Nine Things We’ve Learned So Far In Patriots Training Camp

With the Patriots enjoying their first off-day of training camp on Saturday, here is a recap of nine things we learned over New England’s first three camp practices:

1. Mac Jones is QB1
No question about that through three practices. Jones has taken every first-team rep in competitive drills while backups Bailey Zappe and Trace McSorley have exclusively worked with the offensive reserves. Jones also was one of 12 players recognized for his work during New England’s offseason program.

2. Bill O’Brien’s offense is coming along
The defense has been the stronger unit thus far, and the structure of these early practices — all red-zone work, all the time — favored the D over the O. O’Brien has brought a level of crispness and fluidity back to New England’s offense, however, with tight end Mike Gesicki correctly noting after Friday’s practice that there have been very few false starts, alignment errors or blown assignments. That’s basic stuff, but compared to last year’s offensive disaster, it’s encouraging progress. We won’t get a full picture of how O’Brien’s offense operates until Bill Belichick opens things up a bit in practice, but early indications suggest it’ll feature heavy doses of two-tight end sets and empty formations.

3. The passing game has been top-heavy
Tight end Hunter Henry has been Jones’ top target by a wide margin so far this summer. Projected starting receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker also have been heavily involved. But three of the Patriots’ other top pass-catchers have been notably quiet. Gesicki, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton all have yet to catch a pass in competitive 11-on-11 drills. Three practices in, Jones is 7-for-10 (70%) when targeting Henry in 11-on-11s and 12-for-30 (40%) on throws to anyone else. With no true No. 1 wideout — a role DeAndre Hopkins would have filled if the Patriots had closed that deal — New England is going to need more consistent production up and down the depth chart.

4. The Patriots need help at running back
It’s not surprising that New England has been linked to nearly every notable free agent back. Its depth options behind returning standout Rhamondre Stevenson are Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor and Ty Montgomery, who’s already sidelined with an injury. Even if the Patriots trust Strong and/or Harris to take on larger roles after borderline rookie redshirts, that group is too thin as currently constructed. Ezekiel Elliott, who visited the team on Saturday, would be a solid addition, even if he’s past his All-Pro prime.

5. A rookie wideout is making an early roster push
Smith-Schuster, Parker, Thornton and Bourne are the clear top four receivers at this stage, but Demario Douglas has a healthy lead over New England’s other roster hopefuls for the WR5 spot. The sixth-round rookie out of Liberty has seen work with the top offensive unit in every practice so far and has flashed in team drills as a shifty slot option.

6. Offensive tackle still is a question mark
Trent Brown has been back in his 2022 post at left tackle after missing most of spring practice, but it’s unclear who will start opposite him. Riley Reiff and Conor McDermott both have repped at right tackle with the first team, and Reiff has not looked great thus far. Calvin Anderson also should be in that mix once he returns from the non-football injury list. Any plan to fix the Patriots’ offense cannot work without more consistent line play, so this group needs to hold up better than it did a year ago.

7. Christian Gonzalez will be a Day 1 starter
The Patriots’ top draft pick has been a staple on the first-team defense thus far, running with the starters in each of the first three practices. Gonzalez hasn’t been flawless in coverage — Mac Jones repeatedly went at him during one round of 11-on-11 drills on Thursday — but the 21-year-old has broken up multiple passes and has not looked overmatched against much older, more experienced wideouts. Jonathan Jones manned the other outside cornerback spot in two of those sessions, with Marcus Jones doing so in one. All of Jack Jones’ reps have come with the backups. It’ll be interesting to see if the talented second-year pro can climb into the starting mix as camp progresses, and whether his looming Aug. 18 court date will have any impact on his availability.

8. Judon, Uche and Dugger all want to stay
Matthew Judon, Josh Uche and Kyle Dugger all said they’d love to remain with the Patriots for the long term. But whether the Patriots will reach new contract agreements with any of the three remains to be seen. Uche and Dugger are eligible for extensions as they enter the final year of their rookie deals (as is guard Mike Onwenu). Judon, who had a heavily limited workload early in camp, is underpaid relative to his performance over the past two seasons. All three were among New England’s best players last season, and with more 2024 salary cap space than any other NFL team, the Patriots have the resources to extend any or all of them this summer.

9. Jourdan Heilig is the UDFA to watch
An undrafted rookie made the Patriots’ Week 1 roster in each of the last 19 seasons, and Heilig looks like the early favorite to extend that streak. The unheralded Appalachian State product has shadowed Matthew Slater in every practice, with New England seemingly grooming him to become its next core special teamer. Brenden Schooler was on that same program last summer, and he’s now Slater’s heir apparent.