1 – Prior to the start of the ninth Patriots training camp practice of the summer on Saturday, first-year New England boss Jerod Mayo declared that, “we’re moving past the Judon thing. We’re both in a good place.”
The “Judon thing” was a reference to what’s transpired between the Patriots and Matthew Judon as the soon-to-be 32-year-old Pro Bowl pass rusher seeks an adjustment to his contract for the second straight summer, the last year of a deal that owes him $6.5 million salary in 2024 that he believes is below his value.
Judon’s status has been the biggest story of the early summer in Foxborough. He was on the field early in camp, interacting with fans, declaring his contract desires to the media and taking part in non-padded practices. Then he took the field for the first padded practice without pads, had a seemingly animated interaction with Mayo and left the practice field. He was absent entirely a day later.
The last few days he’s been on the field, but seemingly begrudgingly. He dons his shoulder pads just before or after the horn to begin practice sounds. He takes his time putting on his helmet while going through the pre-practice running and stretching motions. He wears sweatpants while his teammates wear team issued practice pants. Judon has taken part in practice, to a degree. After the first rep of team 11-on-11 work on Friday Judon went to the sideline and sat on a cooler.
Sure Judon is on the field. Sure he’s got pads on. Sure he’s taking various reps.
But are we sure both sides are past the “thing” that’s created uncertainty with New England’s best player.
Nope. Not until Judon speaks and says he’s “moving past” it. Or not until he gets a new deal. Or is dealt away.
As any husband will tell you, one side does not get to decide when a disagreement is over.
Mayo may be moving past the “Judon thing” but for now it still has to be considered a “thing” that’s hanging over training camp in New England.
2 – Judon’s “thing” maybe the most soap opera-like storyline of training camp, but the biggest issues for the Patriots this summer in terms of the long term evolution of the team is the development of No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye. The young quarterback has been in the media crosshairs thanks to idiotic assessments from afar that he’s already a bust or that raw, sixth-round rookie teammate Joe Milton is somehow going to win the starting job.
Maye, as one might expect, has had his ups and downs through the first nine days of professional training camp practices. He’s not had a linear improvement. He’s looked slow with his reads at times. His accuracy has been inconsistent at others. His motion and style may take some getting used to in these parts.
Yet, he’s also looked really good throwing the football at other times. He’s made plays. He’s made reads. He’s made progress.
Is Maye ready to start? Probably not.
Is he a bust already? Definitely not.
One thing that would help Maye’s development and the narrative surrounding his capabilities would be if those around him helped him out a bit more. Some of Maye’s best throws of the summer have fallen incomplete due to drops or poorly run routes by teammates, including rookie receiver pals Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker.
Maye is facing a lot of pressure to develop and develop quickly. That comes with the position.
Someday he’ll be expected to carry the Patriot and lift those around him. But while he’s trying to avoid drowning in a new offense with questions across the board from coaching to capable play in both pass protection and pass catching, it would be nice if the young gun got a boost from his teammates.
3 – While Maye is learning his way and learning how prematurely-harsh the coverage of his development may be, veteran journeyman starter Jacoby Brissett has done a really nice job in all aspects of his role in his return to New England. Mayo said his veteran is “pro-ready” to be the starter because, well, he’s been a pro for a long time. That’s shown itself in the way he runs Alex Van Pelt’s new offense. That’s shown itself in the way Brissett celebrates and is clearly trying to create a positive energy on the field, whether he’s taking part in reps or not. It’s shown in his interactions with the three other quarterbacks on the depth chart, including two rookies and a third-year Bailey Zappe who’s in a really challenging spot as the former starter now buried as a fourth-stringer given limited practice reps.
Brissett is what he is in terms of his starting ability and skills at this point nearly a decade into his NFL career. But in terms of his role as a seat-warming starter, leader, mentor and teammate in New England he looks to very much be the perfect man for the job and everything that it somewhat complicatedly entails.
4 – The wide receiver position has been everything it was expected to be this summer. Competitive. Inconsistent. Frustrating. Young. Filled with both potential and potential pitfalls.
Clearly the Patriots do not have a No. 1 receiver, although if healthy DeMario Douglas clearly looks like their No. 1 receiver. He brings energy and playmaking ability that is lacking when he (and veteran Kendrick Bourne, who’s on PUP) is not on the field. Douglas needs to prove he can stay healthy – he remains in a red, non-contact jersey due to a left hand injury – but he has the potential to catch a lot of balls for whichever QB he takes the field with this fall.
The rest of the receiving corps also has plenty to prove. Tyquan Thornton may have been the most consistent positive at receiver through the first eight practices – including a couple times torching Christian Gonzalez in one-on-one drills in the red zone – but then he was not able to get on the field in pads for the ninth practice. Thornton has shined in camp in the past, dealt with injuries and failed to make much of an impact on the game field. So most will question his potential contributions until he proves he can turn potential into actual contributions.
Jalen Reagor has had a solid start to the summer and will likely be a factor in the return game. But can he be a top three or four wide receiver as a former first-round pick who’s never been able to live up to his draft status? On this team, he at least will get that shot.
K.J. Osborn has had a quiet practice start to his Patriots career. He’s had a few drops and only a few memorable plays through nine practices. With a $2 million signing bonus and more than $3 million guaranteed, the former Viking seems pretty likely to make the team almost regardless of his work this August.
Likewise, rookies Polk and Baker – already seemingly seen as a combo package for the offense and the future – aren’t going anywhere. They’ve each shined at times and shown there is work to be done as well. And their unique and potentially complementary playing styles and skill sets are certainly intriguing as they develop.
Given that Douglas, Osborn, Polk and Baker all seem like borderline roster locks at this early point and Reagor seemingly making it hard to send him packing, that means Thornton, veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kayshon Boutte and others are fighting for the last spots on the roster. In fact, Smith-Schuster is starting to feel like a longshot at this point to make the team despite an eight figure dead cap hit if cut.
A month remaining before the regular season, wide receiver remains a very interesting and competitive position to keep an eye on.
5 – Another very competitive spot – with less hopeful an upside than wide receiver – is the offensive line, particularly the tackle position. The edges of the offensive line have been a rotating cast of underwhelming options. Veteran newcomer Chukwuma Okorafor got the first shot at left tackle. Then rookie Caedan Wallace. Of late it’s been returning veteran Vederian Lowe.
Mayo has made it clear that he plans to play the best five players on the line, even if they aren’t perfect positional fits. Certainly David Andrews is locked in at center. High-paid veteran Mike Onwenu has seemed to settle in at right guard after dabbling this offseason again at the right tackle spot he’s had to play at times over his first four seasons. Sidy Sow is angling to take over the left guard spot with former first-round pick Cole Strange out of the picture, at least for now.
But the tackle position has yet to bring any clarity through nine practices. And there is no question that even in just practice action, it’s been a hindrance to both the passing and running games as Van Pelt tries to install an offense and develop quarterbacks.
The line remains the biggest question on the practice field and the roster. It looks like it will be a question heading into the season. Heck, the guys currently on the roster and the practice field may not even answer those questions, if they ever even get answered at all in 2024.
6 – Mayo, like Van Pelt, has made it obvious New England is looking to run the ball this season. The team will “lean on” the run game and its defense. And certainly there is some faith in Rhamondre Stevenson’s ability to carry what may be a heavy load.
But the reality on the practice field is that the running game hasn’t appeared to have a lot of room to run. Maybe that’s just because it’s going against pretty formidable defense and defensive front. Maybe it’s because it’s hard to run the ball, even in full pads, in a practice setting where full-speed, live reps aren’t exactly plentiful.
It will certainly be telling to see how the run game develops and evolves in the coming weeks in preseason action as well as joint practice work against the Eagles.
The Patriots really want to run the ball this fall. At some point we’ll find out if they actually can do so productively enough to be the foundation of an offense that’s going to be very much a work in progress at both the quarterback and wide receiver positions.
7 – A couple veteran mainstays from both sides of the ball deserve a respectful nod for the work they’ve done early on this summer. Tight end Hunter Henry has looked very much like the capable, productive, professional veteran that he is. A captain a year ago, Henry once again is poised to be a leader on the new offense, both in terms of on-field contributions and a potentially more vocal role off the field. Henry is a pro’s pro, but more than that still looks like he’s very much ready to be a reliable, impact option in the passing game, maybe even with a few more chances to make plays down the field or in space than he’s had in previous years in New England.
On the defensive side of the ball, veteran Jonathan Jones is healthy and showing that he still very much has an ability to be a top-end contributor in the back end of the defense. Jones might be the Patriots' best cornerback until Christian Gonzalez proves he’s healthy and ready to live up to the hype. Jones can play on the outside, his natural spot in the slot and, at least so far in camp, is showing the ability to play a lot of deep safety looks. The Patriots have lacked a free safety type since Devin McCourty retired. Jones may be ready to fill that void and in doing so might be able to prolong his playing career in a transition that so many corners have made over the years. The Patriots aren’t exactly stacked with talent at cornerback and plenty of little-known names have been vying for roles and roster spots in coverage early this summer. But the veteran Jones is showing yet again both in terms of versatility and ability that he’s still a key cog on this defense that’s expected to be the strength of the team.