7 Patriots takeaways from Day 4 of training camp

FOXBOROUGH – Two days ago, the focus for the Patriots offense was taking a profit on first down. This resulted in Drake Maye completing 14 of 15 passes. All of those completions were shorter throws by design.

On Saturday, Maye and the offense went for broke. Day 4 of Patriots training camp featured the offense throwing longer passes downfield. The result was a poorer completion percentage for the quarterback, but the day saw many highlights that had the local crowd on their feet.

Maye completed 8-of-17 passes in 11-on-11 drills on Saturday. That included two drops from Stefon Diggs and TreVeyon Henderson.

Maye had several highlight throws, including multiple to DeMario Douglas. The slot receiver was the offensive star of the day for the Patriots. In the second 11-on-11 period, Douglas caught a deep pass from Maye with Alex Austin and Jaylinn Hawkins in coverage.

The receiver then started off the next period with a 50-yard touchdown from Maye on the biggest play of the day. This happened when Maye avoided the pass rush, rolled to his right, and threw a perfect deep ball to Douglas, who beat Christian Gonzalez and Kyle Dugger in coverage.

“We like to call that fast break football,” rookie receiver Kyle Williams said. “We felt like those plays, we should take off at any time. That’s a time for us to extend the field, extend drives, so when we get that, we kind of look at it in our favor to go make some big plays down the field.”

Douglas finished that period with a nice catch over Marcus Jones, who was in tight coverage. The third-year receiver has already established himself as one of Maye’s most reliable targets this summer.

Douglas led all Patriots receivers with four receptions on Saturday.

Here are the top takeaways from Day 4 of Patriots camp:

Robert Spillane looked dominant

Among the many Patriots free-agent additions, Robert Spillane is already sticking out.

On Saturday, the veteran linebacker was the star of the Patriots defense and made life difficult for Drake Maye. In the first 11-on-11 period, Spillane broke up the quarterback’s first two passes, defending tight end Hunter Henry and receiver DeMario Douglas. As it turns out, he’s also making an impact off the field.

Spillane, who was a captain for the Las Vegas Raiders, has already taken a leadership role inside Gillette Stadium and on the practice field. This week, fellow linebacker Christian Elliss called Spillane “eccentric” and explained how he meant it in the best of ways.

“Every single time we talk about pre-practice stuff. He’s out here – he’s like a golden retriever. He’s just high energy,” Elliss said. “He’s fun to be around. He’s just someone you love. He’s someone you’d play your heart out for. He’s someone who will bring this defense together.”

Spillane spent his first NFL season in 2018 as an undrafted free agent under Mike Vrabel. After being released by the Tennessee Titans the next season, Spillane went to Pittsburgh and developed into a solid reserve linebacker. It was in Las Vegas where he established himself as one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL.

Last season, he finished with a career-high 158 tackles to go with two sacks and two interceptions. This offseason, the Patriots signed Spillane to a 3-year, $33 million contract. It hasn’t taken the veteran long to establish himself with his teammates.

“He’s extremely smart,” Elliss said. “People do know that, but it’s something I want to emphasize – his intelligence of the game, knowing schematics, knowing technique, knowing everything. Even when I’m out there covering someone man-to-man, he’s giving me a tidbit on something I can learn from… Spills is an awesome, awesome leader for this defense.”

Rookies shine

The arrow for the Patriots’ rookie class is pointing up after the first week of training camp.

On Saturday, there were points where first-round pick Will Campbell, second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson, third-round pick Kyle Williams, and third-round pick Jared Wilson were all on the field with the Patriots starting offense.

All four players have stood out for various reasons this season, and it’s clear that the Patriots see them as big parts of their future.

“I feel like we’ve got a great group of guys on this team, this rookie class that’s coming in,” Henderson said. “I feel like the Patriots put together a great rookie class. I’m excited to continue to work with those guys.”

Henderson finished practice with a highlight reel deep catch from Joshua Dobbs. He caught four passes on Saturday, tying Demario Douglas for the team lead. The rookie running back has shown an elite burst of speed that should help the Patriots offense.

On the offensive line, Campbell has been the Patriots top starting left tackle from the moment OTAs began in May. The Patriots still haven’t practiced in pads, but the No. 4 overall pick looks like the team’s long-term answer when it comes to protecting Maye’s blindside.

Wilson has been one of the biggest surprises in training camp. Drafted as a center out of Georgia, the rookie has rotated in at center, left guard, and right guard this week. Wilson could push veteran center Garrett Bradbury or veteran left guard Cole Strange for a starting job with the Patriots.

At receiver, Williams has been one of the top players to work with Maye’s group. The rookie from Washington State opened up eyes when he beat Christian Gonzalez for a nice catch on the first day of camp.

“It stems from the offseason – OTAs to now,” Williams said. “Just getting that constant work in, understanding each other and having (Maye) be able to trust me when those types of routes are being called.”

Defensive highlights

Spillane wasn’t the only defensive player to stick out.

Jabrill Peppers intercepted Joshua Dobbs in 11-on-11s. On the play, Jack Gibbens deflected the pass, which was intended for Lan Larison. Peppers finished the play with the turnover.

That marked Gibbens’ second pass breakup of Saturday’s practice. Craig Woodson also had a breakup on Dobbs while covering Kyle Williams. Harold Landry broke up a Maye pass intended for Diggs.

7-on-7 highlights

Saturday also marked the first practice that the Patriots held a 7-on-7 session.

Maye went 4-of-7 in two periods. He started the drill off 1-of-4 as Gonzalez got the better of Diggs on two pass plays. The cornerback had one pass breakup on Maye.

Maye was better in the second 7-on-7 period, completing all three passes. This included a highlight reel 50-yard touchdown to Javon Baker. The second-year receiver split Woodson and Hawkins in coverage. That marked Baker’s first reception from Maye in training camp

Offensive line rotation

The Patriots offensive line continues to shuffle throughout camp.

The first 11-on-11 period saw rookie Jared Wilson start under center for Maye’s unit. That marked the first time Wilson started a full-team period with the starting offense. The third-round pick continues to impress. On Saturday, he once again played right guard and left guard.

Saturday also marked the first time that Caedan Wallace played left guard with Maye’s offense. Cole Strange started that drive, but was subbed out for Wallace midway through.

The 2024 third-round pick was drafted by the Patriots to play left tackle after playing right tackle at Penn State. This summer, however, Wallace has been almost exclusively at left guard.

The Patriots top backup has been Demontrey Jacobs. He’s primarily rotated in at right tackle with Morgan Moses, but also played some left tackle. Seventh-round pick Marcus Bryant has been the top backup left tackle with the second unit.

For the most part, the Patriots continue to stick with the same top unit – Will Campbell (left tackle), Strange (left guard), Garrett Bradbury (center), Michael Onwenu (right guard), and Moses (right tackle) – but there seems to be a lot of competition at the left guard and center positions.

Defensive coordinator makes an impact

Terrell Williams rejoined the Patriots this week after being away due to a health scare this offseason.

The defensive coordinator, who met with the team remotely, wasn’t allowed to travel under orders from his doctor. Since coming to New England, Williams has been a welcome sight for his players.

Multiple veterans have lauded Williams for his energy to start training camp.

“It’s tremendous. He was checking in with us via Zoom or FaceTime,” Jabrill Peppers said. “Glad to have his presence. His intensity – cracking jokes, making the meeting room a little lively. You need that in camp.”

“T brings a competitiveness to the room. He always wants to dominate,” Keion White added. “He doesn’t really care if you have the pads on or not; he doesn’t want you to look like you’re soft, and I respect that.”

The defense’s first true test comes on Monday when the Patriots will hold their first padded practice of the offseason.

Attendance

The Patriots absent list grew, for a short period, on Saturday.

When practice started, the team was without Moses, Rhamondre Stevenson, Carlton Davis, and Ja’Lynn Polk. Midway through practice, however, Moses and Stevenson came out to the practice field and participated in full-team drills.

Polk missed his fourth practice and hasn’t appeared at training camp yet. Davis has now missed two of the last three practices after starting the week on the non-football injury list.

The Patriots are also still without several players on the PUP and NFI list – Mack Hollins, Austin Hooper, Vederian Lowe, and Josh Minkins.