FOXBORO — Next up, Drake Maye.
For the first time in practices open to the media this spring, Maye took the next reps after veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett on Tuesday. Maye saw 14 total snaps in the live team periods of the Patriots’ latest voluntary, Organized Team Activity (OTA) practice, trailing only Brissett’s 25. Previously, Maye watched Brissett and Bailey Zappe go under center before getting his shot in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills.
No more.
The rookie didn’t exactly run with his new opportunity, though, tossing a couple interceptions in full-team periods. Maye overthrew an open JuJu Smith-Schuster over the deep middle for his first pick, then fired wide on a checkdown he hurried and veteran safety Kyle Dugger dove left to snatch before it could hit the ground.
Elsewhere on a trying offensive day, Brissett took several sacks, young corners caused disruption in the secondary, the defense dominated in the red zone and a young receiver missed practice after stretching.
Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations:
Attendance
Absent: OLB Matthew Judon, OL Mike Onwenu, OLB Josh Uche, CB Jonathan Jones, OT Chukwuma Okorafor, DL Davon Godchaux, DB Marcus Jones, LB Sione Takitaki, OL Jake Andrews, OL Zuri Henry, WR T.J. Luther
Limited: WR Javon Baker, CB Marcellas Dial Jr., CB Shaun Wade
Non-participants/known injuries: WR Kendrick Bourne, LB Jahlani Tavai, OL Cole Strange, DT Daniel Ekuale
Notes: Baker and Dial spent most of practice on a lower conditioning field. Neither rookie participated in any drill or team period for reasons unknown. Baker, a fourth-round wide receiver, had been enjoying a strong spring. … Wade left practice early with a member of the training staff and no obvious sign of injury. … Takitaki was a surprise scratch after he was expected to speak with the media after practice. … Ekuale and Tavai strolled into practice and left early in street clothes.
Play of the Day
Dugger’s INT, fumble
The good: Dugger made a spectacular, split-second decision to dive and snag an errant checkdown late in 11-on-11s. He read Maye’s eyes and was able to jump a pass that more often than not would have resulted in an interception.
The great: After watching Dugger scoop his interception over the short middle, Patriots receiver DeMario Douglas stole possession back. Douglas darted left and dove, reaching for the football that Dugger had exposed upon getting off the turf. Punchout. Fumble. Douglas recovery.
That’s heads-up football.
Player of the Day
DL Christian Barmore
Defensive tackles aren’t supposed to upend non-padded practices where quarterbacks can’t be hit, and 11-on-11 snaps are limited. Just don’t tell Christian Barmore.
Barmore notched two would-be sacks of Jacoby Brissett during live team drills, once penetrating straight through the middle of the pocket and another cleaning up a teammate’s pressure. It should be noted Barmore faced an offensive line mostly composed of backups and replacement-level players, but the 24-year-old could not be stopped.
QB Corner
Note: The passing stats below were tallied during competitive 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods only.
Jacoby Brissett: 9-of-19, 4 sacks
Drake Maye: 6-of-10, 2 INTs, sack
Bailey Zappe: 4-of-8
Joe Milton: 1-of-4
Notes: All quarterbacks struggled in the tight red zone, an area of the field that favors the defense because of the limited space and added emphasis on timing. … During 11-on-11s, Brissett (3-of-10) was hardly much better than Maye, despite the rookie’s two interceptions. Brissett took four sacks and regularly held the ball for extended plays. Brissett also delivered the two best throws of practice: a rifled slant pass to Hunter Henry against tight coverage and a back-shoulder touchdown to running back JaMychal Hasty on a wheel route versus linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley. …. Maye settled often for checkdowns in team periods and ripped a nice out-route “touchdown” to JuJu Smith-Schuster during 7-on-7s. His only 11-on-11 completions were a running back screen and two checkdowns. His lone sack was the result of an unblocked blitzer coming untouched straight up the middle. … Zappe completed half his passes in 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s. His best throw was a back-line touchdown throw to K.J. Osborn over young cornerback Isaiah Bolden.
How Drake Maye has surprised himself, coaches at Patriots OTAs
Offensive notes
- Top targets in team drills: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster 2/5, WR DeMario Douglas 3/4, WR K.J. Osboron 2/4, RB JaMychal Hasty 3/3, TE Hunter Henry 2/3
Drops: Osborn 2, Smith-Schuster - A rough day, overall, for the offense. And the receiving corps deserved its fair share of blame.
- The leading veterans both had drops. Osborn's first was perhaps forgivable, considering Brissett slightly behind him as he cruised the back line of the end zone in tight red-zone work during the initial 11-on-11 period; though Osborn got at least one hand on it.
- Aside from Douglas, none of the youngsters picked them up. Second-round rookie Ja'Lynn Polk and former second-round pick Tyquan Thornton caught zero passes on a combined three targets.
- Brissett went 1-of-5 to open the initial team period, an 11-on-11 drill with the offense at the opponent's 12-yard line. Maye followed with a 1-of-2 showing that included a late scramble.
- Douglas caught all three of his passes during 7-on-7s, one each from Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye and Bailey Zappe.
- Brissett and Maye showed improvement in 7-on-7, tight red-zone work, where the rookie hit Smith-Schuster for a touchdown near the left sideline, and Brissett went 6-of-9 with "touchdowns" to Henry and Hasty.
- Hasty, a running back sitting squarely on the roster bubble, made the catch of the day with his back-shoulder grab in front of the front left pylon.
- Not much notable came from Zappe's reps, aside from a back-line touchdown to Osborn and an early pass that slipped out of his grasp as he charged up the pocket either to attempt a scramble with a pump fake or a movement throw.
- Quiet day for Rhamondre Stevenson, who went 1-of-2 on targets on a pass-heavy day. He led off team drills for the running backs, followed by Antonio Gibson and Kevin Harris.
- Up front, the Pats' initial offensive line (without projected starting tackles Chuckwuma Okorafor and Mike Onwenu) was, from left to right: Calvin Anderson, Sidy Sow, center David Andrews, Nick Leverett and third-round rookie Caedan Wallace.
- Wallace is expected to convert from right tackle, his college position, and compete for the starting left tackle job, so it was notable to see him back at his familiar post.
- The offensive line that worked in front of Maye consisted of left tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr., left guard Michael Jordan, center Atonio Mafi, right guard Layden Robinson and right tackle Vederian Lowe.
- Mafi continues to see time at center. The 2023 fifth-round pick played both guard spots last year, but center is a new position for him as he fights to keep a roster spot.
- Of note: projected backup center Jake Andrews, who didn't play last season, has missed the last two OTA practices open to the media.
Defensive notes
- Starting and second-team personnel during team periods: defensive linemen Christian Barmore, Deatrich Wise, Keion White, Armon Watts, Sam Roberts and Jeremiah Pharms Jr.; linebackers Ja'Whaun Bentley, Raekwon McMillan, Christian Elliss, Joe Giles-Harris, William Bradley-King, Oshane Ximines; defensive backs Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Marte Mapu, Christian Gonzalez, Marco Wilson, Alex Austin, Shaun Wade, Jaylinn Hawkins, Brenden Schooler, Azizi Hearn, Isaiah Bolden, Joshuah Bledsoe, Mikey Victor and Kaleb Ford-Dement
- Interceptions: S Kyle Dugger, CB Kaleb Ford-Dement
- Pass breakups: S Marte Mapu, CB Alex Austin, CB Mikey Victory
- Would-be sacks: Team 2, DL Christian Barmore 2, DL Deatrich Wise, LB Christian Elliss
- A strong coverage day for Dugger, who blanketed Hunter Henry on an incomplete red-zone target in addition to his interception.
- The Patriots continue to field Dugger, Jabrill Peppers and Marte Mapu as their three top safeties, but a fourth bears watching: Jaylinn Hawkins.
- Hawkins, an ex-Charger and Falcon, fits the traditional free safety mold best among that group and is seeing regular time with the Patriots' top units, despite the fact none of Dugger, Peppers and Mapu haven't missed much of OTAs.
- In one 7-on-7 period, Jacoby Brissett targeted Hawkins on three straight reps, where he allowed catches to Hunter Henry and DeMario Douglas around a forced incompletion to backup tight end Mitchell Wilcox.
- At outside corner, Christian Gonzalez and Alex Austin repped with the first defensive grouping to take the field in 11-on-11s. Gonzalez practiced without any limitations, and Austin had a strong practice, including one deflection.
Patriots mailbag: Who will be the odd-men-out at wide receiver?
- Meanwhile, Isaiah Bolden, an athletic, 2023 seventh-round pick listed at 6-foot-2, manned the slot. Bolden profiles as an outside corner, so his presence at nickelback highlighted the fact the Patriots practiced without several defensive starters Tuesday and coaching staffs often try players at new positions during the spring.
- Without versatile corners Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones, the Patriots mixed and matched in their secondary to the point core special teamer Brenden Schooler saw extended run at safety.
- After giving up one end-zone completion late in practice, Schooler clapped his hands and spun around in frustration, an example of how timing and communication are musts for red-zone defense as much as they are offense. The Pats spent extensive time slowly drilling combination coverages at the goal line, where defenders often switch assignments, before entering live drills.
- Up front, linebackers Raekwon McMillan and William Bradley-King were among the first off the bench in 11-on-11s, along with Jeremiah Pharms Jr. Again, this was not a star-studded practice.
- Barmore led a dominant late stretch in 11-on-11s, when the defense reached Brissett for four would-be sacks over eight snaps. Barmore had two of them, as a walking mismatch against every interior O-lineman except David Andrews.
- Second-year defensive lineman Keion White was largely invisible, one week after Jerod Mayo singled him out as a player making progress this spring.
Special teams
- Second-year kicker Chad Ryland went 4-of-5 on field goal attempts, kicking between 33 and 50 or so yards out. His lone miss was around 50 yards away.
- Kick returners: WR Jalen Reagor, WR Ja'Lynn Polk, WR DeMario Douglas, CB Isaiah Bolden, RB JaMychal Hasty, RB Antonio Gibson
- Punt returners: Douglas, Polk, Reagor
- Special teams ace Brenden Schooler repped with the top punt unit and opening kickoff unit, as did safety Marte Mapu and backup linebackers Christian Elliss and Joe Gilest-Harris. The team signed Elliss midseason last year to fortify its coverage units.
Extra points
- Patriots owner Robert Kraft watched most of practice from the sideline, as did various members of the team's front office.
- Tuesday's practice marked the last OTA session open to the media this spring. The Pats will hold their final OTAs Thursday and Friday, before opening a mandatory, three-day minicamp on Monday.
- Rookie quarterbacks Drake Maye and Joe Milton, wide receiver K.J. Osborn, defensive lineman Armon Watts, outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings and cornerback Alex Austin all addressed reporters after practice.
