The first open Patriots practice of the week started poorly.
After the first two 11-on-11 periods, Drake Maye was intercepted four times. That was more than he was as a rookie in four total open practices in 2024. Those hoping to see Maye turn it up a notch the next week would be disappointed when the second-year quarterback looked inconsistent, completing 53% of his passes in team drills.
Of course, it’s not wise to overreact to a handful of non-contact Patriots practices in May. That shouldn’t dictate how Maye plays this fall, but even he admitted that the first turnover-plagued practice wasn’t ideal.
“I think there’s a balance between trying things out and turning the football over,” Maye said. “Going back to that day, a deep one, Gonzo fell off. Gonzo made a good play. The other one, they bring cover zero, and you just got to have cover zero answers in this league. I learned with that one. I think Hunter [Henry] got held on one. You can take that stuff with a grain of salt, but at the same time, you don’t want to turn the football over and get in bad habits.”
As the spring went on, Maye showed less of those bad habits that got him in trouble in the first two weeks. In the final three open practices, the quarterback completed 77% (37-of-48) of his passes with one interception.
Maye didn’t have it easy last season. Playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, the rookie quarterback earned valuable experience while under fire. Last year, he learned about not repeating errors.
That was seen this spring.
“That’s what the NFL is. You’re going to get knocked down. It’s how hard you get up,” Maye said. “I’m going to throw interceptions, but it’s how hard you bounce back. I learned that in this league really early. You’re going to have some bad plays. I think my second or third throw was an interception, so you’ve got to come back. Those guys are looking at me and looking to me to respond. I think playing this position, comes with that. I’m starting to feel that out. Take the bull by the horns and go at it.”
Overall, Maye did that this spring through five open practices between OTAs and minicamp. Here are the main takeaways from the Patriots offseason workout program.
Drake Maye’s improved
It’s not ideal – but it had to happen.
Maye enters this second NFL season with a new head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterback coach. That situation stunted Mac Jones’ development. The big difference here is that Maye’s going from Jerod Mayo and Alex Van Pelt to Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels.
Maye’s in a better situation. As the spring went on, he looked improved and more comfortable in McDaniels’ offensive system. The quarterback completed 70.4% (57-of-81) of his passes to go with five interceptions.
Last year, in five open practices, he completed 66% (29-of-44) of his passes in team drills with three interceptions.
Of course, spring practice stats in non-padded practices don’t mean much. In 2023, Jones completed 84% (48-of-57) of his passes with one turnover in five spring practices. We all know how that ended.
Stefon Diggs fit
There’s no question that the Patriots need Stefon Diggs.
This team has been searching for a bona fide offensive weapon since Julian Edelman retired and Jakobi Meyers left for Las Vegas.
We didn’t get to see Diggs practice in a competitive 11-on-11 situation. However, during walkthrough periods, he was with Maye’s group along with two receivers – Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas.
That tells us the Patriots see Diggs as their Z-receiver. He should be an instant starter and if all goes well, gives Maye a legitimate pass catcher.
Coming off knee surgery, Diggs looks like he’s in great shape – and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him play in Week 1.
Biggest surprise
The biggest surprise this spring was the emergence of undrafted rookie receiver Efton Chism. He earned praise from Mike Vrabel and Maye this spring.
The Eastern Washington product led all pass catchers this spring with 15 catches in five practices. Chism was the only pass catcher to have a reception with all three Patriots quarterbacks. That shows how much trust they have in him once he steps on the field.
A slot receiver, it’s worth watching to see if Chism can keep this up once the pads come on in training camp. If he continues his trajectory, he’ll take someone’s job in the receiver room.
Receiver competition
Speaking of Diggs and Chism, the Patriots receiver competition is going to be fascinating this summer.
The team will keep either six or seven receivers. If everyone is healthy, roster locks should be Diggs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Ja’Lynn Polk. That leaves Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, Javon Baker, and Chism fighting for one or two spots.
Bourne had a solid spring – and it’s clear that McDaniels likes him. Among Patriots receivers, he finished third on the team in catches with nine receptions in team drills. All came from Maye. He trailed Chism (15 receptions) and Douglas (10 receptions).
It should be noted that Chism caught one pass from Maye this spring. The receivers who worked with Maye the most this spring were Douglas, Bourne, Boutte (four catches), and Williams (seven catches – three from Maye).
Baker received minimal snaps with Maye on the field. That was noteworthy. The fourth-round pick has much to prove this summer. At the X-receiver spot, he’s behind Boutte and Williams. That’s with Hollins not practicing.
Impressive rookie running back
It looks like the Patriots added a weapon to their offense with TreVeyon Henderson.
The second-round pick is one of the fastest players on the field and the fastest running back seen in New England in quite some time. It’s eye-opening how quickly he gets down the field on offense and special teams.
Henderson’s also going to factor into the passing game. He finished the spring with 11 catches. That tied Hunter Henry for the second most on the Patriots.
The rookie also looks like he’s moved ahead of Antonio Gibson in the running back rotation. Henderson mainly rotated in with Rhamondre Stevenson.
The Patriots have a thunder-lightning combination here with Stevenson and Henderson.
Left guard competition
At this point, it’s obvious who the Patriots see as four of their starters on the offensive line – Will Campbell (left tackle), Morgan Moses (right tackle), Garrett Bradbury (center), and Michael Onwenu (right guard).
The left guard spot is one of the biggest competitions on the roster.
After minicamp, however, it’s clear that Cole Strange is the leader here. The 2022 first-round pick started 27 games at left guard in his first two seasons. His biggest competition, Wes Schweitzer, retired this week.
Other names to watch here in training camp are Tyrese Robinson, Layden Robinson, Jared Wilson, and Jack Conley.
Elite secondary
The Patriots secondary has the chance to be one of the best in the NFL.
Christian Gonzalez led all Patriots players with three interceptions this spring. He’s picked up where he left off after earning Second-Team All-Pro honors last season. Now paired with Carlton Davis, the Patriots cornerback room is very, very impressive.
Marcus Jones has been the main slot cornerback. Alex Austin and Isaiah Bolden both looked solid this spring. Austin has the edge in the top backup cornerback competition.
At safety, the Patriots depth is also impressive. Kyle Dugger was limited all spring, so that led to more opportunities for Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson to play next to Jabrill Peppers.
Woodson (one interception, one pass breakup) and Hawkins (two pass breakups) both played well. The Patriots are well-stocked at this position. Woodson looks like someone prepared to play immediately.
Arrow pointing up for defensive line
The Patriots defensive line has a chance to turn into a game-wrecking unit this fall. The combination of Harold Landry, Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, and Keion White is going to be a lot of fun to watch when the pads come on.
The Patriots finished last in the NFL in sacks last season. It’ll be shocking if that’s the case, again. Edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson also received some good reps this spring and could be a factor as a rotational pass rusher.
If everyone stays healthy, Vrabel’s team has a chance to dominate at the line of scrimmage. This group is also going to be good for the offensive line to practice against this summer. It’ll be a sink-or-swim-type situation.
Linebacker update
Mike Vrabel has a type when it comes to linebackers.
His defensive scheme features smaller and more athletic players at the position. This spring, Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss took the lead at inside linebacker. The combination made the Patriots defense look much faster than what we’ve seen in the past.
Jack Gibbens also impressed with his playing speed. On Tuesday, he dropped back and kept up with Javon Baker on a deep ball. One rookie to watch is undrafted free agent Cam Riley. The Florida State product had two pass breakups on the final day of minicamp.
Kicking competition
There’s a reason why the Patriots made Andy Borregales the first kicker drafted in April.
The sixth-round pick shined this spring with an impressive array of accuracy and distance on his kicks. Borregales hit 95% (19-of-20) field goal attempts in five open practices.
Last year, Joey Slye hit 78.8% (26-of-33) of his attempts for the Patriots. In 2023, Chad Ryland made 64% of his attempts.
It’s been a tough road for the Patriots since they traded Nick Folk to Tennessee. However, it looks like the team found a good one in Borregales. It’d be shocking if he lost the kicking competition to Parker Romo, who made 14-of-20 (70%) attempts in open practices this spring.
