5 takeaways from Day 13 of Patriots training camp
Sunday was the final practice of training camp that was open to the public.
FOXBOROUGH – On Sunday, the Patriots had a red zone-heavy practice in shorts and shells as they recovered from their preseason-opening win against the Commanders.
It wasn’t the smoothest practice for the offense, as Drake Maye went 5 of 13 and threw a pass that was nearly picked off by rookie Craig Woodson.
Rookie receiver Efton Chsim stood out with a pair of big catches. New addition JaMychal Hasty had a fumble. Carlton Davis, who missed most of camp, jumped into the mix during team drills.
Sunday marked the last training camp practice session open to the public. Media will be allowed to cover Monday’s practice before the team heads to Minnesota.
Here are five takeaways from Sunday’s action.
Efton Chism continues to build
Chism, who led the Patriots in catches and receiving yards in the preseason opener, continued to impress on Sunday.
He had the catch of the day on Sunday, hauling in a contested two-handed catch in the end zone over Marcus Jones.
Josh Dobbs hit Chism for a completion near the front corner of the end zone on another play. Dobbs also lobbed a pass into the end zone for Chism and the rookie was almost able to run under it and track it down, but wasn’t quite able to get to it.
The undrafted rookie from Eastern Washington State is doing what someone in his position is supposed to do: making the coaching staff think twice about whether or not they want to let him go.
The Patriots’ receiver room is crowded. Stefon Diggs has exceeded expectations in terms of where he’s at in his recovery and how athletic he looks. DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte have consistently been at the top of the depth chart. Mack Hollins, who was active today, gives the Patriots a bigger, more physical threat in the red zone. Rookie Kyle Williams has been up and down, but has flashed his potential.
That’s five receivers right there with a pretty decent shot of making the team. After that, there may be another spot or two.
Coach Mike Vrabel said that Ja’Lynn Polk is not expected to practice this week after suffering an injury in Friday’s game. Javon Baker had a quiet start to camp, but fills niche roles as a deep threat and an athletic weapon on special teams. Kendrick Bourne is a veteran who has played for Josh McDaniels before. And then, there’s Chism.
The Patriots may have some tough decisions to make at that spot as Chism continues to make some noise.
Snaps still an issue
Not to keep harping on the same mistakes, but the Patriots had another botched snap in practice.
It looked like a low snap from Garrett Bradbury and Drake Maye had to get down and fall on it.
“To my knowledge, the running back was kind of parked in the A gap and it hit the side of his leg,” Bradbury said. “We’ll get in film and clean that up because there’s no room for that.”
Center is an interesting position to watch as the Patriots try to figure things out without David Andrews. They brought in Bradbury, a veteran with plenty of experience who hasn’t had the most consistent camp. They’ve given Jared Wilson and Cole Strange some snaps at times when they’re not working at the guard spots. Ben Brown has been in the mix as well.
Maye lost a fumble in the preseason game. He had four fumbles last year. Snaps have been an issue fairly consistently during this camp.
Craig Woodson gets a chance
Rookie safety Craig Woodson got some run with the first-teamers today, which is notable because veteran Kyle Dugger has been a mainstay at that spot for a while.
Woodson almost picked off Maye on a low throw in the end zone.
It was close, but Woodson said after practice that he wasn’t able to get under it before it hit the ground.
The Patriots haven’t been afraid to throw rookies into the fire, with Will Campbell, Jared Wilson, and TreVeyon Henderson among those expected to play prominent roles on this team.
Woodson got a shot on Sunday to show what he can do.
“Instinctive, smart football player,” cornerback Alex Austin said. “He’s been picking up the scheme well and he’s out there playing ball, having fun. Looking forward to seeing him make some plays for us this year.”
Special teams may be Baker’s route
As mentioned above, things are tight in terms of the Patriots’ wide receiver competition. Being able to play multiple roles is typically a good thing, and for second-year receiver Javon Baker, it may be his best shot at earning a roster spot.
Baker had a pair of tackles on special teams during Friday’s game, which Vrabel enjoyed.
“It means a lot,” Baker said of Vrabel’s praise. “Coach Vrabel is kind of hands-on. I like that as a player, a coach that will tell you when you’re doing right and when you’re doing wrong … he lets us know and he talks a little trash, so I love it.”
Lan Larrison goes to IR
Rookie running back Lan Larrison caught an unfortunate break.
The Patriots placed him on injured reserve on Sunday after he suffered a lower-body injury in Friday’s game.
Larrison was in a walking boot after the game and the news broke before practice that he will miss an extended amount of time.
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