After back-to-back padded practices, the intensity came down significantly in Day 9 of the New England Patriots’ training camp.
The players practiced in front of fans at Gillette Stadium in shorts. It could mostly be considered a walkthrough with the team focusing more on situational football than actual competitive team drills.
This wasn’t necessarily the most exciting practice from a competitive standpoint. However, business is expected to pick back up next week with the Patriots preparing for their preseason opener against the Houston Texans on Thursday, Aug. 10.
Let’s jump into some notes from Friday’s stadium training camp practice for the Patriots.
1
Most absences yet in training camp
This being a lighter practice for the Patriots was reflected in the attendance on Friday. It was the most absences the team has had through nine training camp practices.
The team was missing 10 players on the field, including multiple starters. Here’s everyone that sat out during the stadium practice:
LB Matthew Judon
ST Matthew Slater
OT Trent Brown
G Michael Onwenu
CB Jonathan Jones
G Cole Strange
RB Ty Montgomery
ST Cody Davis
DB Brad Hawkins
OT Calvin Anderson
Judon’s absence comes after he agreed to a contract restructure with the Patriots on Friday. So his case is more of the team managing his workload than anything else. The same could be said as well with Brown, who has spent previous training camp practices going through conditioning drills on the side.
Meanwhile, Onwenu, Strange, Anderson, Montgomery, Davis and Hawkins are all still working their way through injuries.
2
Blue vs white scrimmage
The Patriots split up into two teams for a blue vs. white scrimmage at practice.
Quarterback Mac Jones led the way on the blue side, while Bailey Zappe took the reins for the white team. Jones was throwing to the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Thyrick Pitts, Tre Nixon, DeVante Parker and Mike Gesicki.
Zappe, on the other hand, had Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Malik Cunningham and Hunter Henry.
Some of the defensive standouts for each side were Deatrich Wise, Lawrence Guy, Marcus Jones, Jalen Mills and Jabrill Peppers for the blue team, while the white team had Christian Barmore, Davon Godchaux, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Josh Uche, Christian Gonzalez, Jack Jones, Kyle Dugger and Adrian Phillips.
Might be missing a player still, but I'm pretty sure these are the rosters for tonight's Patriots scrimmage. pic.twitter.com/1oOhRUYafY
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) August 4, 2023
As mentioned above, this wasn’t a competitive session. It was more of a walkthrough with players going lightly through the reps.
3
Kicking game comes into focus
A lighter practice brought the Patriots’ kicking and punting game into focus.
On the kicking side, longtime NFL veteran Nick Folk is locked into a tough camp battle with rookie fourth-round draft pick Chad Ryland. Things have been so competitive that coach Bill Belichick has hinted at the possibility of the Patriots carrying two kickers on the roster.
Ryland seems to have the stronger leg and higher ceiling, but Folk’s consistency could be hard to pass on for a Patriots team that was downright awful at scoring touchdowns in the red zone last year.
Both kickers went 3-for-4 in the kicking department at Friday’s practice. Folk was good from 38 yards, 41 yards and 33 yards, while Ryland knocked a 48-yarder. 43-yarder and 42-yarder through the uprights.
Ryland was good from 48 while Folk missed from 48 https://t.co/vH1vfva10Q
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) August 5, 2023
Meanwhile, rookie sixth-round draft pick Bryce Baringer continued to show off his cannon of a leg at the practice. He continues to battle it out with veteran Corliss Waitman. However, as of right now, it seems as if Baringer is in the lead.
Bryce Baringer just punted one 65 yards with about 5.1 in hang time. It was very far. #Patriots
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 5, 2023
4
Kayshon Boutte continues to come on strong
After a relatively quiet start to training camp, rookie sixth-round draft pick Kayshon Boutte has started to come on strong in recent practices. The Patriots may not have been playing at full speed, but the competitive fire was still clearly there for Boutte.
It's a half-speed scrimmage, but still some energy/emotion as rookie WR Kayshon Boutte catches a TD pass from Trace McSorley in the back right corner of the end zone.
The ball ended up in the hands of second-year OL Kody Russey, who spiked it with gusto.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 5, 2023
The former LSU standout was once considered one of the best receiver prospects in the entire country. Yet, he fell on the draft board thanks to injuries and on-field struggles.
Boutte is finally right physically and mentally, and it’s all finally starting to come together for him on the football field. The Patriots might not have an elite outside option, but they might have hit the lottery with two immediate contributors in Boutte and rookie Demario Douglas.
5
Jack Jones addresses media members after practice
Patriots second-year cornerback Jack Jones spoke with the media for the first time since he was arrested on gun-related charges back in June.
As expected, he kept the conversation strictly to football and deferred questions relating to the alleged incident off the field.
“When I get out here on this football field, it’s all ball, man. I just come out here to play ball, give it my all and do what I’m supposed to do for the team,” Jones told reporters.
Jack Jones defers questions about his June arrest to his lawyer. Asked about leaving practice yesterday, he said it was “just football.”
Here’s his entire interview: pic.twitter.com/dLKtvxjVSN
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) August 5, 2023
Jones’ next court date is set for Aug. 18, which is one day before the Patriots’ second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. He faces potential jail time if convicted.
So far, the top cornerback unit in training camp has been Jack Jones, Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones.
