Sportsnaut
The Patriots’ training camp slate has been flying by, and the team now only has a few more days of camp before the season gets underway. The team’s first preseason game is just a few days away, so the players on the roster bubble are running out of time to make their mark.
One of the players who has really needed to step up is wide receiver Javon Baker. Baker was a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he failed to impress much as a rookie. The team’s receiver depth is much better now, as well, so Baker needs to impress over the next couple weeks to stick around.
Well, according to Patriots insider Carlos A. Lopez, Baker had his breakout on Monday. The receiver was running with the second-team offense with veteran Josh Dobbs as his quarterback. The Baker-Dobbs duo appears to have solid chemistry, as Baker caught three consecutive touchdown passes from Dobbs during 7-on-7 drills.
On one of the touchdown connections, Lopez wrote that Baker “Moss’d” rookie cornerback Kobee Minor on a fade route.
#Patriots Training Camp Notes [Full Pads] (8/4):
𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲
• WR Javon Baker caught 3(!) straight TDs delivered by QB Josh Dobbs during 7-on-7s — Baker rose up and moss’d CB Kobee Minor on a fade for one of the TDs.
• RB TreVeyon Henderson got open down the sideline on a… pic.twitter.com/gS2MYJFiro
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) August 4, 2025
This could be just the performance Baker needed to keep up in the receiver competition. It’s expected that Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, and rookie Kyle Williams are roster locks, which means there are likely just two or three spots max for the rest of the receivers.
Baker, Kayshon Boutte, Ja’Lynn Polk, Kendrick Bourne, and undrafted free agent Efton Chism III are among the receivers battling for those final spots. Each of those receivers have either earned praise directly from Mike Vrabel or have impressed during camp, so it will be a tight competition.
Dobbs, meanwhile, seems to have a firm grip on the backup quarterback job. Dobbs and Vrabel spent some time together with the Titans, and the Patriots shipped Joe Milton to the Dallas Cowboys, meaning undrafted free agent Ben Wooldridge is the sole competition at QB2.
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