Patriots Training Camp Observations: Everything We Saw On Day 1

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots were back on the field Wednesday for Day 1 of training camp.

Here’s everything we observed during their first practice of the summer:

ATTIRE
Helmets and shells.

Per NFL rules, the fully padded, full-contact portion of camp can’t begin until next week. Head coach Bill Belichick also said that’s when the emphasis shifts from teaching to evaluation.

ATTENDANCE
Nearly every member of New England’s 90-man roster was present. The only players missing were right guard Mike Onwenu, offensive tackle Calvin Anderson and special teamer Cody Davis.

Onwenu and Davis are on the physically unable to perform list, and Anderson is on the non-football injury list. Davis watched practice in workout clothes with a sleeve on his leg.

Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster practiced in front of reporters for the first time since joining the Patriots. Offensive tackle Trent Brown also participated after sitting out most of the spring, and defensive tackle Lawrence Guy returned from his reported spring holdout. All three were full participants.

JuJu Smith-Schuster (No. 7) on the field for the Patriots after missing the bulk of spring practices pic.twitter.com/PH7HI7DTxY

— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) July 26, 2023

Rookie linebacker/safety Marte Mapu practiced in a red non-contact jersey, as he did throughout the spring. The third-round pick is recovering from a pre-draft pectoral tear.

Outside linebacker Matthew Judon and D-lineman DaMarcus Mitchell were limited.

QB REPORT
Mac Jones: 1-for-3, INT in 7-on-7s; 4-for-7 in 11-on-11s

Bailey Zappe: 2-for-3; 2-for-8

Trace McSorley: 1-for-3; 2-for-7

ASSORTED OBSERVATIONS
— The Patriots dedicated all of their competitive team periods in this first practice to low red-zone work, with every play occurring around or inside the 10-yard line. That setting typically favors the defense, especially when players aren’t wearing pads and the running game isn’t an option, and New England’s D clearly had the better day of the two units.

Kyle Dugger intercepted Jones’ first competitive pass of the morning (intended for Mike Gesicki on an end-zone slant), and Jahlani Tavai, Mack Wilson, Quandre Mosely, Christian Barmore and Shaun Wade (two) all notched pass breakups. Both of Wade’s came against McSorley, whose accuracy was erratic.

Josh Uche and Jabrill Peppers also notched “sacks,” and Barmore seemed to argue that he should have been given one on a Zappe touchdown pass to Ty Montgomery.

All told, Patriots QBs completed just 35.3% of their passes in team drills (12 of 34). It was an inauspicious start for an offense that ranked last in the NFL in the red zone and 28th in goal-to-go situations last season.

— As expected, Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker look like the Patriots’ top two receivers, with Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton next up on the depth chart.

We had sixth-round rookie Demario Douglas making the cut as the fifth receiver in our pre-camp roster projection, and he looked like the leader in the clubhouse for that spot on Day 1. He was the only roster-hopeful wideout to see reps with the Jones and the offensive regulars.

— On that note, yes, Jones again was the unquestioned No. 1 quarterback in this practice, with Zappe only working with reserves. We can shelve the “potential QB competition” storyline until further notice.

— It’ll be interesting to see what the Patriots’ plan is for Montgomery. He’s now officially listed as a wide receiver after pulling double duty as a “WR/RB” during the spring, and he didn’t wear the padded helmet that running backs, tight ends, linemen and front-seven defenders are required to use in these early camp practices.

Montgomery continued to see occasional reps as a pass-catcher out of the backfield and caught passes from all three Patriots QBs in competitive drills. He outmuscled Mapu for a contested touchdown in 7-on-7s and beat Marcus Jones for another in 11s. Montgomery’s four catches in team drills led all players.

— Smith-Schuster, who’s known for his outgoing personality, hyped up the crowd multiple times during early positional drills. Opinions on the Patriots’ choice to sign him over Jakobi Meyers were split this offseason, but the ex-Steeler and Chief was a clear fan favorite Wednesday.

“You can see the juice that he brings,” Mac Jones said after practice. “He’s definitely really embraced everything.”

Smith-Schuster’s lone target in team drills resulted in a touchdown from Jones.

— The two-tight end emphasis we saw in spring practice continued Wednesday. Expect to see Hunter Henry and Gesicki on the field together a lot this season.

Henry was Jones’ most productive target in this practice, hauling in a pair of touchdown passes in 11-on-11s. One came with first-round rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez in coverage.

— Brown was back in his usual spot at left tackle, with Riley Reiff getting first ups at right tackle. Having Brown available and playing to his potential will be vital for the Patriots’ offense after a subpar 2022 campaign.

With Onwenu still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, Bill Murray continued to man the right guard spot on the top unit. It’s still early, and he’ll likely face competition from rookies Jake Andrews and Atonio Mafi, but Murray making a push for a roster spot would be a nice story. He spent the last three seasons on New England’s practice squad and just converted from the D-line last summer.

Belichick praised Murray during minicamp, saying the William & Mary product looks “much more comfortable” and set himself up to “have a good, competitive camp.”

— Top pick Gonzalez and veteran Jonathan Jones are the early favorites to land the starting outsider cornerback jobs, with Myles Bryant continuing to take first reps in the slot. Jack Jones repped with the second team but was a full participant in his first practice since his June arrest on weapons charges.

— First on the field Wednesday morning: rookie kicker Chad Ryland. He was out about a half-hour before practice, followed shortly thereafter by first-year punter Bryce Baringer.

The two young specialists — the first selected in the same draft by the same team since 2000 — are competing with Nick Folk and Corliss Waitman, respectively, for roster spots.

— Marcus Jones, Douglas and Bryant returned punts. At one point, Belichick pulled Douglas aside for 1-on-1 coaching.

— Pre-camp signees Jalen Hurd (wide receiver) and Diego Fagot (linebacker) made their practice debuts, wearing Nos. 13 and 42, respectively.