FOXBOROUGH — Less than 48 hours after their loss to the Eagles, the Patriots were back on the practice field for a light Saturday session.
There weren’t any wholesale changes after Drake Maye’s impressive performance, but there were a few interesting tweaks as the players were in shorts and shells. Here are three takeaways from the 90-minute session:
1. Rookie linemen making a push?
The Patriots trotted out the same five starters on the offensive line — Vederian Lowe, Sidy Sow, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu and Chuks Okorafor — but they weren’t the only ones getting first team reps. Two snaps into the first competitive 11-on-11 period, third-rounder Caedan Wallace entered at right tackle and fourth-rounder Layden Robinson joined him at left guard. Competition could be heating up between the rookies and Okorafor and Sow.
“It’s different, but it’s what they’re asking for,” Wallace said of rotating. “So working at it every day. Wherever they need me to be, that’s where I’ll go… they just said ‘we’re switching stuff up. Guys are going to be in and out.’”
Onwenu also took some reps at right tackle for the first time in a long time, but said was more of a contingency plan due to injuries.
“We’ve just got a few guys out,” Onwenu said.
2. Brissett remains QB1, but…
During competitive periods, Jacoby Brissett (7-for-8) took the normal starter’s reps, while Drake Maye (8-for-8) worked with the backups.
Nothing had changed there.
However, during two half-speed walkthrough periods at the end of practice, Maye was behind the starting offensive line. It was the first time he’d taken snaps from David Andrews during a team period in training camp and is something to monitor as the intensity ratchets up again on Sunday. Maye also delivered the highlight of the afternoon, hitting Kevin Harris on a 30-yard ball down the right sideline. The rookie dropped it right into the bucket.
Joe Milton III (0-for-1) threw one pass during competitive periods on the main field and it was intercepted by A.J. Thomas. The sixth-rounder forced a ball for Ja’Lynn Polk into double coverage over the middle and paid the price for it.
3. Injuries starting to mount
The Patriots looked awfully thin at both edge rusher and tight end by the end of the afternoon. Joshua Uche and Oshane Ximines were new absences on Saturday, and that group is obviously also without Matthew Judon following his trade to Atlanta.
At tight end, Hunter Henry still isn’t practicing — he watched the session for the first time since getting hurt though — and Austin Hooper left Saturday’s practice with an injury. The Patriots are awfully thin behind those two veterans, so their absence was felt.
Other non-participants were Nick Leverett, Calvin Anderson, JaQuae Jackson, Shaun Wade, Marte Mapu, Christian Barmore, Sione Takitaki (PUP), Kendrick Bourne (PUP) and Cole Strange (PUP).
