Notes and thoughts on the Patriots’ training camp, Drake Maye’s summer, Kendrick Bourne’s status, and more.
The New England Patriots’ 2025 training camp is underway, with the first eight practices (two walkthroughs) already in the books. This week, that included the team’s first fully padded sessions and an in-team scrimmage inside Gillette Stadium Friday night.
Needless to say, our entire focus this week was on those sessions. To tie up any loose ends, welcome to our latest Sunday Patriots Notes.
Maye’s mobility
Patriots quarterbacks Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs have been on the move early and often during training camp.
That has been by design.
“Josh [McDaniels] has explained he wants to use our skill set and athleticism at the QB position as another way to keep the defense on their heels,” Dobbs said Tuesday. “And so obviously, situationally, when we need it, we’ll be able to pull it out and make plays with our legs. But outside of that, we’ll make sure we’re in the right play to pick defenses apart. And definitely, we just want to have forward momentum every time we take the field.”
Head coach Mike Vrabel added: “It’s critical that those plays are available to us, and we do a good job of picking and choosing the appropriate time.”
During New England’s fully padded sessions, Maye and Dobbs have both found themselves outside the pocket. In the second period of competitive work in Tuesday’s practice, Maye’s first snap saw him play fake and then complete a pass to Stefon Diggs off a bootleg.
Two plays later, the mobile 22-year old quarterback pulled the ball out of his running back’s stomach and kept it himself on the ground.
“He’s athletic,” Dobbs said of Maye. “I mean, I think our entire QB room is athletic, and that’s why it fits us well. We watched a couple of his tape from last year, like scrambles, making throws on the runs, and we all know the type of arm that he has. He’s able to make plays outside of the scheme of the offense. I think we all bring that skill set to this offense, and that’s what’s really exciting.
“And so now it’s like, ‘how can we use that situationally when the defense gets us, rarely, how can we make a play when something isn’t there, but also take care of the football?’”
Though the mobile Maye was one of the more productive scrambling quarterbacks in football over his 10 starts last season, most of his 421 rushing yards weren’t by design.
As Dobbs noted, that will change moving forward to better utilize both quarterbacks athletic ability — and they’ve spent time this offseason studying Cam Newton in Josh McDaniels’ Patriots offense back in 2020.
“I think it’s an even balance of gaining an extra hat. You having the quarterback be able to run the football, you get an extra number. You make it 11-on-11 instead of 10-on-11,” Maye said Thursday. “So, I think it’s always useful and I think at the end of the day, I’ll make some plays kind of off schedule anyway. But mixing in the quarterback run game is something I’m open to, and I think it’s always tough when a defense has to cover that and keep that in mind.”
Still, Maye will also have to protect himself.
As a rookie, he was forced into the blue medical tent twice after taking hits to the helmet as a scrambler. The hit against the Jets in Week 8 then knocked him out of the game in the second quarter.
“We don’t need to run over every player on defense, nor should we try,” Vrabel said. “When they do have the football in their hands, they have to, one, be able to secure it and be able to protect themselves and use the rules to their advantage. Being able to give themselves up is something that’s critical, and I get that a lot of these young players, they feel like they’re fearless, and that’s great, but we just have to make sure that we’re making great decisions.
“Just taking care of my body and being smart,” Maye added, “But also knowing when it’s third down, when it’s near the end zone, like, I’m 6’5 and 230 pounds, go get something.”
While Maye will be on the move more by design, he’s made it a point this offseason to remain a passer when flushed outside of the pocket. At times last season, Maye was quick to tuck and run, perhaps passing up bigger gains through the air.
“I think just kind of remaining a passer longer when I scramble, I think that’s big,” he said this summer. “I’m kind of getting outside the pocket, remaining a passer longer, hoping for some big plays, scramble plays and just making the defense…I feel like I had good times last year where I had some guys deep that I may have missed them or took off running instead. So, just trying to remain a passer.”
That progress showed during New England’s first week of camp, as Maye was forced out of the pocket to his right but kept his eyes downfield to connect with DeMario Douglas for a long (60ish-yard) touchdown.
It’s part of what the offense is calling “fast break football” entering the season.
“We feel like those plays, we shouldn’t take off at any time,” rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams said. “Those are times for us to extend the field, extend drives and everything. So when we get that, we kind of look at it as in our favor to go make some big plays down the field.”
QB-center exchange
One of the more glaring issues throughout the first nine training camp practices have been the QB-center exchange. Working with Drake Maye, projected starting center Garrett Bradbury saw one snap end up on the ground while rookie Jared Wilson saw two poor exchanges.
Maye, however, is confident those issues will resolve themselves.
“I think it’s camp, it’s 95 degrees out here. But at the same time, you can’t put the ball on the ground. Some of it’s a little pre-snap, be on the same page,” he said. I think other than that, it’s my part to get down there and get the ball. So, it’s not a big issue. I think it’s something that these guys have figured out. They got a tough job.
“They got a, not talking football, but they got a big 350-pound guy and they’re moving right and they’re snapping it with the same hand and then coming up to block them. It’s a tough part on them and it’s just feeling stuff like that. That’s pretty cool, seeing how that stuff works out and how much that stuff changes.”
While Wilson, a North Carolina kid who Maye tried to recruit to UNC back in college, has settled in at left guard in recent practices, the rookie has enjoyed his work with the quarterback early on.
“I love Drake,” he said. “It’s just gotten better every day. Anytime we make some mistakes, I always go up to him and ask him. He said, ‘I’m still making mistakes, and we’re going to make them together and we’re going to improve together.’ So, it’s really good.”
Pop’s growth
While Stefon Diggs slots in as New England’s No. 1 receiving option, a strong spring and summer from DeMario “Pop” Douglas has put the third-year receiver ahead of the pact as the No. 2 weapon. For Douglas, one big change this offseason helped set him up for a year three breakout.
“I’ll say leadership,” he shared. I’ve been growing in the classroom, helping others out. I feel like that was what I needed as a part of my game. As I teach somebody else, I’m learning myself. I feel like when I’m out there and I see something somebody else do, I’ll be like, I can coach it up now. I feel like I got in that playbook a lot.”
Maye has taken notice as the duos chemistry continues to improve on the field.
“The big thing with Pop is he’s lining up right. He’s running the right routes. He’s getting to that next level,” Maye shared on the Up & Adams Show. “I think that’s the best thing with Pop that you’re seeing going into Year 3 for him. So I’m excited to keep getting him the ball.”
Diggs’ mentality
Tuesday’s fully padded session saw a pair of Drake Maye passes end in touchdowns to Stefon Diggs, with the receiver showing strong body control along the back on the end zone in both instances. The chemistry continues to develop between the duo, with the veteran having a simple message for his young QB.
“He tells me all the time, ‘if the ball’s in the air, it’s going to be mine’,” Maye said. “So, I think it’s comforting hearing that from those guys. I think that’s kind of starting to become something in the receiver room, that’s the mindset. When the ball’s in the air, go get it. So, I think it’s comfortable hearing that. And it’s comfortable, a guy who’s also gone out there and proved it.”
Bourne on the bubble
The return of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels seemed to be good news for Kendrick Bourne, who had a career-year under the coordinator back in 2021. But through the first two weeks of training camp, Bourne has exclusively repped with the second-team and has not caught a pass from Drake Maye in competitive full-team work before the split squad scrimmage — which the receiver then left early with an injury.
With Mack Hollins returning and immediately joining the first-team offense in Thursday’s walkthrough, Bourne’s future in New England appeared to get even harder to envision. Add the fact that New England has a trio of younger options behind him (Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, Efton Chism) and a release/trade would free up significant cap space both this year and next, and Bourne’s days could be numbered in Foxboro.
Slim Mondre
After dealing with injuries over the last two seasons, running back Rhamondre Stevenson transformed his body this offseason in order to stay healthier as he joins rookie TreVeyon Henderson atop New England’s backfield. That included dropping 10 to 11 pounds.
“It’s just a better weight, though,” Stevenson said on NFL Network. “A lot of lean muscle on me now. I’m trying to unlock breakaway speed. I’m trying to get to that second level and not get caught or anything like that, and it’s just a long season, so just keeping my body fresh and the most healthy condition I can.
Offensive focus
Despite his defensive background, head coach Mike Vrabel has spent the majority of his time this offseason on the offensive side of the practice fields. The reason? To help continue to learn Josh McDaniels’ offensive system.
“I think it’s probably a way for me to continue to learn this system so that I can coach it and be an asset, I think, and try to help just as we install,” Vrabel explained. “I’m very familiar with what we’re doing defensively and then try to give a defensive perspective to what we’re doing offensively. I try to get around as much as possible. I think that group period just gives me a chance to kind of see how things are running.
“The defense may have other things that they’re doing and adjustments, but that’s kind of what I’ve done, I would say, in the past. I think that’s probably consistent. But I do try to get them to be everywhere and to see every position or talk to every position. That may change, but, I mean, I think it’s probably consistent.”
Kicking update
After a strong spring from rookie Andy Borregales, in which he made 19-of-20 field goals in five open practices, Parker Romo has closed the gap this summer in New England’s kicker competition.
In camp, Parker Romo has struck the ball well and appears to be a perfect 19-of-19 (one kick a close call over the right upright) — plus two extra points — while Borregales checks in at 18-of-21 (one additional extra point). Following makes of 42 (twice) and 53 in Friday’s scrimmage, the rookie has now made 13 straight since his 2-of-4 outing last week.
New England also has worked in different formats for these kicking periods, with each kicker alternating some days and other days having one handle all the attempts. According to Romo, that format helps build in rest days to their schedule.
Setting up the week ahead
A busy week upcoming for the Patriots after the weekend off. Following a return to practice on Monday, where the expectation is for a fully padded session with the focus on situational football, and Tuesday, New England will welcome the Washington Commanders to town for a joint practice and their first preseason game of the year — where the team will also unveil the 12-foot tall Tom Brady statue beforehand.
Their full schedule for this week currently looks as follows:
- Monday, August 4: 10:00 a.m. ET
- Tuesday, August 5: 10:00 a.m. ET
- Wednesday, August 6: 10:00 a.m. ET (Joint practice with the Commanders)
- Thursday, August 7: No public practice
- Friday, August 8: 7:30 p.m. ET (Preseason game vs. Commanders)
- Saturday, August 9: No public practice
- Sunday, August 10: 10:00 a.m. ET