Shortly after the Patriots were finished immortalizing the greatest player in NFL history with the unveiling of a 12-foot bronze statue, there was an exhibition football game to be played.
And while this preseason opener had an air of importance given what preceded it, it was just that - a preseason game in early August at Gillette Stadium.
The 48-18 final result of Friday’s game against the Commanders doesn’t really matter (unless you’re a sicko and had action on the game), but what we saw on the football field from players up and down the roster does.
Some of what we saw will help determine players at the bottom of the roster’s fate. Some of what we saw will help determine points of emphasis for coaches as well as depth chart decisions for players at the top of the roster.
The point is, everything in the preseason needs to be taken with a grain of salt, and considered with a heavy dose of nuance.
With that said, let’s get into our first Up & Downs column of the 2025 NFL season:
Ups:
- TreVeyon Henderson: For those of you who haven’t been locked into training camp coverage - welcome.
Welcome to the TreVeyon Henderson Hype Train. It’s been rolling along since camp opened, and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
Whenever you open a game with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown, you’re going to get your flowers. Preseason, regular season, playoffs, it doesn’t matter.
When you can give your team a 6-0 lead before your offense or defense plays a single snap, you’re immediately vaulted to the front of the line for attention and adulation.
And that’s exactly what Henderson did to open his NFL (preseason) career.
After fielding the ball at the goal line, Henderson ran up a perfectly blocked running lane to the 30 yard line. Right around the 35, he cut right to avoid a Washington tackler. He then hit that next gear that we’ve seen all camp, rushing all the way up the right sideline untouched to the house.
As he pointed to the sky in celebration, the stadium went nuts, and No. 32 had officially put himself on the map for Patriots fans across the region.
…and he wasn’t done.
On the Patriots’ offense’s first touchdown drive, Henderson made two big plays that showed off both his catching and rushing abilities.
With 9:07 remaining in the 1st quarter from the Patriots 39 yard line, Henderson opened the drive with an 18-yard outside run up the left sideline. It took a 15-yard facemask penalty to take him down, setting up the Patriots with a 1st and 10 from the Washington 28.
Five plays later on 2nd and 7, Henderson picked up a first down on a short pass to the right from Drake Maye, taking matters into his own hands with a 9-yard gain to set up the Patriots with a 1st and goal from the Washington 5.
Three plays later, the Patriots were in the end zone for their second touchdown of the day.
It’s been apparent from camp that Henderson was going to be a massive part of the Patriots’ offense in 2025, and Friday night’s performance confirmed that.
At this point, I’d be shocked if Henderson wasn’t RB1 come Week 1 against the Raiders.
- Jeremy Springer: On top of Henderson’s highlight play to open the ballgame, running back Antonio Gibson had a 62-yard kickoff return in the middle of the 2nd quarter.
And since the veteran ball carrier didn’t have any other standout plays to speak of, I’ll use this opportunity to shout out special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer, who clearly had his unit ready to play on Friday.
In addition to his kickoff return unit having an A+ day, both Andy Borregales and Parker Romo were perfect on kicks - a combined 2/2 on field goals and 6/6 on extra points. The same cannot be said for Commanders kicker Matt Gay, who missed a chip shot 37-yard field goal in the 1st quarter.
- Drake Maye’s Legs: Throughout his rookie season, we saw the North Carolina-product have a propensity to take off and attempt to make plays with his legs. And while a majority of the time it worked out well for the 22-year-old (he was among the league-leaders at his position in rushing yards), there were too many instances of Maye trying too hard to extend plays, putting himself in harm’s way.
Mike Vrabel sent a message before practice on Wednesday that he wants to see less of that from Maye in 2025, and we got a glimpse into a more careful runner under center on Friday.
On 2nd and 10 from the Washington 28 with 8:36 remaining in the 1st quarter, everyone was covered down field leading to Maye taking off and running.
One yard past the first down sticks, Maye gracefully slid into his slide to secure his health and a new set of downs. A Maye-of-old may have put his head down to try and pick up a few extra yards. Sure, this could be Maye playing it safe given the stakes of the game - which were, to be clear, nonexistent. But it’s plays like this that are worth keeping an eye on as the preseason turns into the regular season.
Five plays later, Maye’s legs were at it again.
On 3rd and goal from the Washington 5 yard line, Maye had all the space in the world to waltz into the end zone for his first rushing score of the preseason. All his receivers ran routes towards the right side of the end zone, and all of Washington’s coverage followed. Maye recognized this quickly, and took advantage.
Whether former offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt liked it or not, Maye’s legs might have been New England’s best offensive option last season. It’ll be interesting to see how old-but-new OC Josh McDaniels unleashes this part of his game in year two.
- D.J. James: With cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis missing practice of late with injuries, D.J. James is someone who has started turning heads at training camp - especially showing out on Wednesday’s joint practice with Washington.
He continued that on Friday.
On 3rd and 15 from the Washington 31 yard line, Commanders quarterback Sam Hartman was targeting wideout Michael Gallup on a short pass that almost certainly wouldn’t have ended with a first down for Washington.
Gallup fell down while attempting to cut back towards the throw, and James jumped the route perfectly to pick it off.
James returned the ball 11 yards before being caught by former Patriots wide receiver K.J. Osborn, setting up the Patriots offense with a 1st and 10 from the Washington 31.
The Patriots are slated to have one of the best cornerback combinations in the NFL this season. If Gonzalez and Davis can stay healthy, this defense will have a chance to be among the best in the AFC.
But it’s depth pieces like James that allow for good defenses to become great defenses. Let’s see if he continues to develop into an impact player heading into Week 1.
Efton Chism: Everyone’s favorite 5-foot-10 receiver from the spring had a nice night on Friday, reminding everyone why the undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington was popping up on bloggers’ roster projections across the internet.
And while I still believe Chism has an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster for opening day, a team-high in catches (6), targets (8) and receiving yards (50) to go along with a 12-yard touchdown catch in the 3rd quarter is going to turn some heads.
Training camp has not been as kind to Chism as OTAs and minicamp were. Maybe Friday night’s performance sparks something for Chism that allows him to get back more involved in the offense leading into preseason game No. 2 at Minnesota.
Some Ups, Some Downs:
- Will Campbell & Jared Wilson: With two rookies starting together on the left side of the line of scrimmage, there’s bound to be growing pains for these two early in the season.
And with Campbell being the fourth overall pick this past spring, the microscope on how he looks early in his rookie campaign is going to be gigantic (have you heard he has short arms?).
We got our first taste of rookie struggles from the left guard and left tackle on Friday, as well as glimpse into the highs this duo could reach together for years to come.
First, the bad:
In the 1st quarter on a 3rd and 7 from the New England 45, Wilson and Campbell got caught up on a stunt by Washington. This confusion led to defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton running free towards Maye, who ended up taking a bad sack-fumble that gave Washington the ball just 10 yards away from the red zone.
Everyone mentally prepare for the short-arm brigade to fire on all cylinders starting at 6:00 a.m. on Monday (and probably throughout weekend programming as well).
Now, the good:
On the next offensive possession for New England, it was blocks from Campbell and Wilson that allowed Maye to have the room to scramble for a 5-yard touchdown.
Campbell kicked his man all the way outside, and Wilson perfectly pinned his man inside. It was a thing of beauty.
This wasn’t Campbell’s only highlight, as he looked as athletic as advertised earlier that drive on a toss play to Henderson, as the 6-foot-6 tackle pulled out left and took Washington corner Noah Igbinoghene for an absolute ride.
This set of plays is a microcosm of what the 2025 season is going to look like for these young guys trying to find their way in this league. It will be incumbent on McDaniels to not put these kids on an island early in the season.
Downs:
- Kyle Williams: It’s probably not completely fair for me to put him in this section, but I was fully prepared for a heavy dose of Williams tonight with both Maye and backup quarterback Josh Dobbs.
But with Maye barely being asked to throw the ball during his two series under center and Dobbs being, uh, Dobbs (more on him later), Williams was held catchless on 4 targets. He showed an ability to get open, and for that he probably should be included in the section above this one. But for now, let's wait until he hauls one in before we do that.
For a player who flashed throughout the spring as well as early in camp, Williams had faded into the background in the practices leading up to Friday’s preseason opener. He’ll be high on the players-to-watch list in the practices leading up to preseason game No. 2 versus Minnesota.
- Josh Dobbs: I’ve talked about it on the 6 Rings Podcast this camp, and I’ll say it again here - I don’t think Josh Dobbs is a very good quarterback.
He was 5 of 12 passing on the night for 45 yards, good for a 52.4 passer rating. And while he did account for a rushing score towards the end of the 2nd quarter, it was the type of play by a quarterback that typically results in the player getting his head knocked off rather than 6 points. Against a first team defense, this would be no-go.
Patriots should pray this guy doesn’t have to see the field in 2025.
- Tom Brady’s Speech: Who gave him the bad advice of trying to go funny with his speech?
The awkwardly delivered jokes were fine at the Netflix roast. It was to be expected that night. But at the statue reveal? It pains me to say that it was incredibly cringey for my all-time favorite athlete.
Vrabel will have his team off on Saturday before returning to the practice field on Sunday for day 13 of training camp.
This will be the public’s last chance to watch training camp this summer, as the team transitions into closed practices starting on Monday.
They’ll then fly to Minnesota on Tuesday to take part in a pair of joint practices with the Vikings ahead of their preseason game slated for next Saturday.