6 rings: Everything you need to know from Day 1 of Patriots Training Camp 2023
The Patriots officially went back to school on Wednesday as they completed their first training camp practice of the season.
While it was a short, slower-paced, red zone-heavy period, there is still plenty to take away from the little of 60 minutes we saw of New England's new 2023 unit.
Here’s a few notes and observations from Wednesday’s camp practice:
First on the field, player arrivals
The Patriots two rookie specialists were the first on the field. It was kicker Chad Ryland followed by punter Bryce Baringer.
The first non-specialist? Deatrich Wise, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Wednesday.
Mac Jones entered his third training camp in Foxborough to a warm welcome. Check it out here:
Other notable entrances were JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was on the field for the first time as a Patriot with media in attendance, and, of course, Bill O’Brien:
Team owner Robert Kraft was present at practice as well.
Notes and Storylines: Offense
- As mentioned above, the Patriots ran low red zone pretty much all day. What stood out from Mac Jones’ reps were two consecutive touchdown passes to JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hunter Henry. His rapport with Henry continues to grow stronger. Overall, Jones was just “OK” today, but it’s a tough tell when you’re solely running plays from inside the 10-yard line.
- Bailey Zappe wasn’t any better, and Trace McSorley was bad. Again, they didn’t have much to work with and you’re competing against arguably the best defensive backfield in football, which we’ll get to later on.
- While he didn’t say much, Bill Belichick was a thorough observer of the Patriots' offense on Wednesday. Something we rarely saw during their Spring sessions.
- New England’s “starting” offensive line was Trent Brown, Cole Strange, David Andrews, Bill Murray, and Riley Reiff. Guard Mike Onwenu is on the phyiscally unable to perform list and tackle Calvin Anderson is on the non-football injury list. Both were absent.
- Ty Montgomery who (at least on the official roster) has made the change to wide receiver, was all over the formation for the Patriots on offense. He’ll be a gadget guy for them and will have an impact if he can stay healthy.
- Speaking of all over the formation, it seems as though the Patriots will be rotating their personnel a whole lot, having no true “starters”. JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Hunter Henry, and Mike Gesicki all saw the field for roughly the same amount of time. They’ll work through them all, try to keep them healthy, and allow Mac Jones to pick his mismatch. A Bill O’Brien special.
Notes and Storylines: Defense
- Jack Jones was, in fact, at practice on Wednesday. The second-year cornerback who is due back in court in mid-August following his arrest at Logan Airport looked ready to be back on the football field. He repped mostly with the Patriots’ second-team.
- First-round pick Christian Gonzalez was immediately thrown into the mix at boundary cornerback with a rotation of Jon Jones and Jack Jones opposite him. Jack Jones was clearly second, though. Myles Bryant rotated in as well but was heavily involved in the slot. They clearly don’t have a second boundary starter set in stone yet.
- New England’s first play of training camp was a Kyle Dugger interception off of Mac Jones. Dugger continues to show that he's the best player not named Matthew Judon on the roster.
- Rookie LB/S Marte Mapu is still in a red non-contact practice jersey after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in February.
- Defense won the day with sacks and pass break-ups galore.
What to expect on Gresh and fauria this football season:
Notes and storylines: Special Teams
- Just as it was during OTAs, the special teams unit is Joe Judge’s show. He was in command of just about every positional drill. I can’t help but wonder if he’ll get the title from Cam Achord when it’s all said and done.
- Matthew Slater spoke on Tuesday about working with undrafted free agent Jourdan Heilig to show him the ropes on special teams, saying that he’s “drinking from a firehose” but is doing a good job and wants to learn. The two were side-by-side for most of Wednesday’s sessions. Maybe they're grooming him to be the next great.
- Rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas was one of many who fielded punts on Wednesday, but something stood out. Bill Belichick took the time to work with Douglas 1-on-1 to teach technique.
Player of the Day
The secondary.
Nothing like a cop out to start camp! The entirety of New England’s competitive sessions were in the low red zone today and despite a handful of touchdowns, it was the ball hawks that stood out.
Dugger's interception, pass breakups from Isaiah Bolden and Shaun Wade, and Brenden Schooler, were the highlights of the day that showed how dominant this Patriots defense can be.
Media availability
After practice we spoke to Matt Groh, Mac Jones, DeVante Parker, Kyle Dugger, and Trent Brown among others. Here are a few notable quotes:
Matt Groh on the Patriots’ pursuit of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins: “We explore every option that’s out there.”
DeVante Parker, fresh off of a contract extension this summer, told us that he plans to be with the Patriots for the rest of his career. He shook off questions about Hopkins, saying they’re focused on who they have on the roster.
Parker on quarterback Mac Jones: ““He’s even more vocal than he was [last year]. It’s something we need for the offense.”
Trent Brown reported to training camp early and looked in shape today as a mainstay on the left side. He said after practice that working with new offensive line coach Adrian Klemm has been “lovely” and that he loves Bill O’Brien’s attitude.
Mac Jones, after being the last player on the field working out, was asked about Belichick’s involvement with New England’s offense: “He’s done a great job. He does a great job explaining defenses. That can help the quarterback.” Jones also mentioned that O’Brien and assistant QBs coach Evan Rothstein have done a great job as well.
Jones was also asked about his relationship with Belichick, saying that, “I think we’re good. The biggest thing that we’ve all talked about is having a fresh start. I think there was a lot of learning experiences from last year that we talked about. This year, it’s all about working together.”
Wrap-Up and Takeaways
While it was a relatively quick and uneventful day in Foxborough, it was a good first step in the right direction to see where this Patriots team is at. They’re ready to turn the page from last year and start anew in 2023.
We’ll be back at Gillette tomorrow for more coverage, so make sure to keep it here at WEEI.com.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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