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5 takeaways from Day 17 of Patriots training camp
Drake Maye threw a pair of interceptions, Kyle Dugger continued to slide, and a rookie returned to his starting role.
FOXBOROUGH — The tempo may have been a bit slower than usual on Monday, with the Patriots practicing in shorts and shells, but that didn’t stop the defense from making big plays.
Drake Maye was picked off twice by a veteran offseason addition. He wasn’t allowed to be touched, but there were several plays that should have counted as sacks.
There was some brief 11-on-11 competition, along with some red zone 7-on-7 action.
Eliot Wolf, the Patriots’ executive vice president of player personnel, made a rare media appearance before practice.
Coach Mike Vrabel gave an update on some injured players who aren’t expected to play in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Giants Thursday night.
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Here are five takeaways from the action.
Big day for Robert Spillane and Harold Landry
Linebacker Robert Spillane stood out on Monday, making a pair of interceptions.
He stepped in front of a Maye pass intended for Hunter Henry during the red zone portion of practice, snagging the ball with a nifty one-handed catch for an interception. He picked Maye off again at the end of practice, when a ball thrown over the middle seemed to go right to him.
Spillane made a great play on the first one. The second one seemed like it was more about where Maye placed the ball.
It wasn’t the second-year quarterback’s strongest showing. He completed about half of his passes and connected with multiple receivers for touchdowns.
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After a long streak of going without an interception in practice, turnovers have crept back into Maye’s performance lately.
Harold Landry was in Maye’s face a ton. He had at least two plays that probably would have been sacks in a game.
Wilson returns to top left guard spot
Jared Wilson practiced with the first-team at the left guard spot.
Ben Brown started in place of the rookie in Minnesota last week, but that appears to be because of an injury. Wilson said he tweaked his ankle last week.
He played in the preseason game after leaving one of the joint practices early, but wasn’t with the starters.
The Patriots have played around with the left guard position, beginning camp with Cole Strange as the starter, mixing in Wilson before elevating him to the top spot, and working with Brown during the game last week.
“We’ll continue to evaluate that spot and that rotation and where we’re at competing and trying to make sure that we’re giving everybody the opportunity in there,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “From the center and the left guard, and just trying to figure out what the best combination is.
A little-known connection between Brown and Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler: They’re from the same hometown, Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Wolf says he still envisions a role for Kyle Dugger
Things did not look good for Kyle Dugger on Monday, as the veteran safety’s slide down the depth chart continued.
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At one point, the Patriots were running team drills on two separate fields and Dugger was not on the field that the starters were on.
Despite this, Wolf says he still envisions a role for Dugger on this team.
“Yeah, I think there’s still a role. It’s about trying to find the right combination and earn a role,” Wolf said. “The safety position is based a lot on communication and so getting Craig (Woodson) who is a rookie out there with different combinations as well.”
Dugger has been recovering from offseason ankle surgery, but seeing the starting defense without him recently has been a surprise.
“That’s my dog, he understands,” safety Jabrill Peppers said. “It’s his process, coming back from an ankle injury. H’s going to do what he has to do. I’m not worried about [Dugger]”
Injury update
Christian Gonzalez and Kendrick Bourne are not expected to practice or play this week, Vrabel said before practice.
Gonzalez sat out both preseason games after being sidelined with a hamstring injury at the beginning of camp. Bourne is dealing with a leg injury.
Defensive tackle Isaiah Iton, who suffered a hip injury in Saturday’s game, will be placed on injured reserve, Wolf said. The Patriots also signed receiver Phil Lutz who played three seasons at Tufts before transferring to University of Delaware.
Finale approaching
The team have a practice on Tuesday and will travel to New York on Wednesday before playing the Giants on Thursday.
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Cutdown day, when teams have to trim their rosters to 53 players, is eight days away on Aug. 26.
“There will be a group of guys that get a lot of reps tomorrow that are going to be good, important reps,” Vrabel said, emphasizing the importance of closing the last two practices before the preseason finale out strong. “So, based on how that goes, that’ll tell me a lot for Thursday night.”
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