Patriots Training Camp Observations: Everything We Saw On Day 13

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots are known for ignoring the elements when planning their practices.

Pouring rain in training camp? They’re practicing outside. Snowing in December? They’re (most likely) practicing outside.

On Sunday, though, Mother Nature forced Bill Belichick to pivot.

Shortly after the Patriots completed warmups in their latest training camp practice, lightning in the area forced Belichick to send his players and coaches back inside Gillette Stadium. Practice was paused for roughly an hour before resuming under sunny late-afternoon skies.

Here’s everything we observed both before and after that delay:

ATTIRE
Helmets and shells

ATTENDANCE
Some good news for the Patriots’ struggling offensive line: Starting left guard Cole Strange practiced Sunday for the first time in nearly two weeks. The Patriots still held him out of team drills, but this was the most we’d seen him participate since he suffered an apparent knee/leg injury in the first live-contact drill of camp.

Watching their backup blockers struggle in Thursday night’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans illustrated how important it is for the Patriots to get and stay healthy up front. They’re not there yet — right guard Mike Onwenu still is on the physically unable to perform list as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery — but they’re getting closer.

The following players were either absent from practice Sunday or present but not in uniform:

WR/RB Ty Montgomery
ST Cody Davis
CB Jonathan Jones
RB Pierre Strong
DE Trey Flowers
OL Bill Murray
OL Kody Russey
G Mike Onwenu
OT Calvin Anderson

Strong was a new absence. He played 15 snaps on offense and 10 on special teams in last Thursday’s preseason opener. Running back depth already was a concern for the Patriots, so Strong’s status will be worth monitoring.

New England’s only available backs Sunday were Rhamondre Stevenson, Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor and C.J. Marable, who signed on Saturday.

Russey wasn’t spotted at practice after leaving Thursday’s game with an injury.

Flowers, who was placed on the PUP list after signing last week, stretched with the team in workout clothes before joining several other injured players (including Montgomery and Jones) on a separate rehab field.

Linebacker Ronnie Perkins was limited after sitting out Thursday night.

QB REPORT
Mac Jones: 14-for-18, INT

Bailey Zappe: 9-for-16

Malik Cunningham: three handoffs, two QB keepers

Trace McSorley: no reps in 11-on-11s

ASSORTED OBSERVATIONS
— Cunningham dominated headlines after his impressive preseason debut, and the undrafted rookie again was the center of attention Sunday. He ran through positional drills with the wide receivers, as he has throughout camp, but all of his limited reps in 11-on-11 drills came at his listed position of quarterback.

On the first play reporters saw once practice reopened following the lightning delay, Cunningham was behind center, handing off to Rhamondre Stevenson. Starting center David Andrews said after practice that he took reps with Cunningham for the first time Sunday.

Cunningham only logged five reps in team drills — compared to 20 for Jones and 18 for Zappe — and did not attempt a pass. He spent the rest of the time observing, often alongside assistant quarterbacks coach Evan Rothstein.

It remains unclear what the Patriots’ exact plan is for the former Louisville star, but his speed and athleticism are obvious, and even his veteran teammates view him as a legit playmaker.

“That dude is electric,” receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said after practice. “When the football’s in his hands as a quarterback, he’s a very dangerous player.”

Cunningham also returned his first kickoff of training camp, taking a turn there after Kyle Dugger, Marcus Jones, Kayshon Boutte and Isaiah Bolden.

— Overall, this was a strong practice for Mac Jones and the offense. Jones opened with completions on 13 of his first 14 passes, including three completions each to tight ends Mike Gesicki and Hunter Henry.

Henry’s third capped a streak of three consecutive red-zone touchdown passes (the first two went to DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne), all three of which prompted emphatic celebrations. After his score, Henry spiked the ball with such force that the ball bounced up and through the goal posts.

Jones went just 1-for-4 in a late two-minute drill, however, and his final pass was intercepted by rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who had good coverage on JuJu Smith-Schuster in the end zone.

— Rookie linebacker/safety Marte Mapu broke up two Zappe passes, including one in the end zone against Henry. The tight end was slow to get up after the play but returned shortly thereafter.

Shaun Wade also notched a PBU against Zappe.

— Jonathan Jones’ ongoing injury-related absence hasn’t generated much attention, and there’s no reason to believe it’ll threaten his Week 1 availability. But without the eighth-year vet, the Patriots are extraordinarily young at outside cornerback.

Their top four options at that spot with Jones sidelined: first-round rookie Gonzalez, second-year pro Jack Jones, second-year Marcus Jones and seventh-round rookie Bolden. Behind them are Wade and Quandre Mosely, who have 30 career regular-season snaps between them.

— Henry was the Patriots’ most productive pass-catcher in this practice, pulling in five of his six targets — three from Jones and three from Zappe. Gesicki and Bourne had three receptions apiece. Parker, Stevenson, Demario Douglas and Anthony Firkser each had two.

— Veteran offensive lineman Riley Reiff saw a lot of work at right guard for the first time this summer. All of his NFL snaps to date have come at tackle. His move inside could be related to Onwenu and Russey’s absences and Strange’s limitations.

Elsewhere on the O-line, rookie Sidy Sow could be in the process of overtaking Conor McDermott at right tackle. McDermott struggled on the left side against Houston.

— Head coach Bill Belichick pulled Bolden aside for some 1-on-1 instruction before the rookie’s first kickoff return rep.

— Marable and offensive lineman Micah Vanterpool both made their Patriots practice debuts, wearing Nos. 37 and 72, respectively. New England cut linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi and special teamer Jourdan Heilig to make room for them on the 90-man roster.

— This was the Patriots’ first time practicing without fans in attendance since training camp began July 25.

UP NEXT
The Patriots are scheduled to hold one final practice in Foxboro on Monday before heading to Green Bay on Tuesday for two joint practices and a preseason matchup with the Packers.