For a second straight day, the Patriots' offense rebounded from a rough start to finish things strong at joint practices against the Las Vegas Raiders. In fact, several reports from media on the ground suggest Wednesday's showing was more positive on the whole than the day before.
Ever-reliable wide receiver Jakobi Meyers was one of the big reasons why, reportedly hauling in two contested touchdown throws from Mac Jones in red-zone periods against the Raiders' first-team defense.
DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, and Kendrick Bourne have all made more noise or gotten more headlines -- both good and bad -- throughout training camp among the wide receivers, but Meyers continues to be Jones' most trusted target on offense.
“He’s just a tough, smart football player. I’ll take him on my team forever, hopefully," Jones said of Meyers. "… I trust him. We see the game the same way, sometimes without even talking about it."
The rapport between the two is unquestionable: Jones has been the most targeted pass-catcher on the team during training camp after leading the team in targets (126) during the 2021 season by a wide margin.
What Meyers lacks in speed and raw ability is made up for in football IQ, shiftiness on routes, and an underrated knack for pulling down contested grabs, especially for a receiver without elite size. Touchdowns have been just about the only thing that's alluded the former undrafted receiver as his numbers continue to improve each year he's in the league.
At this point, you don't really need to ask who Jones' go-to guy on this team is: it's Meyers by a mile.