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Christian Gonzalez leaves practice early with an injury, and other takeaways from Day 5 of training camp
Christian Gonzalez's early exit, Will Campbell's first day in pads, and DeMario Douglas's offseason are the top storylines.
FOXBOROUGH – For the first time this season, there were shoulder pads under the Patriots’ practice jerseys.
The first padded practice of this training camp was an unexpectedly eventful one, as cornerback Christian Gonzalez left the field early after suffering an apparent lower body injury.
With Carlton Davis already out, the Patriots’ cornerback depth took an early hit.
The Patriots spent most of their scrimmage time working either in, or just outside the red zone.
Drake Maye had another efficient showing. Monday was the first chance to see rookie left-tackle Will Campbell blocking with pads on. Christian Barmore continued to work off to the side with trainers during team drills. Kayshon Boutte made some solid plays during 1-on-1 drills.
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Here are five takeaways from the action.
Christian Gonzalez’s day was cut short.
Gonzalez’s injury happened during the 11-on-11 portion of practice when he was matchup up with Stefon Diggs.
The third-year cornerback was spotted walking slowly off the field after the rep, stoping occasionally to grab at the upper part of the back of his left leg.
Gonzalez walked off the field with a limp. It’s not immediately clear what the injury is, but it was enough to cut his practice day short.
The 2023 first-round pick missed the bulk of his rookie year with a torn labrum. Last season he played in 16 games, recording 50 tackles, two interceptions, and 11 pass deflections.
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With Gonzalez and Davis out, the Patriots went with a mix of Alex Austin, Marcus Jones, and Marcellas Dial.
Will Campbell vs. Keion White is a matchup to watch.
Campbell is stepping into a key role as a rookie.
His spot, left tackle, was a weak point on one of the worst offensive lines in pro football last year. So, keeping an eye on how the No. 4 overall pick performs will be a big deal this summer.
If Monday’s practice was any indication, Campbell will have a 6-foot-5-inch, 285-pound sparring partner in Keion White pushing him this summer.
White was overpowering at times during 1-on-1 drills against Campbell, but it wasn’t as noticeable during the 11-on-11 session where Campbell appeared to hold his own.
The offense sprung a bunch of big run plays, and Maye had time to make plays during red zone drills. As the Patriots continued to ease their back way into full-contact practices, there wasn’t much tackling to the ground.
But now, with the pads on, we’ll have a slightly better sense of how the offensive and defensive linemen are doing, at the matchup on the edge with Campbell and White is one to keep an eye on.
Ja’Lynn Polk returned to practice and caught a TD.
Second-year receiver Ja’Lynn Polk returned to practice on Monday after missing the first four training camp practices.
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Polk caught a red zone touchdown in the corner of the end zone from Drake Maye off of a play-action pass during the red zone drills.
Maye hit Stefon Diggs on crossing route. He found Hunter Henry on a designed tight-end screen. He flicked a little sidearm screen pass to Rhamondre Stevenson.
Kayshon Boutte didn’t pop as much during the scrimmages, but he did have a pair of touchdown catches against Gonzalez during red zone drills.
Botched snaps piling up
Maye appears to be having a good camp so far.
He looks confident and has had little trouble hitting receivers all over the field. His scrambling ability is still there, although may want to rely on it less than last year. His strong arm is a plus for this offense.
But, another thing that has stood out is botched snaps. He had another one today working with rookie Jared Wilson.
There are some growing pains to be expected as the Patriots enter training camp without longtime center David Andrews for the first time in a decade.
But, getting the snap right is basic stuff, and the ball has ended up on the ground on more than one occasion since the beginning of camp last week.
DeMario Douglas was an offseason standout.
Coach Mike Vrabel praised receiver DeMario Douglas for his hard work during the offseason.
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In addition to working on his craft, Douglas said he has been working on becoming more of a vocal leader.
“Great energy, great demeanor, very coachable. One of our offseason award winners,” Vrabel said. “So, he obviously worked extremely hard, was here every day, ready to learn, ready to earn a role. I love being around Pop (DeMario Douglas). He’s got great energy and he’s got a lot of respect from everybody around here.
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