Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Jordy McElroy

5 takeaways from Day 13 of Patriots training camp practice

It was back to practice for the New England Patriots on Sunday, following Thursday’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans.

There are positives and negatives to take away from every game, but the biggest negative for the Patriots was the offensive line struggles. Granted, the starters weren’t in the game, but given the number of injuries the team has suffered along the offensive front, some of the players in the reserve unit could very well become starters when the season begins.

Buy Patriots Tickets

So the health of the offensive line is something to keep an eye on moving forward. Meanwhile, the positives for the Patriots were mostly Malik Cunningham and a strong early defensive effort.

Cole Strange practiced in a limited fashion on Sunday, which was great news for the Patriots. The full list of player absences is as follows:

CB Jonathan Jones

G Mike Onwenu

RB/WR Ty Montgomery

DE Trey Flowers

OL Bill Murray

ST Cody Davis

RB Pierre Strong Jr.

OL Kody Russey

OT Calvin Anderson

This practice was a bit on the softer side with the Patriots working out in helmets and shells. Here are five takeaways from Day 13 of training camp practice.

Malik Cunningham working with the starting offense

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham made quite the first impression at last Thursday’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans. When the offense couldn’t move an inch, Cunningham stepped in as the third quarterback behind Bailey Zappe and Trace McSorley and led the unit to its only touchdown of the game.

He was back under center again at Sunday’s practice working with the starting unit in 11-on-11 team drills. His ability to make plays with his legs adds a wrinkle the Patriots didn’t have with any of the other quarterbacks, including projected starter Mac Jones.

That isn’t to suggest the veterans aren’t mobile, but none of them are nearly as explosive of a playmaker in that aspect as Cunningham. Keep in mind, the rookie took limited snaps with the starters, and he was still working out as a receiver as well.

I’m not suggesting he’s suddenly overtaking Jones and Zappe on the depth chart. McSorley, on the other hand, looks like he could be in trouble.

A positional switch could be coming for Riley Reiff

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Right tackle Riley Reiff, who was one of the Patriots’ offseason additions to the roster, worked in at right guard on Sunday. Could a change be coming for the 34-year-old offensive lineman?

Reiff has experience playing guard, and given the injuries and struggles along the offensive front, the Patriots might be experimenting with a new line combination. With Reiff kicking back inside to guard, rookie Sidy Sow continued to make his presence felt at tackle. Perhaps Reiff and Sow could be playing meaningful snaps side-by-side.

Granted, the hope is that starting guard Mike Onwenu returns to give the offensive line the boost it needs to compete in the regular season. After seeing the unit get trampled in the preseason opener, it’s clear they’ll need all of the help they can get.

Christian Gonzalez makes the play of the day

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Christian Gonzalez made the play of the day at practice with a leaping interception on a Mac Jones throw intended for wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Up until that point, Jones was lighting things up offensively. That was until Gonzalez decided he’d seen enough and made a play on the ball. The incredible instincts and athleticism of the rookie cornerback really is something to behold.

The Patriots have wasted little time throwing him right into the fire with potential matchups against Pro Bowl receivers A.J. Brown and Tyreek Hill on the horizon in his first two official NFL games.

Marte Mapu continues to make plays on defense

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Christian Gonzalez isn’t the only rookie making noise on the defensive side of the ball. Linebacker Marte Mapu was back in on Sunday, deflecting two Bailey Zappe passes intended for Hunter Henry and Matt Sokol in the red zone.

Mapu is the sort of player that could step into the defense and give it a considerable boost right out of the gates. He’s a smart and instinctive player with a coveted blend of speed, strong tackling and coverage abilities. The do-everything linebacker the Patriots have been looking for has arrived.

“He has a million questions, and he’s not leaving until he gets every one of them answered,” veteran safety Adrian Phillips said on Mapu, via NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry. “And I love that about him.”

Red zone improvements showing for Patriots offense

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

One area the Patriots are clearly improving at during training camp has been their work in the red zone.

Keep in mind, this is the same Patriots team that finished dead last in red zone touchdown scoring percentage last season. Some of those struggles carried over earlier in training camp with the offense consistently stalling when the field shortened.

However, on Sunday, Jones was 4-for-4 in a late red zone period, hitting Hunter Henry (twice), Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker for touchdowns.

The offensive confidence is clearly growing for a Patriots team that needs to put more points on the board this season. They can’t rely on field goals to get back to the playoffs. The team has to capitalize on opportunities and punch the ball into the end zone.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.