MORSE: Clearing The Notepad and Patriots Transactions
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The Patriots passed the test! Drake Maye was facing the #1 defense in the league. It didn’t matter. Maye not only is a top ten QB in the league, but he is in serious contention for MVP. This Brown’s defense was legitimate, and he shredded them in the second half. All he did was go 8 for 8 and a perfect 158.3 passer rating and 3 TDs.
As “MVP” chants rang out, Drake Maye threw a perfect 39-yard touchdown pass to Boutte on Sunday. It was another reminder that the Patriots have found a special quarterback. That Boutte TD was a thing of beauty. He had a double move on the DB. At about 15 yards he stuttered a little, making it look like he was doing a deep in route. No, he made the DB stop and he blew right by him. Boutte did another thing at the end of the route, when he stacked the DB like the great Steven Smith used to do. Maye throws a beautiful spiral, dropping it in the bucket at the goal line and Boutte made the over the shoulder catch. CBS Analyst Nate Burleson talked about the way that Maye throws a very catchable ball.
This receiver room was criticized as being one of the worst in the league. Boy were those pundits wrong. Boutte has turned into a legitimate #2 WR. He is on pace for close to 1,000 yards for the season. 20 of his last 23 catches have been for 1st downs. He had 11 catches in a row for 1st downs. The one catch that broke the streak was on 3rd and 23. The completion was 21-yards just shy of the 1st down. The Patriots then kicked the go-ahead FG to end the 1st half. His 17.8 Yards Per Catch is #2 in the league and his 143.7 rating is number one. Boutte is the number one receiver on deep passes.
Mack Hollins led the team with 7 catches for 89 yards. His Receiver rating of 139.7 is #2 in the league amongst receivers. Stefon Diggs has been remarkable on and off the field. No one expected Diggs to be back from a torn ACL as soon as he has, and be ready to play week 1. He may not be the player he once was, but he is a steady and consistent target who catches the ball when it is thrown to him. I believe Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels wanted to get Diggs a TD in the game. His teammates were all over him after the catch and celebrated with him. The excitement on the sideline was evident.
Diggs has been a leader on the sideline, in practice and in the locker room. I loved it when he went up to all the defensive players on the sideline and encouraged them in the Buffalo game. He has been everything we had hoped for and more when we signed him. Many of Diggs catches have been for key 1st downs. Pop Douglas has come on in recent weeks after a slow start. Surprisingly his blocking, for a small guy, has been very good. Even when he hasn’t been getting the ball, he has continued to block well. In the past two weeks he has made big plays from broken plays and contributed to the team.
Myles Garrett’s performance was spectacular. Five sacks in a game is outstanding. He was being double teamed and beating those too. 20 times in NFL history a player has had 5 sacks in a game. His team has won 16 of those games. Three teams lost by 1, 2 and 3 points, respectively. The other was Myles Garrett, whose team lost by 19 on Sunday.
I didn’t like the way the Patriots double teamed Garrett. I thought Henry’s blocking is very subpar. Campbel sat back in his pass blocking set. This allowed Garrett to re-set and make his move on Campbell.
The Patriots’ offense ranks: 6th in EPA/play 9th in yards per play The Patriots’ defense ranks: 5th in EPA/play 19th in success rate
Offensive Line Grades
I am listing the grades from the last two weeks to show the difference and progress in how they are doing. Campbell despite going up against Myles Garrett actually had his overall grade for the season go up. So didn’t Jared Wilson. However, Wilson’s is so bad there is nowhere to go but up.
| Season | Tennessee Game | Season Stats | ||||||
| Overall | Offense | Pass Blck | Run Blck | Sacks | QB Hits | Hurries | Pressure | |
| Campbell | 68.3 (24) | 60.8 | 70.1 | 60.6 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 15 |
| Wilson | 48.2 (94) | 59.1 | 49 | 61 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 |
| Bradbury | 64.1 (17) | 74.6 | 78.2 | 73.3* | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Onwenu | 71.2 (15) | 58.9 | 75.1 | 52.5 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 10 |
| Moses | 66.9 (31) | 64.8 | 80.4 | 53 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| Season | Cleveland Game | Season Stats | ||||||
| Overall | Offense | Pass Blck | Run Blck | Sacks | QB Hits | Hurries | Pressure | |
| Campbell | 69.9 (30) | 71.3 | 67.3 | 70.9 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 17 |
| Wilson | 50.7 (89) | 64.9* | 68.3 | 61.6 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 18 |
| Bradbury | 63.7 (22) | 59.8 | 42.3 | 63.2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Onwenu | 67.3 (29) | 47.3 | 48.5 | 54 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 12 |
| Moses | 66.6 (34) | 63.2 | 41.9 | 73.2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 13 |
* Best Grade of the year
I am really surprised Onwenu and Bradbury haven’t been credited with giving up sacks. These PFF grades account for 3 of the 6 sacks. Two of those were on Maye for not throwing away the ball when Garrett chased him down on a rollout, or eating the ball and taking the sacks rather than attempting a tight throw to Diggs across the middle. The 6th sack was given as a team sack. Campbell didn’t do badly against anyone other than Garrett. He had 20 other dropbacks and didn’t give up a pressure. The TEs can’t block to save their lives.
More Flowers for Maye
Mina Kimes from ESPN had this tidbit, on passes of 20+ yards Drake Maye is:
#1 in QB Rating
#1 in Completion %
#1 in EPA (Expected Points Added)
#1 in Touchdown %
The Patriots lost DE Truman Jones to Tennessee. The Titans signed him to their 53-man roster. The Harvard product was a favorite of coach Vrabel. RB Jashaun Corbin has been placed on practice squad injured reserve.
The Patriots are signing RB Jonathan Ward a 5-year veteran from Central Michigan to the Practice Squad. The 6’ 202-pound RB ran for 2,539 yards and 28 TDs, 99 receptions for 909 yards and 4 TDs in his career. He runs an estimated 4.53 40-yard dash. In 47 games he has 22 rushing attempts for 91 yards and 6 receptions for 52 yards with 1 touchdown. Ward played for Mike Vrabel at Tennessee in 2022 and 2023
The Patriots also signed RB Rushawn Baker to the Practice Squad. Baker, 22, was originally signed by the New York Giants as a rookie free agent out of Elon on May 9, 2025. The 5-foot-11, 218-pounder, was released by the Giants on Aug. 12, 2025. Baker started his college career at Bucknell before transferring to Elon for his final season in 2024. Baker is an interesting prospect from an athletic standpoint. He sports a compact physique at 5-foot-10⅞ inches, 218 pounds, and is explosive in short areas. Baker posted a very good 1.52-second 10-yard split as well as a 38½-inch vertical leap, both of which line up with the good initial burst he shows on tape. He finished the year with 183 rushing attempts for 859 yards and 9 touchdowns in his last season at Elon.
Patriots traded S Kyle Dugger a 2020 2nd round pick, and his exaggerated contract, along with a 2026 7th round pick to Pittsburgh for their 2026 6th round pick. This per Mike Reiss: “A starter in the Belichick/Mayo scheme, Kyle Dugger played 38.8% of the defensive snaps this year in Mike Vrabel’s scheme — a backup role to starters Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson. Still had value to the team (STs too), but contract didn’t match role”.
They weren’t done, as they traded DE Keion White, their 2023 2nd round pick. As I said in my Good, Bad and Ugly article after the win against the Browns, “White doesn’t seem to be able to grasp this Defensive scheme. I said in my Pre-Season preview that this was a big year for White coming into a contract year. He is a player without a position, looks like Tarzan but plays like Jane.” It’s believed to be White and a 2026 7th to SF for their 2026 6th. Both trades were giveaways to clear salary and a roster spot with Dugger and unloading a player they were not going to re-sign in Free Agency as well as clearing another roster spot. White’s only success was as a pass rusher when lined up as an interior D-lineman. He started out hot last year with 4 sacks in the 1st two games and had one the remainder of the season.
If the Patriots are unable to acquire a Running Back in a trade, they will sign Terrell Jennings, who is out of Practice Squad elevations, to the 53-man roster. As you can see from the PS transactions above, they signed two RBs to the Practice Squad in anticipation of Jennings going on the 53-man roster. I expect they will try and obtain a pass rusher, safety or linebacker.
Tom Pellisero of NFL Network broke the story this afternoon that the Patriots had signed Captain, Nickel Corner and Punt Returner Marcus Jones to a 3-year contract extension. Terms of the deal were not available as of this writing, but a later report was that it was for 3 years and a total of $36 Million with upside to $40.5M. This makes him a top-3 highest-paid slot cornerback in the NFL. I think this is a good deal for both parties. Marcus Jones wanted to be with the Patriots and that is why they were able to get the deal done.
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Thank you Mark. Keep up the good work!
Mark, you and Balestriere need to share notes on tight ends.
Right on about the Pats WR room grading/criticisms. It’s the media whom fawns over the position due to the fantasy football glassed reader base. For the Pats WR group, it’s also a great example of individualizing a team game. IE. if the o-line can’t block the pass play, can the WR’s have solid stats? No. That was the scenario the prior two years. Right now, WR is not a position of need, but the WR articles keep coming. To me the pats need to keep building with DE, o-line (Center/RT) and CB etc. just as noted. Line of scrimmage play… Read more »