Wednesday Patriots Notebook 8/6: Receiver Moving Up, Big Day For Maye
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Some Patriots news and notes on this Wednesday:
1) Tuesday’s session for the Patriots was a walkthrough in preparation for today’s joint session, with players taking the field in hats and sneakers for the 90 minutes they worked on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.
Offensive lineman Morgan Moses sat out Tuesday’s practice, with rookie Marcus Bryant getting some action during the early portion. Bryant seems to be having a good camp, with the rookie essentially in contention on the depth chart with last year’s starter at right tackle, Demontrey Jacobs.
Bryant also seems to be in the mix on the other side behind rookie Will Campbell, although it’s likely that job might go to last year’s starter, Vederian Lowe.
Tackle remains a question mark in terms of the depth behind the starters, with the hope that both Campbell and Moses can anchor the line and keep Drake Maye upright. But the concern remains what type of contingency plan the club might have if either gets hurt, as we already know what things like with both Lowe and Jacobs after how things played out last season.
2) Meanwhile, there was one notable name who appears to be working his way up the depth chart. Javon Baker saw some reps with the first team offense, marking a notable moment for the second-year wideout.
Baker has started to settle in as of late. He’s had some nice moments both on offense and on special teams, and the fact he’s being rewarded by the coaching staff clearly shows progress from the former UCF wideout.
Baker’s ascension ahead of Ja’Lynn Polk, is not a good sign for the former Washington receiver, at least as of late. Polk has been trying to establish himself among this group, but he’s been inconsistent. Instead, guys around him are coming on strong and Baker appears to be one player who has potentially overtaken him.
Polk’s role ahead of Wednesday’s session, along with Friday’s game, could give us an indication of where he stands and what he might be up against in the coming weeks.
3) Kayshon Boutte continues to be a name that is also competing among the top group. He was out there with both Stefon Diggs and Demario Douglas, with those three seemingly as the club’s current top three. Mack Hollins continues working his way back in, but so far, he still appears to be behind those three at this point.
Kyle Williams also seems to be further down the depth chart, but he’s still been spending time with the top offense, and overall, he’s had a good camp.
But Boutte’s rise has been good to see, and his recent interview showed how much he’s matured as a player. He said last week that he’s focused each time he hits the field, and all he can do is keep working.
“I think every time I go out on the field, it’s just kind of showing what I could do, knowing that I know what to do and how to do it, and just getting open,” said Boutte. “So that’s all I can control.”
4) This is a big day for Maye. He’s been a little inconsistent as of late, and how he fares against the Commanders today will give somewhat of a barometer when it comes to his execution of Josh McDaniels’ offense.
The second-year quarterback had been turnover-free ahead of the in-stadium practice and has had some good moments, but going against a real opponent for the first time should definitely be a good test for him.
“I’m trying to get comfortable in this offense, kind of take the next steps as we go,” said Maye last week. “And I think the real test will be when the games come and when we get in these joint practices. So I’m looking forward [to those]. ”
Following his knee injury this week, the Patriots placed cornerback Marcellus Dial on injured reserve, which ends his season. That’s disappointing because Dial had been having a good camp, and it also adds a hit to a position where the club still has some questions behind Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis. … A few other transactions included defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy being placed on injured reserve, along with recently signed tight end Tyler Davis getting released. The Patriots also brought back running back JaMycal Hasty, along with signing rookie defensive tackle Bryce Ganious. The club also claimed cornerback Tre Avery off of waivers from San Francisco. … Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal pointed out an interesting fact after looking at Vrabel’s approach in terms of how less physical this camp has been compared to previous seasons. Vrabel’s teams have had a history of slow starts, especially when they don’t win the opener. Bedard noted that in the four seasons the Titans dropped the opener, they started a combined 6-6. With three potentially winnable games to begin the season, the hope obviously is that it doesn’t happen here in New England.
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Vrabel’s camp might lack tackling to the ground/hitting, but the focus and energy of the players being purposeful in their trade is well noted by the PFW team. I’m sure they hit today vs WAS and there will be more. Still early. Regards tackle depth, to me the pats are sorta lucky they have Lowe and Jacobs as backups given both got material playing time last year. Both were really first time starters in the NFL last year. Lowe played hurt and some of his noted penalties were pretty much 1:1 correlated to his name appearing on the questionable list… Read more »