Some Patriots news and notes for this morning:
A Busy – But Uneventful – Practice Thursday
It was a busy day on Thursday as the Patriots continued their second day of training camp.
The Patriots spent yesterday working through a lot of the same things we saw when camp opened Wednesday, albeit there were a few wrinkles from a personnel standpoint that were interesting.
One of which had to do with the quarterback position, which saw rookie Joe Milton step in front of Bailey Zappe from a reps standpoint. Milton received the majority of third-string reps, which seemingly had Zappe sitting fourth on the depth chart.
NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran said that Zappe appeared to be “kicking the can” a bit, with what he and Phil Perry referred to as “not a great” look as he worked behind the rookie. Clearly, there’s a bit of frustration there, with Zappe’s future remaining as one of the question marks here in training camp.
Meanwhile, both quarterbacks had a decent showing, but the majority of throws happened on short completions, and there weren’t any downfield connections like what we saw on Wednesday. Some reports had Tyquan Thornton as having a productive afternoon, but those completions were referred to by Curran as “pedestrian” and nothing that deserved significant praise for a player battling for a roster spot.
As it currently stands, Thornton is likely going to have to do quite a bit to make the roster, with Jalen Reagor continuing his good start with another solid showing Thursday.
Given Reagor’s value on special teams, and his ability to at least make some plays down the field, Thornton should be feeling the heat somewhat and will have to prove he can also handle the physicality that’s still to come when they put on the pads next week.
Godchaux’s Situation Remains a Question Mark
One day after fully taking part in practice, veteran Davon Godchaux missed a good portion of practice on Thursday before arriving midway through the session but didn’t participate.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo provided some clarity on Friday, saying that Godchaux’s absence wasn’t contract related and that the veteran was dealing with something.
“No, not at all. It has nothing to do with the contract,” said Mayo. “He had a little bit of tightness, but he’s another guy who you want to reward the players that embody or encompass what we’re trying to create here from a cultural perspective. And also, at the end of the day, it’s all about wins and losses, and he helps with that.”
While he is heading into the final year of his deal, it’s hard to pinpoint his issue in terms of where he falls in regard to other players around the league. The veteran falls right in the middle in terms of his contract, which puts him relatively in line when it comes to his peers. According to Spotrac, he’s set to make $7.15 million in base salary, with one potential factor being that it’s not guaranteed until the beginning of the season.
It’s possible they could give him a bump in pay or, if nothing else, guarantee his salary ahead of the season, which would at least reduce his risk should he get hurt in camp.
For now, they remain at a stalemate, and it appears Godchaux will want to continue being cautious until something changes on that front.
Clarity on Douglas
Demario Douglas has seemingly been limited early on in practice, which raised some eyebrows given that he’s one of the most explosive and productive players in their offense.
However, the second-year wideout was spotted with a wrap on his hand Thursday, which indicates it’s not a lower-body injury and is instead, hopefully, something like potentially a jammed finger or at least something that he can work through and won’t be an issue by the time camp is over.
Douglas is apparently not the only guy dealing with a hand issue. Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reported recently that rookie Javon Baker also reportedly suffered a fractured thumb back in the spring. So far, he’s been out there, but it at least explains the time he missed last month. It also explains some of the early drops he’s had.
Odds and Ends
Rookie Ja’Lynn Polk had a tough day, with Polk having a tough time coming down with a couple of throws, including one where Marcus Jones did a good job in coverage against him. Jones has started things off well as he works his way back into the secondary, which is a good sign for a group that still has some questions there. … Jones also got some work returning kicks on Thursday, which is a reminder that the Patriots essentially had a key addition injected back into their roster as he returns following the injury he suffered that sidelined him for 2023. Joining Jones, Reagor, Polk, and K.J. Osborn each also spent time returning kicks yesterday. … Matthew Judon continued practicing and made some noise during 11-on-11s. Owner Robert Kraft also briefly spoke to him after he arrived on the field, albeit, it’s tough to know what the context of that conversation was. But it was interesting nonetheless. … Offensive lineman Michael Jordan was the first player on the field on Thursday. Jordan has been putting in the work and trying to make an impression, and it’s certainly not a bad thing to be the first guy at work. … Antonio Gibson, who remains on NFI, was at least present but didn’t participate on Tuesday. Seeing him on the field is encouraging as he continues working on coming back from whatever has been hampering him. … Former Patriots wideout Danny Amendola was present in Foxboro taking in Thursday’s session. Amendola also spent some time talking with former teammate Dont’a Hightower, who is now continuing the next phase of his NFL career as a coach here in New England. … Joey Slye was a notable absence early on, but he appeared on the field later in practice. … Vederian Lowe saw time at right tackle as the club mixed things up after Calvin Anderson lined up as the top player there Wednesday. … Christian Barmore was limited on Thursday but he’s reportedly dealing with an illness. … Both Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones were spotted catching passes during receiver drills yesterday, which was interesting. … Brenden Schooler also had reps on defense Thursday, getting some work in at safety during the first team period. That adds some additional versatility to the special teams standout. … Cole Strange was spotted on the field Thursday, although he didn’t participate but the third-year offensive lineman clearly wants to be around his teammates as he continues coming back from his knee injury. … Jonathan Jones continues to take first team reps opposite Gonzalez in the secondary. Until the team makes another move, whether it’s adding Stephon Gilmore or another player, that seems to be the early plan heading into 2024 at that position.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
