The Patriots held their second and final practice of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, June 10.
The New England Patriots held their second and final practice of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday with rainy conditions moving things inside the WIN Waste Innovations Field House.
The team was once again not in full pads and there was no live contact either. That said, there was still plenty to take away from the two-hour session in Foxboro.
Attendance
Absentees: OG Wes Schweitzer, OG Tyrese Robinson
Non-participants: WR Mack Hollins, CB Miles Battle, LB Jahlani Tavai
Limited: WR Stefon Diggs, WR Ja’Lynn Polk, LB Marte Mapu, S Kyle Dugger, OL Jared Wilson, OT Vederian Lowe, DL Wilfried Pene, DL Jaquelin Roy, TE Austin Hooper
New England saw the same attendance on Day 2 of minicamp after Mike Vrabel noted Monday that some players would be missing due to personal reasons. Following practice, the team announced that it had placed Wes Schweitzer on the reserve/retired list.
In the limited department, Michael Onwenu appeared to up his level of participation after sitting out of all competitive 11-on-11 team periods until today due to a hand injury.
Takeaways
Offense slows down: After a string of sharp practices for Drake Maye and the Patriots offense, things were not as crisp inside on Tuesday especially as they moved back down into the red area. Much of that was due to a steady amount of pressure for the second straight day while Maye also seemed forced into holding the ball at times.
A day after sharing the quarterback told Christian Gonzalez he was going to test him, Maye did just that and the corner made him pay with a one-handed interception on a fade down the right sideline to Kyle Williams — marking Maye’s first turnover in an open session since the first OTA in May.
Pop leads wideouts: One of the few bright spots on offense was DeMario Douglas, who capped off a strong spring overall with three catches — two appearing to be touchdowns in the red area. The advantages of Josh McDaniels’ offense are clear for receivers like Douglas. That showed Tuesday as he was matched up against a linebacker in the slot and easily gained separation to haul in one of his scores.
Elsewhere in the receiver room, Kendrick Bourne and Kayshon Boutte joined Douglas as the top three wideouts for the second straight day while Stefon Diggs (ACL) continued to sit out of competitive team periods. UDFA Efton Chism also shared the field with Douglas at times.
Tough coverage: As mentioned above, Maye seemed to hold the ball at times throughout due to New England’s secondary providing tough coverage. That was led by Gonzalez and his aforementioned interception, when he blanketed Kyle Williams in press-man on a deep fade before hauling in a pass with one hand.
Gonzalez was opposite of veteran Carlton Davis while Marcus Jones held down the nickel; the latter had an impressive pass breakup in the end zone as Williams went to the ground. Alex Austin also got involved helping force an incompletion again on a pass in Williams’ direction.
Linebacker depth: With Jahlani Tavai (calf) sidelined and Marte Mapu limited, additional reps were to be found at the linebacker position behind Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss. On Tuesday, that group took advantage of their opportunities as they were consistently around the football. The group was led by Cam Riley (two pass breakups) and Monty Rice while Jack Gibbens also made his presence felt.
Kicker competition: Kicking inside the field house didn’t affect rookie Andres Borregales, who posted another perfect 4-of-4 day kicking from 33, 40, 45, and 51 yards out. Borregales, who special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer cited for his consistency, wrapped up the spring going 19-of-20 in five open spring practices to the media.
Top competition, Parker Romo, meanwhile, went 3-of-4 today with his lone miss being pushed wide right from 51 yards out. Accuracy was an issue for Romo throughout the spring going 14-of-20.
Other notes:
- With no Schweitzer or Robinson, Cole Strange held down the left guard position yet again.
- Hunter Henry had maybe the play of the day for the offense hauling in a one-handed pass from Drake Maye on a crosser.
- Elsewhere in the tight end room, Jack Westover continues to see a fair share of run with Austin Hooper limited. Jaheim Bell, on the other hand, continued his struggles.
- Keion White was perhaps the main catalyst for New England’s pressure — coming up the middle against Garrett Bradbury on Gonzalez’s interception. White wrapped up a strong spring with another strong showing.
- K’Lavon Chaisson and Milton Williams also were frequent visitors in the backfield.
- The Patriots will be at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, June 11 for their final day of mandatory minicamp but they will not practice.