Pats Pulpit
Bucket hats and sneakers were back in style for the New England Patriots on Tuesday. Following a full padded session on Monday and a joint practice on deck with the Washington Commanders on Wednesday, head coach Mike Vrabel dialed back the intensity with their third walkthrough of the summer.
Here is what went down throughout the day.
Attire: Shorts, no pads
Duration: ca. 80 minutes (10:00 a.m.-11:20 a.m. ET)
Conditions: Sunny, temperatures in the 70s
Following their longest practice of the summer, New England ditched their pads for Tuesday’s walkthrough.
Absent: CB Christian Gonzalez, CB Marcellas Dial Jr., TE Tyler Davis, DE K’Lavon Chaisson, LB Jahlani Tavai, OL Sidy Sow, OL Caedan Wallace, OT Morgan Moses, WR Kendrick Bourne, DL Jaquelin Roy
New England saw 10 players sit out of Tuesday’s walkthrough, including Marcellas Dial Jr. and Jaquelin Roy who left Monday’s practice early. Among the other non-participants, several players — including Gonzalez, Chaisson, Tavai, Sow, Wallace, and Moses — made an appearance on the sideline.
Recently signed tight end Tyler Davis was the only player absent who did not appear to suffer a prior injury. New England also had a new No. 72 on the defensive side of the football make an appearance; that player turned out to be defensive tackle Bryce Ganious.
Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was also back at practice after being treated for dehydration on Monday.
Javon’s reps: As New England broke off into two fields with Drake Maye on one and Joshua Dobbs/Ben Wooldridge on the other, second-year wide receiver Javon Baker stayed put to work with Maye’s offense. Coming off one of Baker’s best practices of the summer, the 23-year-old could now be set up for reps with Maye in the joint practice.
Baker’s talent has been on display throughout the summer — like on Monday when he fought through contact for a back-shoulder touchdown — while New England lacks a receiver on the outside with his vertical speed. But, the inconsistency still remains as he later had a pass knocked out of his hands late in the end zone by Brandon Crossley on Monday.
Receiver room: In addition to Baker, the top five receivers working with Maye remained the same: Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, and Mack Hollins. That left Efton Chism III, Ja’Lynn Polk, John Jiles, and Jeremiah Webb spending their time with Joshua Dobbs.
Right tackle rotation: With veteran Morgan Moses quickly departing the practice field, Demontrey Jacobs and rookie Marcus Bryant were left rotating with the first-team offense at right tackle. That role has primarily been held by Jacobs throughout the summer until Bryant received the reps on Monday.
Despite primarily playing left tackle at Missouri, Bryant has looked comfortable on the right side which included a pair of 1-on-1 wins against Truman Jones and Bradyn Swinson on Monday. With his experience at left tackle, the seventh-round rookie could push for New England’s top swing tackle role.
Lineup notes: The offensive...
