FOXBOROUGH - Following an off-day Saturday, the Patriots were back on the practice field Sunday morning for a practice that lasted two hours and players were in shells.
Cam Newton got extended reps and it was his best practice in the six the media has been able to see. Jarrett Stidham (hip) did not participate in any team drills and did just a little more than he did Friday. It’s looking more and more like this is Newton’s offense.
In terms of attendance, Adrian Phillips (came out to practice late, but was a bystander), Stephon Gilmore, Sony Michel, James White, Lamar Miller, Michael Jackson, Jake Burt, J.J. Taylor, Jeff Thomas, Beau Allen, and Tashawn Bower were all missing.
N’Keal Harry, D’Angelo Ross, Yodny Cajuste and Derek Rivers returned after missing action last week.
Ross, Cajuste and Jakobi Meyers were limited.
The team will be back on the field Monday morning.
Here are some observations from the session.
— Newton saw his first real extended reps of the summer and made the most of them. While it wasn’t a super competitive practice by any means, he showed signs of learning the offense and made a few nice throws. We also saw a few plays from Newton that would not be called if Tom Brady were at quarterback. The quarterback also seems to be developing a good connection with Julian Edelman, which likely will be showcased more in the coming days with more competitive practices.
— Stidham was certainly limited due to his hip injury, as he did not do any team drills. While he threw early in the session, there were a few drop-back passing drills that he did not do with the other quarterbacks. Brian Hoyer showed a lot of what we’ve seen over the last week, which is a good understanding of the offense and then some good throws, but also some bad ones.
— While Harry returned to the field, it wasn’t the greatest day for the second-year player. He had a fumble, a drop and then towards the end of practice needed to come off the field during 11-on-11 work because he looked gassed. He chatted with a training staff member, but did not get any treatment. This is something to monitor in the coming days.
— Mohamed Sanu ended practice with a nice touchdown grab from Newton. It was also a good throw.
— With Michel, Miller and White out of action, Damien Harris has done some good things with his increased reps. One of the things that has stood out most is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. If the season began this week, Harris would be the No. 1 back.
— While Kyle Dugger was on the field the entire session, he did not take part in some drills. He spent quite a bit of time riding the stationary bike. He was one of the better defensive players on the field last week.
— It wasn’t the best day for Devin Asiasi. The rookie tight end dropped a pass and had to run two laps, one for fumbling during 11-on-11 work.
— Wide receiver Devin Ross continues to have a good camp and is making a run at one of the final wide receiver spots. He always seems to be in the right spot and is making the plays when given a chance.
— Justin Rohrwasser kicked for the second time in full-team drills and was 2-for-4 into the skinny goal posts. The kicks were between 30-45 yards. Before that he kicked on the opposite field with just Jake Bailey and Joe Cardona, and it wasn’t very pretty. Veteran Nick Folk is reportedly expected to sign Monday and it’s likely because the team does not have much confidence in the rookie who it selected in the fifth round.
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