The New England Patriots may have dialed back the intensity a bit for their final public training camp session on Monday, but that does not mean their 13th practice of the summer was a quiet affair. Quite the opposite, actually: with the Patriots primarily focusing on red area work, there were plenty of high-stakes reps to go around.
You can recap all of the action here. And as always, here is a rundown of who caught our eyes for better or worse.
WR Efton Chism III: The arrow keeps pointing up for the undrafted rookie receiver. Chism had a busy day on Sunday regardless of the nature of the drill, catching passes in 2-on-2s, 7-on-7s — including a pair of touchdowns from Joshua Dobbs — and full-team 11-on-11 work.
He also was responsible for the play of the day. Working out of the left-side slot, he saw a desperation heave from Dobbs come his way. The backup QB let go of the ball immediately against an all-out blitz, hoping that his target would find a way to come down with the pass. Chism answered the call, boxing out cornerback Marcus Jones for inside position and perfectly times his jump to high-point the ball in the air. Despite coming down hard, he managed to hold onto the ball for the touchdown.
Chism just keeps making plays.
Other performances of note
WR Stefon Diggs: Coming off a promising start to his first training camp as a Patriot, the high-priced free agency acquisition has had a quiet few days. On Sunday, Diggs caught a touchdown from Drake Maye in the back corner of the end zone in 7-on-7s but was a non-factor otherwise. In full-team work, he was targeted twice without making any catches. The second of those targets came in a “final play of the game” situation and saw him drop a well-placed pass that otherwise would have been a touchdown.
G Jared Wilson: The Patriots’ third-round draft pick continues to excel in 1-on-1s and won all three of his individual matchups on Sunday. One of those saw him go up against starting defensive tackle Milton Williams, who was unable to generate a push against the rookie. Williams did get the better of Wilson and the interior offensive line on a would-be sack in team drills, but the youngster still had another good day.
CB Carlton Davis III: The Patriots played it safe with free agency pickup Carlton Davis through the early portions of training camp, but he was actively involved on Sunday. Seeing more quality action than at any other point this summer, he occupied a starting spot on the perimeter and showed no signs of rust. The veteran cornerback finished the session with a pass breakup in 11-on-11s while working against Kayshon Boutte.
S Craig Woodson and S Kyle Dugger: Something seems to be brewing in the safety room, and it might be bad news for the Patriots’ longest-tenured player. On Sunday, Kyle Dugger once again ceded snaps to fourth-round rookie Craig Woodson. While the split between first- and second-team reps was relatively even earlier in the week, Dugger now spent a majority of practice running with the backups. At this rate, Woodson — who nearly caught an interception in 11-on-11s — seems to be headed for a starting role. As for Dugger, his future in New England very much seems to be in question given his apparent demotion.
Other players worth mentioning include cornerback Marcus Jones, who registered a pass breakup. Center Garrett Bradbury, meanwhile, had a low snap and was inconsistent yet again in 1-on-1s. At kicker, Parker Romo outperformed Andy Borregales: the veteran went 4-for-4 compared to the rookie’s 3-for-4 performance.
The Patriots will be back at practice on Monday at 10:15 a.m. ET, but that session will not be open to the general public. We will still provide you with updates from Foxborough throughout the day.
Source link
