FOXBOROUGH — Day 5 of Patriots training camp is in the books and it was a lighter day as the team gets ready for the first full-padded practice on Tuesday.
There was a lot of installation of plays and also some special teams work.
In terms of attendance, it was the same as Saturday — QB Jarrett Stidham, CB Stephon Gilmore, TE Dalton Keene, EDGE Chase Winovich, LB Cameron McGrone, LB Terez Hall, S Joshuah Bledsoe, OL Ted Karras, TE Devin Asiasi and DL Byron Cowart were all not spotted.
Kyle Van Noy continued to wear a red, non-contact jersey.
Here are some observations from the session.
— Both Cam Newton and Mac Jones were decent. Each had their ups-and-downs, but overall it was a solid day for both players. In terms of reps, Newton led off every one of them like he has so far, but Jones did get more reps in 11-on-11s because he took what would be Brian Hoyer’s. The rookie did well with them as he performed well against the scout team defense.
— Newton had a rough stretch in the middle of practice, but closed strong with a solid performance in the red zone. Meanwhile, Jones struggled at the end during the red zone work. Newton continues to show his strong arm and improved decision-making and decisiveness with his throws. Jones looked good with his short-to-mid throws, but had issues with the deep ball. He connected with Isaiah Zuber on a 40-plus yard touchdown, but the defensive backs seemed to let up and allow the catch to be made.
— When it comes to the competition between the two, it has been very close, but if the season were to start today, Newton would likely be the starter. It will be interesting to see how the pads coming on impacts things as the speed of the game will be much different.
— The offense had to run a lap as practice closed. Bill Belichick declared the play from inside the 5-yard line as a “gotta have it” play and Newton threw an incomplete pass to Nelson Agholor on a slant with Jalen Mills in coverage. All offensive players and coaches needed to run a full lap around the field.
— Ja’Whaun Bentley picked off Newton when dropping back into coverage.
— Jakob Johnson and offensive lineman Alex Redmond had to run laps for false starts.
— Shaq Mason has rotated in and out a noticeable amount of time during 11-on-11 work.
— Defensive lineman Henry Anderson took a fall during 11-on-11 work and appeared to get a little banged up (shoulder). His status for the next few days is worth monitoring, especially with the pads coming on Tuesday.
— Belichick continues to spend a lot of time with Matthew Judon during instal periods. It seems he should have a big role in the defense this season. Deatrich Wise also seems to be a player who could have a role bigger than he has in the past.
— With all the special teams work, Jake Bailey was able to showcase his massive leg. It is very impressive to watch and he continues to show why he made the Pro Bowl last season.
— J.J. Taylor seemed to have some troubles catching punts.
— Towards the end of practice, special teams players worked on blocking field goals.
— The next practice is Tuesday morning, which should be the best of the summer thus far with full pads being worn.
