spent a majority of his reps at right tackle, even though Eliot Wolf noted in April that the team sees Wallace as a future left tackle.
Even though Onwenu likely offers higher value at guard, New England’s tackle depth chart is thin, with Onwenu stabilizing that area of the roster last fall after making the position switch.
At this stage of the preseason, it seems like Mayo and the Patriots are still trying to find the best five-man unit available on their roster.
“Once again, it’s hard to evaluate offensive line and defensive line during this time, so we’ll see when training camp comes around,” Mayo said. “But once again, we always talk about the more you can do: the versatility, not only with the players, but also the coaches. [Onwenu] is one of those guys that is blessed with that versatility to be able to play both spots.”
6. Changing plans at QB?
Last month, Mayo stressed that the Patriots were looking to “pare down” their QB room between then and the start of training camp. It was a logical objective, given how crowded that personnel grouping is between Brissett, Maye, Bailey Zappe, and Joe Milton.
But on Wednesday, Mayo changed his stance about the timeline for any significant roster tweaks, saying New England now intends to carry all four QBs into the start of training camp.
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“Absolutely, absolutely. That’s how I see it right now,” Mayo said. “We’ll have these conversations as the week progresses, but that’s how I see it right now.”
7. Attendance report
Wednesday’s practice still had multiple absences, including Tyquan Thornton, Jahlani Tavai, Kendrick Bourne, Cole Strange, Jake Andrews, Sione Takitaki, and Tyrone Wheatley.
Javon Baker, Marcellas Dial Jr, Terrell Jennings, and Kaleb Ford-Dement were all limited. Josh Uche made his first appearance of the spring, but was also limited.
Mayo acknowledged that Strange remains on a “month-to-month” timeline and likely won’t be ready for the start of training camp due to a season-ending knee injury in December, but doesn’t expect any more limited players once camp opens in a little over a month.
“Everyone else is tracking,” Mayo said. “They’re tracking to be there, let’s just say, the first couple of weeks of training camp, so we’re fairly healthy.”
8. Familiar faces
With Tom Brady’s Hall of Fame ceremony at Gillette Stadium scheduled for Wednesday evening, a few of his former teammates were on hand to watch minicamp — with Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, and Deion Branch taking in the action and chatting with their former teammate (and current Patriots staffer) Matthew Slater.
9. A nod to No. 12
With Brady back in the building, it came as little surprise that the Patriots’ first song during Wednesday’s practice playlist was Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement” — which played every time Brady ran out of the tunnel at Gillette Stadium and performed his signature pre-game fist pump.
10. A rocket arm
Maye closed out his final media scrum of minicamp by discussing the viral video of his dodgeball game during Tuesday’s Community Day events.
Maye, of course, boasted a rocket arm during dodgeball, eliminating some of his teammates like David Andrews with a few missiles. But Maye did have one concern when matching up against several kids during Tuesday’s event.
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“That’s the biggest thing out there with those kids is to make sure they were looking if I was going to hum it at ‘em,” Maye said. “But if they step on the court, man, it’s free game. So that’s how I look at it.”
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