listen live to weei 93.7:
The Patriots made news before stepping on the field on a Tuesday, agreeing to terms with defense end Trey Flowers. Flowers was drafted by New England in 2015 and won two Super Bowls with the club.
“We’ll see,” Bill Belichick said prior to Tuesday’s practice on what Flowers can bring to the team. “He hasn’t played in a while. He got hurt in September last year. We’ll see.”
Flowers didn’t practice on Tuesday, but was spotted working out on the lower conditioning field.
As for what did happen during the session, here’s the low-down:
First on the field, player arrivals
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Chad Ryland and Bryce Baringer were the first on the field on Tuesday.
For the third practice in a row, Bailey Zappe was the first quarterback on the field, followed by Mac Jones:
Here’s a look at Bill O’Brien:
And the refs, who were back for a second day:
Notes and Storylines: Offense
- David Andrews was back again at practice, but for the second day in a row didn’t participate in stretch. I’m starting to wonder if he’s one of the many offensive lineman who is dealing with some sort of injury.
- Trent Brown was at practice but obsersved for most of it. He didn’t participate in 1-on-1s, but did take some reps during team drills. The entire offensive line struggled once again throughout the session.
- Tyquan Thornton remained with the second group of wide receivers during routes-on-air. He had a good day, beating Shaun Wade and Christian Gonzalez in back-to-back reps in 1-on-1s.
- The offense ran what looked to be a “first team” for Thursday against a scout defense with cards. Zappe, Boutte, Webb, and Firkser were among the skill players. Mac’s chances of playing in the preseason opener look slim.
- Mike Gesicki made the catch of training camp . He turned around for a one-handed snag in the end zone between Jabrill Peppers and Myles Bryant on a pass from Mac Jones where only he could get it. The referee shot his arms up and the entire offense celebrated.
- Zappe’s side arm throws are impressive. He threaded a touchdown pass to Tyquan Thornton in 11-on-11s.
- Malik Cunningham saw plenty of reps at quarterback for a second day in a row. It looks like they’re ramping him up for some extended playing time behind center on Thursday night.
Notes and Storylines: Defense
- For the fourth practice in a row, Jonathan Jones was absent. He was later spotted on the lower conditioning field. He’s another veteran who just he dealing with a minute injury and they’re being extra cautious.
- With Jones out, they rotated Jack Jones and Marcus Jones on the boundary again. Marcus Jones and Myles Bryant rotated in the slot.
- Jack Jones continues to show off his hall hawking skills at practice. He made a nice pass break up on a deep post from Mac Jones to Kendrick Bourne.
- As for Christian Gonzalez, he continues to be ol’ reliable on the opposite side, locking up JuJu Smith-Schuster in the red zone.
- Judon took his first 1-on-1 rep of the summer, beating tackle Riley Reiff in the process.
Notes and Storylines: Special teams
- Pierre Strong, Kayshon Boutte, and Isaiah Bolden took reps returning kicks. Kayshon Boutte, Demario Douglas, and Myles Bryant returned punts. Douglas miuffed a punt and had to take a penalty lap.
- Matthew Slater returned to practice after three days off.
- With Slater back, Jourdan Heilig went back to school. The rookie and the vet were attached at the hip throughout practice.
Player of the Day
Malik Cunningham.
I’m going to give the versatile rookie his flowers after two days of quarterback reps. Yes, he played the position in college, but was really thrown into the fire as a professional for the first time this week and has made the most of it. Cunningham's running ability is through the roof, and he's a serviceable passer. He'll be exciting to watch behind center on Thursday.
Media availability
We spoke to Marcus Jones, Kevin Harris, Deatrich Wise, Demario Douglas, and Hunter Henry following practice. Here’s what stood out:
Marcus Jones was asked about rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas, saying that “he’s a quick guy, for sure.” Jones then added that he’s faster than Douglas.
“I feel more confident, “ said Kevin Harris, who is entering his second season with the Patriots. “Just ready to play.” He’ll likely get plenty of reps on Thursday in a small running back room.
Someone who won’t is Deatrich Wise, who told media following practice that, “even thought I want to play, I don’t think I’ll be playing. Wise was also asked about the Patriots signing Trey Flowers, who Wise played with during his first stint: “Fantastic. Super excited. He’s a dog.”
As I mentioned above, Demario Douglas took some reps as a returner on Tuesday and took the lap following his muffed punt on the chin. He mentioned that he’s learning how to read the ball off of the punters leg for the first time.
The shift pass catcher, who has seem reps at every level throughout camp, says he’s just trying to make the most of it. “I try to maximize every time I’m in. Whether it’s with the 1s, 2s, or 3s.”
“He’s done a great job,” said Hunter Henry when asked about Malik Cunningham playing both wide receiver and quarterback. “does anything that anybody asks. He’s a quarterback, receiver, special teams, doing everything.” Henry also said the Patriots “have got some smart quarterbacks.
Wrap-Up and Takeaways
While they were in pads for the session, New England’s practice on Tuesday was very much a prep day as it was a full-on workout. They got looks from cards, shuffled players around, and looked to get getting ready for game day.
Speaking of game day, the Patriots will welcome the Houston Texans to Foxborough on Thursday evening for their first preseason game of 2023. We’ll have you covered for all of 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!
Related
