FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ wide receiver corps is getting dangerously shallow.
Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell, Aaron Dobson, Brian Tyms and Matthew Slater were out of practice Thursday, giving third-year pro Josh Boyce and veteran Brandon Gibson an increase in reps with quarterbacks Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Boyce beat cornerbacks Jimmy Jean, Malcolm Butler and Darryl Roberts in 1-on-1 drills, and he caught seven passes in team drills. Gibson beat cornerbacks Tarell Brown, Logan Ryan and Jean in individual drills. He caught five passes in team drills, including a diving grab near the sideline.
— Brady saw an increase in reps as Garoppolo took it easy Thursday. Brady was 9 of 12 in 7-on-7s and 22 of 29 in 11-on-11s.
— Garoppolo, who saw the majority of work Wednesday night, went 4 of 5 in 7-on-7s and 11 of 15 in 11-on-11s. It was a nice bounce-back practice after struggling Wednesday.
— Here are the results for the Patriots 1-on-1 wide receiver-cornerback drills:
Brady throwing:
WR Danny Amendola over Ryan
Gibson over Brown
WR Chris Harper over CB Bradley Fletcher
Boyce over Jean
Gibson over Ryan
WR Chris D’Orazio over CB Daxton Swanson
CB Robert McClain over Amendola
Gibson over Jean
Garoppolo throwing:
Ryan over Amendola
Boyce over Butler
Gibson over Brown
Krause over McClain
Fletcher over Harper
D’Orazio over Swanson
Amendola over Ryan
Boyce over CB Darryl Roberts
Gibson over Jean (defensive holding)
— LaFell was spotted for the first time this summer. He was signing autographs for fans and wasn’t wearing a walking boot.
— Tight end Jimmay Mundine left early with what appeared to be a leg injury. Fellow tight end Scott Chandler also was spotted icing his knee during practice.
— Garoppolo and offensive lineman Josh Kline took a lap after a botched snap.
— The entire defense took two laps after committing a penalty near the goal line. The referees were out on the field for practice, throwing flags.
— Amendola and fullback James Develin had drops during practice.
—Â Gibson and safety Jordan Richards were flagged for holding.
— Brown, Richards, Fletcher and safeties Patrick Chung and Tavon Wilson had pass breakups during practice.
— Both rookie guards Shaq Mason and Tre’ Jackson are looking good in run-blocking drills. Mason is exclusively working at guard. Some thought he might take snaps at center in the NFL, but with Ryan Wendell out, Bryan Stork, David Andrews and Kline are taking all snaps at center.
Thumbnail photo via Robert Mayer/USA TODAY Sports Images
