FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo aren’t the only quarterbacks standing out at New England Patriots minicamp anymore.
Rookie Jacoby Brissett continues to show improvement during the Patriots’ offseason workout program. He struggled in his first organized team activities session open to the media last month, but he has made significant strides since.
Brissett was 17 of 21 overall Wednesday during the second day of mandatory minicamp. He was a perfect 8 for 8 in 11-on-11 drills, though he did hold onto the ball far too long on an additional completion that would have resulted in a sack during a real game.
Brissett had better completion numbers than Brady and Garoppolo on Wednesday, but the veterans still are significantly outplaying the rookie, as is to be expected. Brady was 28 of 36 overall and 6 of 9 in 11 on 11s, while Garoppolo was 24 of 32 with an interception and 6 of 8 in 11-on-11s.
Here’s what else went down Wednesday at Patriots minicamp:
— Undrafted rookie cornerback Jonathan Jones picked off Garoppolo on what appeared to be miscommunication on offense.
— Running back James White and wide receiver Keshawn Martin dropped passes during the session. White had two drops and caught three passes during team drills. Martin led the team with nine receptions during team drills.
— Linebacker Ramon Humber, safety Patrick Chung, cornerback Cre’von LeBlanc, linebacker Jamie Collins and cornerback Malcolm Butler had pass breakups in practice.
— White and fellow running backs Donald Brown and D.J. Foster worked heavily on their route running. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels made Brown run one of his routes a second time. Foster, a rookie, had to run two of his routes a second time. White and Foster outshined Brown in their route-running skills.
— Foster took reps as a punt returner for the first time this spring. His speed and athleticism have stood out. He also received some first-team reps with running backs Dion Lewis, LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden out of practice.
— Brady worked individually with receivers Nate Washington and Aaron Dobson and tight end Martellus Bennett during special-teams drills. Dobson had eight catches on the afternoon.
— During another special-teams session, there was a light moment when Brady began throwing pop-ups with the football to Garoppolo.
— Tight end Michael Williams was taken off on a cart after appearing to suffer a knee injury. Bennett also appeared to suffer a leg injury, but he returned to drills after briefly walking around slowing between practice fields.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
