The Patriots have had two productive days of camp so far, and here are some things we learned from Thursday’s session.
1) Drake Maye had a solid performance, with the emphasis seemingly on making quick decisions and getting the ball out of his hands. The second-year quarterback ended up getting into a pretty good rhythm, with Maye completing 14-of-15 on Thursday.
So far, Maye has appeared comfortable transitioning to a new offense under Josh McDaniels, and everything seems to be moving in the right direction. Based on how he’s looked so far, it’s a nice contrast to last preseason when the focus was heavy on his fundamentals, and his comfort level wasn’t quite there.
This year, that isn’t the case. There’s a lot of confidence and more command on the field from Maye, and it will be interesting to see how far he comes over the next few weeks, given how he’s performed to this point.
2) Stefon Diggs and Demario Douglas were the two players who saw a significant number of targets Thursday, with both players making some impressive plays.
Diggs continues to show no signs of any issues coming off his ACL injury, and he was in good spirits during one drill they ran where receivers had to make a variety of cuts and catch multiple passes, with Diggs finishing it out and then taking a seat with fans who happened to be nearby.
Meanwhile, Douglas also had a nice moment, hauling in a throw from Josh Dobbs where he went up and over Marcellus Dial, who was in coverage. Both players are off to a strong start, and each will likely be a key part of an offense that is trying to rebound after finishing near the bottom of the league last season.
3) Ja’Lynn Polk sat out again on Thursday, as did veteran defensive back, Carlton Davis. Mike Reiss of ESPN reported that Polk is dealing with “muscle tightness,” and the team is being cautious in its approach as he works through it. Polk was present but worked off to the side during the session.
Meanwhile, Davis’ situation is unknown. He was listed among players on the NFI list to start training camp, but why he’s not out there, especially since it doesn’t appear to be related to any injuries regarding football or any offseason procedure, remains something to monitor.
4) Thursday was fairly windy down at the stadium, with both kickers being tested during the session.
So far, neither rookie draft pick Andy Borregales or Parker Romo really took control, although Romo got the better of the exchange coming of the practice. Borregales hit 2-of-4 of his attempts, while Romo was 3-of-4.
That battle remains an interesting one to follow, especially since the job is open after the team moved on from last year’s kicker, Joey Slye. Slye connected on 26-of-33 on field goals last year and was definitely inconsistent, and he’s since joined the Titans.
5) The Patriots appear to be limiting defensive tackle Christian Barmore, at least based on how things have transpired so far.
Barmore didn’t participate in team drills, with the veteran still coming off a year where he dealt with blood clots, which also saw him suffer a setback after he attempted to return late in the season.
He’s expected to be a big part of the defense with newcomer Milton Williams, and when Barmore’s out on the field, that unit is significantly different from what it is when he’s been absent.
Barmore has slimmed down, with the veteran admitting he’s probably closer to 300 pounds compared to his past playing weight. He told reporters that he feels like he’s moving better, and overall he looks to be in good spirits coming off a difficult 2024 season.
“I feel real better,” said Barmore. “I’m feeling so [much] faster, I feel lighter, and just feel way quicker. I feel like I move way better.”
“So I feel really well.”
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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.
