There was a different feeling in the air on Monday with the pads coming on for the first time at New England Patriots’ training camp.
It felt like real football with the clanging and banging of shoulder pads and helmets. The offense was looking to build on some of the success they started to show on Sunday, while the defense wanted to continue making life difficult for quarterback Mac Jones and company.
The Patriots had six players in total missing in practice with Ty Montgomery, Cody Davis, Michael Onwenu, Calvin Anderson, Jake Andrews and Terez Hall being out. Matthew Judon, Trent Brown and Rhamondre Stevenson were also limited.
Here are five takeaways from Day 5 of training camp;
1
First day in pads wasn't high on intensity
The pads came on for the very first time at Patriots training camp, but there was still a measured approach with things. This wasn’t the simulation of real football some might have expected right out of the gates.
Even with the pads on, things still felt a little lower on the intensity scale with the Patriots focusing on the more technical nuances of the game. Of course, that still didn’t stop the team from suffering all sorts of injuries during practice.
We’ll see if coach Bill Belichick ramps things up a bit more on Tuesday. That’s when we’ll get our best look at where the team stands on both sides of the ball.
2
Mac Jones stays in rhythm
Not much is happening downfield for the Patriots, which is mostly due to the team’s lack of a true No. 1 receiving option. That sounds like a broken record at this point, but there’s no arguing the fact that the big-play element seems to be missing from the offense.
The good news is Mac Jones is still finding ways to move the ball by taking small chunks of yardage with mostly short passes and crossing patterns. So it’s no surprise that a player like JuJu Smith-Schuster has emerged as one of his favorite targets right out of the gates.
Smith-Schuster is an excellent playmaker in the slot with an ability to rack up yards after the catch, which is something the team didn’t see much of from their receivers last season. Jones was 4-for-4 when targeting Smith-Schuster and 8-for-10 overall in team drills.
Mac Jones went 4-for-4 when targeting JuJu Smith-Schuster in team drills. His top target on a day that didn't feature much downfield passing. Was 8-for-10 overall.
Bailey Zappe was 4/8, Trace McSorley 1/5
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) July 31, 2023
The ability to be patient and methodically work his way down the field is something that has really shown up for Jones in the last couple of practices. It might not be the most exciting offense in the world, but it could prove to be the most effective for this Patriots’ roster.
3
Lack of running back depth reared its ugly head
Things looked scary thin for the Patriots at running back with Rhamondre Stevenson not participating in team drills. It was almost as if we were taking a sneak peek of what the situation would look like if Stevenson ever went down with an injury (knocking on wood that never happens).
Ty Montgomery was also still out, which means the Patriots were down to Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor and Pierre Strong Jr. So it’s no surprise the team is currently pursuing former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott for a potential deal.
Elliott visited over the weekend, but like DeAndre Hopkins, he left without a contract. The Patriots have been a team known to draw a hard line at the negotiating table, but one has to wonder if Monday’s look at the position pushes them to inch a little closer to Elliott’s side of the table.
4
A rough game of musical chairs on the offensive line
Days like Monday’s practice have to make quarterback Mac Jones glad he was wearing a red non-contact jersey.
Michael Onwenu was still out with an ankle injury, and Trent Brown was limited in practice. The team also had a scare with second-year guard Cole Strange, who went down with a leg injury early in practice. That left the unit down to Riley Reiff, Atonio Mafi, David Andrews, Bill Murray and Conor McDermott.
That isn’t exactly an ideal situation for the Patriots, but like I mentioned above at running back, it was a sneak peek of how dire things could get if the injury bug strikes.
Strange’s injury reportedly isn’t considered serious, and there’s hope that Onwenu will return to the field at some point. However, until that happens, Jones would be better off doing his best Tom Brady impression by playing hot potato with the football and getting his throws out as quickly as possible.
5
"Pop" Douglas pops a stellar block
Demario Douglas has been turning heads since the start of training camp, and it continued on Monday with him laying into cornerback Rodney Randle on a wide receiver screen play.
Demario Douglas threw a great block on a WR screen that drew cheers from several of his teammates. Also caught Mac Jones' first pass of the day.
Stock continues to trend up for the rookie wideout.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) July 31, 2023
We can talk all day about running routes and catching passes, but Douglas’ willingness to bite down on his mouthpiece and do the grunt work could be what ultimately sets him apart from the rest of the pack. If training camp ended today, he’d be my pick to make the 53-man roster.
Even his teammates on defense are starting to take notice.
“Oh yeah, we noticed him,” said safety Jabrill Peppers. “He’s out there making plays. The same thing you guys are seeing. But we saw it earlier on in OTAs. But what surprised me the most was his physicality. He’s a smaller guy, but he’s tough as nails. I think that will bode well for him.”
