Patriots Training Camp Observations: All We Saw At Final Open Practice

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots practiced in front of reporters for the 18th and final time Wednesday afternoon.

During training camp and the preseason, media members are permitted to watch each Patriots practice from start to finish. That changes once the exhibition games conclude and the regular season commences.

From Thursday through the end of the season, the Patriots will practice behind closed doors, opening them for only a few minutes at the start of each session.

So, for one last time, here is everything we observed in New England’s latest practice:

ATTIRE
Full pads.

ATTENDANCE
Did not participate:
CB Isaiah Bolden
WR Tyquan Thornton
ST Cody Davis
CB Jonathan Jones
DE Trey Flowers
OL Kody Russey
G Cole Strange
OT Conor McDermott
OT Calvin Anderson

Limited:
G Mike Onwenu
TE Mike Gesicki
WR Demario Douglas
ST Matthew Slater

— Onwenu’s return and subsequent removal from the physically unable to perform list was a major development.

New England’s starting right guard didn’t do much, exiting the main practice area before team drills began, but this was the first time he’d suited up since January. Onwenu underwent offseason ankle surgery that sidelined him for all of the spring and the entirety of training camp until this final practice.

It’s still not clear whether Onwenu will be healthy and conditioned enough to play in Week 1, but his progress was an excellent sign for the Patriots’ offensive line, which has been the team’s single biggest question mark in camp.

We’ll be interested to see if the Patriots consider moving Onwenu to right tackle once he’s back in the fold or keep him in his usual spot at right guard. He’s played tackle at a high level in the past, and the current top option there is rookie Sidy Sow, who hasn’t started a regular-season game at a position other than guard since 2018.

— Gesicki, who’s recovering from a dislocated shoulder, has yet to be cleared for full contact, but he participated in most drills, including a small handful of reps in full-speed 11-on-11s.

— Douglas and Slater both spent most of practice on the rehab/conditioning field. Douglas, one of the stars of training camp, reportedly suffered a shoulder injury in Saturday’s preseason game against Green Bay.

— The Patriots released defensive tackle Marquan McCall with a failed physical designation one day after claiming him off waivers.

INJURY REPORT
— First-round rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez hopped off the field after suffering an apparent ankle injury late in practice. With Jonathan Jones already missing from practice for the past three weeks and seventh-round rookie Isaiah Bolden in concussion protocol, Gonzalez’s injury could seriously tax New England’s cornerback depth if it proves serious.

— Tight end Hunter Henry was slow to get up after falling awkwardly in 11-on-11 drills. He did not receive medical attention but did not take any additional reps.

QB REPORT
Mac Jones: 18-for-23

Bailey Zappe: 11-for-17

Malik Cunningham: two quarterback keepers

ASSORTED OBSERVATIONS
— Rookie receiver Kayshon Boutte has capitalized on Douglas’ limitations this week. After catching all five of his targets on Tuesday, the sixth-rounder out of LSU caught four passes on four targets in this practice, including red-zone touchdown passes from Jones and Zappe.

On the one from Jones, Boutte beat Myles Bryant on a goal-line slant. On Zappe’s, he outmuscled Shaun Wade for a contested sideline catch.

Boutte, who also had a 42-yard touchdown in Saturday’s preseason game, has shown marked improvement since the start of camp and is making a strong late push for a roster spot. He did muff one punt, however.

— O-line questions have persisted throughout training camp, and that group struggled to keep New England’s pass rushers at bay on Wednesday. We spotted would-be “sacks” by Davon Godchaux, Jabrill Peppers, Keion White, Matthew Judon, Daniel Ekuale and Deatrich Wise.

Wise’s was especially emphatic, as he knocked gargantuan left tackle Trent Brown flat on his back as he bore down on Jones. Zappe also had multiple passes batted down at the line.

The Patriots need to hope that unit quickly can build chemistry once Onwenu and Strange — who watched practice but did not participate — both are back in the mix. Their Week 1 opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, piled up 70 sacks last season, tied for third-most in NFL history.

— Anthony Firkser hauled in a nice downfield ball from Mac Jones, beating coverage from Peppers. He and Matt Sokol likely are fighting for one roster spot as the third tight end behind Henry and Gesicki.

— This was another busy day for Ezekiel Elliott, who continued his integration into New England’s offense. The former Dallas Cowboys star took seven handoffs in 11-on-11 drills, including several around the goal line, caught one pass on two targets from Jones, and saw reps in pass protection.

Elliott punched in at least two of those goal-line carries for touchdowns, showcasing one of most valuable talents.

— Running back/receiver Ty Montgomery was as close to full participation as he’s been since he suffered an injury on Day 2 of camp. He’s hyper-versatile and a favorite of Bill Belichick, but can the Patriots overlook his durability concerns when compiling their 53-man roster?

— Kendrick Bourne had a highlight-reel catch over Gonzalez early in practice and a hard-fought contested grab against Quandre Mosely shortly thereafter. He’s been an ascending player since the second week of training camp and looks poised for — as Devin McCourty recently put it — “a heck of a year.”

— Marcus Jones broke up a would-be touchdown to Bourne but surrendered one to DeVante Parker one play later. Parker later beat Bryant for another score, exploiting his size advantage over the two undersized defensive backs. He added a third touchdown over Gonzalez late.

— Rookie Marte Mapu made a couple of aggressive plays in practice this week. He ripped the ball out of Thyrick Pitts’ hands to force a fumble on Tuesday, then beat Firkser at the catch point Wednesday for an end zone PBU.

We’d love to see the talented and versatile rookie get some game action Friday night after sitting out the first two preseason contests.

— Kicker competition update: Nick Folk went 6-for-9 on field-goal attempts after a 1-for-4 showing by Chad Ryland on Wednesday.

Neither player has decidedly won that underrated roster battle this summer. Will Bill Belichick ultimately go with Ryland, the fourth-round rookie, who’s had a respectable summer? Maybe while trying to slide Folk onto the practice squad for insurance purposes? Or would he be willing to devote two roster spots to kickers?

If anyone would be, it’s Belichick.

— The Patriots’ starters saw a ton of work in this practice, with Jones taking 41 reps in 11-on-11s to Zappe’s 26 (and Cunningham’s two as a QB).

Belichick has said multiple times that the players who get more reps in practice get fewer in preseason games, so it’ll be interesting to see what that distribution looks like Friday night against the Titans.

The Patriots did play their starters in their final preseason game last year, but many other teams did not. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the top players sit this one out.

UP NEXT
Preseason game No. 3, Friday night at Tennessee. Then, Belichick and his staff will make their final roster evaluations ahead of next Tuesday’s 53-man cutdown deadline.