FOXBOROUGH — With thunderstorms rolling through Gillette Stadium, the Patriots had their first weather-delayed practice of the summer.
Bill Belichick halted Sunday’s session after a half hour due to lightning in the area, and the players went back to the locker room and waited an hour for the storm to pass. When practice did resume, there was plenty to be gleaned from an interesting shorts-and-shells practice.
Here are seven takeaways from a stormy afternoon in Foxborough:
1. Cunningham’s plan comes into focus
The delay happened right as the Patriots were starting their 11-on-11 period, and there was a bigger surprise than the thunder: Malik Cunningham was at quarterback. When they returned, it was once again Cunningham under center. He took two snaps, didn’t throw a pass, and then Mac Jones came in for the lion’s share of work.
To be clear, it’s very much still Jones’ offense, but Cunningham represents an interesting new wrinkle.
“Really kind of the first reps I got with him today that y’all (media) saw. Like every other rookie, he’s getting a lot thrown at him,” center David Andrews said. “He obviously can do some different things, so we’ll see.”
All told, Cunningham took five reps at quarterback and a couple were keepers. The Patriots appear intrigued by the dual threat’s unique abilities and with good reason. He still warmed up with the wide receivers, and also returned a kickoff for the first time in camp.
“That dude is electric,” wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said. “When the football is in his hands as a quarterback, he’s very dangerous as you could see this past Thursday night. He’s a guy who’s been doing it in college, so I guess it’s like second nature to him. I think he’s probably more on the — still trying to work on that receiver side, which he’s come a long way from where he started in OTAs to where we’re at now.”
2. Reiff finds a new home
Another interesting shift occurred on the offensive line, as Riley Reiff was repping at right guard for the first time this summer. The 12-year veteran has played almost exclusively at tackle over the course of his career, but if Michael Onwenu isn’t activated from the PUP list soon, the Patriots will need to start looking at contingency plans for Week 1.
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3. McDermott falling down depth chart
It looks like Conor McDermott’s days in Foxborough could be numbered. With Trent Brown back in the fold and Reiff at guard, it was rookie Sidy Sow manning the other open tackle spot. McDermott has endured a tough summer, and Belichick flipping him to left tackle for the season opener didn’t seem to help things either.
4. Gonzalez gets Mac Jones
Jones was sharp (14 for 18) for most of the session, but Christian Gonzalez did reel in an interception during a two-minute drill at the end of practice. Jones was looking for Smith-Schuster deep down the right sideline, but Gonzalez blanketed him and reeled in the pick.
“He got one on me today,” Smith-Schuster said. “As a rookie I guess you get your one every week. So, he got me. Shoutout to Christian.”
5. Mapu keeps making plays, too
Gonzalez wasn’t the only rookie on defense to turn in a strong afternoon.
Third-rounder Marte Mapu had a pair of pass breakups amidst a frustrating red zone sequence for Bailey Zappe (9 for 16). The second-year quarterback had four straight incompletions down near the goal line, with Mapu breaking up a pass that would have been a touchdown to tight end Matt Sokol. Shaun Wade also registered a pass breakup of Zappe during two-minute work.
6. Strange returns
Starting guard Cole Strange was back at practice for the first time since a lower-body injury sidelined him on July 31. The second-year guard getting healthy would be a significant boost for an offensive line that’s been beleaguered this summer, but wasn’t participating in team periods yet.
7. Eight missing players
There were eight players absent — Pierre Strong, Jonathan Jones, Bill Murray, Kody Russey, Cody Davis (PUP), Trey Flowers (PUP), Michael Onwenu (PUP) and Calvin Anderson (NFI) — and after missing Thursday’s game, Ronnie Perkins left the field shortly after stretching.
