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FoxBorough On Monday, the Patriots had a shorts-and-shells practice to wrap out their training camp.
Although it wasn’t quite full-speed or full contact, the tempo was a few steps faster than a walkthrough.
Tomorrow, the squad will travel to Minnesota for preseason play versus the Vikings and joint workouts. They will play the Giants in the preseason finale in New York next week.
With Drake Maye returning with a strong showing, the Patriots offense looked better than it did during Sunday’s red-zone dominated practice.
Maye frequently and early found DeMario Douglas for quick throw completions. Kyle Dugger was still working with the second squad. Andy Borregales and Parker Romo, the kickers, had an unusually difficult day.
These are the practice’s five key lessons.
Rhamondre Stevenson was absent again
For the second consecutive day on Monday, the Patriots were without one of their best running threats.
Neither coachIt’s unclear why Stevenson wasn’t present because throughout the prior two days, Mike Vrabelnor and Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator, were questioned about the absence at pre-practice press conferences.
The Patriots running back room has appeared to be one of the team’s more talented groups with the inclusion of rookie TreVeyon Henderson, Stevenson, and Antonio Gibson.
With Gibson’s versatility, Henderson’s ability to produce big plays with his speed, and Stevenson’s power, all three players offer something unique.
Not seeing Stevenson over the last few days has stuck out because he is normally out there and has become much thinner this summer.
Henderson s speed is for real
Henderson is one of the fastest guys Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator, has ever coached with the Patriots.
Given that the rookie took his first NFL touch 100 yards to the house for a touchdown on the first kickoff on Friday night, that shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.
Nevertheless, it was intriguing to hear McDaniels liken Henderson’s speed to that of some of the former Patriots running backs.
We’ve had several excellent players with somewhat similar skill sets to his. Perhaps no one is as quick. [Shane] TreVeyon is quite fast, although Vereen and Danny Woodhead were also quick. I am therefore thrilled to be with him.
Kyle Williams reflects on debut
It’s not necessarily reason for concern that rookie receiver Kyle Williams did not record a catch in his preseason debut.
Josh Dobbs, the backup quarterback, made at least one throw that, with more accuracy, most likely would have resulted in a score.
Dobbs remarked, “I know I missed Kyle on a slant.” I told Kyle that I owed [Javon Baker] a score since I had hit him on the same route during practice. In the league, it would have been his first.
Despite the lack of productivity, Williams’ performance was more of a mixed bag than a bad one because of his speed and ability to get open.
I think I was opening up, but I could have taken advantage of a few plays. We practice coming back, getting those corrections, and making up for those faults, but I’m not very proud of that.
Stefon Diggs responded animatedly to a no-call on a deep pass on Friday night after Williams made a lot of contact with a defender. Williams claimed that even if he didn’t see Diggs as he was being tacked, he still had an obligation to make the play.
Williams claimed that Diggs has been giving the rookie valuable information to improve his game. Williams claimed that the best one was to not mix the process with the outcome.
Prepping for a familiar foe
For almost ten years, McDaniels coached in New England under defensive coordinator Brian Flores of the Vikings.
He is aware of Flores’ propensity to muck up his plans.
There will be a wide variety of things to observe. McDaniels stated. It has been excellent work for us, and I believe we have seen a lot from our defense here. However, this will be novel. They will align themselves in various locations and apply pressure in ways that our defense hasn’t. Going up there and getting tested is absolutely fantastic.
Slow day for kickers
Romo and Borregales, who have played well throughout training camp and hit all of their kicks on Friday, both had a tough day on Monday, going 1-for-4 and 2-for-4, respectively.
Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer stated that the Patriots’ choice to choose Borregales with a sixth-round pick won’t have an impact on whether or not he wins the position because it has been a close race.
“In the end, I believe it’s your personal consistency,” Springer stated. Whether you were selected in free agency, drafted, or undrafted makes no difference. The message from Coach Vrabel is pretty clear. You must earn a position.
Boston.com’s Khari Thompson reports on professional sports. Khari worked as a college football reporter for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, prior to joining the team in 2022.
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