MORSE: What We’ve Learned Through 5 Days Of Patriots Training Camp
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What have we learned about the 2024 Patriots team after five days of practices.
The Patriots announced that DT Christian Barmore has been diagnosed with Blood Clots and has been hospitalized at Mass General. This is a catastrophic injury for the Patriots. The projection for the Patriots was not great to start with and having a potential season ending injury to what is regarded as their best Defensive player is devastating. In the Press Release the Patriots said there is no timetable for his return and if we use David Andrews situation with Blood Clots in his lung, we should expect Barmore to be out for at least a year.
David Andrews was not at practice on Monday, the 1st day of padded practice.
Matthew Judon was in street clothes, and he came out and left practice after a conversation with Jerod Mayo. Scott Zolak pointed out that Judon had words with Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh as he left the field.
Davon Godchaux practiced while his agent Drew Rosenhaus is in attendance and both he and Godchaux were seen talking with coach Mayo after practice.
It has been an up and down five days for Quarterback Drake Maye. He has shown glimpses of why he was taken with the 3rd overall pick in the draft by completing two long passes to Jalen Reagor and Ja’Lynn Polk. However, he fumbled a snap in wet conditions and threw a ball in the ground 5 yards short of a wide-open receiver. Then he threw an interception to Matt Judon who dropped in the flat and made the pick for what would have been a pick six. Maye said after the practice that he just didn’t look Judon’s way and made the checkdown pass to Rhamondre Stevenson. He said it was a rookie mistake. Let’s hope that he learns from his mistake. Otherwise, he was pretty accurate, taking what the defense will give him.
The Defense is way ahead of the Offense and that is to be expected. Warren Sharp has the Patriots Secondary ranked #7 in the league. Last season, the run defense was also in the top 10. This is an experienced group that is very familiar with each other. Those deep passes were completed against Azizi Hearns, a cornerback that will probably not make the 53-man roster.
Ja’lynn Polk was running with the 1st team in all three practices because Pop Douglas is nursing a hand injury which is preventing him from participating in the competitive part of practice. He has been running all the drills. Tyquan Thornton had a big in the 2nd practice with 5 catches, but he was also talked to on the sideline after running the wrong route. Polk also had a lecture for running the wrong route which resulted in a Jacoby Brissett incompletion. Javon Baker made few circus catches beating tight man coverage. He is coming back from a thumb injury suffered during Spring practices. Juju Smith-Schuster has been described as slow out of his cuts and plodding. Not a good sign.
The Offensive line has given up way too much pressure over the 1st three days. The Right Tackle position has been a revolving door, with three different players starting there. Calvin Anderson started Day one and Vederian Lowe Day 2. On Day three Caedan Wallace started at Right Tackle then swapped with Chuk Okorafor. It appears that the starting line combination will be Caedan Wallace at LT, Sidy Sow at LG, David Andrews at Cm Michael Onwenu at RG and Chuk Okorafor at RT. This unit minus David Andrews has been #1 for three straight practices. Antonio Mafi as a backup Center has not worked out.
PUP Cole Strange, Jake Andrew, Sione Takitaki and Kendrick Bourne remain on PUP. Bourne is participating in stretching but not any live play.
Antonio Gibson is off NFI and has been a full participant in practice starting Sunday.
A new concern was raised by Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston. Maye has very small hands for a Quarterback. His 9 1/8” measurement was in the 15th percentile of QBs measured over the last two decades. This needs to be monitored especially for a QB that will be playing in bad weather. The knock on Maye is that he makes bad decisions in chaotic situations. His adjusted completion percentage of 75.1% was ranked 25th among all FBS Quarterbacks. Bill Belichick also said in an interview this week that Maye bails out of the pocket too often. Maye also still has that hitch in his throwing motion. So far all the work the team has done with him has not improved in that area.
I was away for a few weeks before camp started and was unaware the state of Texas dropped the illegal gambling charges against Kayshon Boutte. No explanation was given but by dropping the charges, it’s like it never happened. The NFL is still investigating and could impose its own discipline, but that is highly unlikely if all these supposed infractions were dropped. Boutte has looked pretty good in camp and has a good chance of making the 53-man roster.
Kaleb Dement-Ford was released after the 2nd practice. The UDFA cornerback was a long shot to make the team or be kept on the Practice Squad. Dement=Ford spent time with 4 different college teams finishing with Texas Sate. Combined with the release of UDFA LB Jontrey Hunter before the start of camp gives the team two roster spots on their 90-man roster. The Patriots announce they signed DT Josiah Bronson, a 4-year veteran who last played for the Memphis Showboats of the UFL in 2024. The 6’3” 295 lb DT played at Washington and e=was signed as a UDFA by New Orleans. He has also spent time with Cleveland, Dallas and Miami. Don’t be surprised if the Patriots reach out to Lawrence Guy to fill the open roster spot not that Barmore could be potentially lost for the season.
Jacoby Brissett had his best overall practice on Monday when the pads came on. The Offense played much better overall, with Layden Robinson opening a big hole for Antonio Gibson for a long run.
Javon Baker is stacking good practices in three consecutive practices. In Sunday’s practice he beat Christian Gonzalez across the middle. His circus over the shoulder reception against Mikey Victor was a thing of beauty.
WR David Wallis had a nice, contested catch where he had his helmet ripped off by the DB, and still managed to hold onto the ball.
Jabrill Peppers is the latest veteran to re-sign an extension with the Patriots. Jabrill resurrected his career with the Patriots, and he extended for three years at almost $30M. Peppers was the #4 ranked Safety in the league by Pro Football Focus
Jabrill Peppers left practice in what appeared to be a lower leg injury. Josh Uche was thrown out of practice for a dust up with the O-line.
Nick Leverett served as the #1 Center today in David Andrews absence.
Layden Robinson and Micheale Onwenu were 3-0 in one-on-one blocking with the pads on. The Patriots D-line didn’t offer much pressure without Barmore and Judon.
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Mark, you know I enjoy your column and like your emotional writing style and agree with most of what you write. But, Barmore’s blood clots is not devastating. To the team certainly not and from the sound of it not even to him. A hurdle to overcome personally and teamwise on a team that likely and hopefully will have a top 5 pick in next year’s draft to hasten the rebuild with an OT and WR1. What is devastating is real life, not sports, when you or a spouse or a loved one contracts a terminal illness such as Dementia… Read more »
Michael,
“Devastating” to the team and possibly to Barmore himself if not for the quick work of Jim Whalen the Patriots Trainer. There is no guarantee that Barmore can come back from this problem just because David Andrews did. I can tell you that I know devastating in real life too!