Efton Chism rises up, veteran starter demoted

FOXBORO — Less than 48 hours after strapping on their pads for a preseason game, the Patriots hit the field again for a two-hour practice.

The wear showed.

The Pats had a somewhat sluggish day under 90-degree heat, practicing right up until Stefon Diggs’ end-zone drop on a play run at less than full speed that capped Drake Maye’s 1-minute drill. Overall, Maye finished 5-of-13 with a couple of sacks in team periods.

Defensively, the Patriots welcomed back veteran cornerback Carlton Davis, who competed in his first 11-on-11 drills since the first day of camp. Davis finished with a pass breakup, as did several other defenders, including rookie safety Craig Woodson. A fourth-round pick, Woodson appears to be threatening Kyle Dugger’s starting job, as Dugger continues to split his reps between the starting defense and second-team unit.

Sunday’s practice now leads into a Monday session that should partially be dedicated to game-planning for joint practices in Minnesota on Wednesday and Thursday. Those days will be the Patriots’ most important and telling of the summer, testing themselves against a well-coached and more talented roster with only a few practices left to establish who they want to be.

Elsewhere at practice, an undrafted rookie continued his rise, a veteran pass-rusher returned, the kicking competition took an unexpected turn and fans took their exit one final time.

Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations:

Attendance

Returned: CB Carlton Davis OL Caedan Wallace

Absent: CB Christian Gonzalez, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, WR Kendrick Bourne, WR Ja’Lynn Polk, LB Jahlani Tavai, S Josh Minkins, OLB Elijah Ponder

Limited: TE Hunter Henry, DL Christian Barmore, CB DJ James

Notes: Stevenson missed practice after playing a few series in Friday’s preseason opener. Gonzalez will travel to Minnesota this week for joint practices in Minnesota, but is unlikely to participate, per Mike Vrabel. Polk will not practice after sustaining an injury Friday night. No updates on Bourne or Tavai; Ponder’s injury was new after an active preseason opener, when he played on three special teams units and contributed on defense in the first and fourth quarters.

Henry did not participate after initial stretching and drills, while Barmore was a bit more involved. Young cornerback DJ James left practice early with an athletic trainer. Davis was a full participant since the first day of camp.

Play of the Day

Efton Chism climbs the ladder

Facing an all-out blitz in the tight red zone, Joshua Dobbs took the snap and immediately lobbed a high-arching prayer to his left. Efton Chism answered it.

The undrafted rookie receiver – who starred in Friday’s preseason opener – kept the highlights coming by boxing out Marcus Jones’ tight coverage and snagging the ball at his highest point with one-hand. Chism then tangled mid-air with Jones while cradling the ball and crashing to the ground. He stood up, slowly, with the ball still in his grasp.

Touchdown.

Player of the Day

Efton Chism III

He wasn’t perfect, but Chism had multiple catches in every period, from 2-on-2s to 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s.

Dobbs hit him for two touchdowns in 7-on-7s on different routes, then again against the blitz in the aforementioned Play of the Day. Chism’s last target was broken up by cornerback Alex Austin, but by that point he had already starred on a day with few standout performances.

QB Corner

Note: The passing stats below were tallied during competitive 11-on-11 periods only. The stats in parentheses represent Maye’s camp-long performance.

Drake Maye: 5-of-13, 2 sacks (91-of-147, 3 INTs, 22 sacks)

Notes: Maye opened practice by completing four of seven passes in 7-on-7s, when he also had two knocked away. Then he went ice cold in full-team drills, where the Patriots started at the 18-yard line. First, Maye whipped a screen completion to DeMario Douglas, then puked up a near interception from a closing pocket, misfired for Kyle Williams, couldn’t hit Mack Hollins, overthrew Stefon Diggs during a would-be sack (Milton Williams) and had a late throw for Kayshon Boutte knocked away.

Now 1-of-6, Maye appeared to turn his day around with a touchdown to Boutte against Marcus Jones. That led into a final drill, where the offense got the ball at midfield with 45 seconds left. Maye ripped a short completion to Douglas right after K’Lavon Chaisson would’ve dropped him for a sack. Then he recovered a shotgun snap that hit off a running back for a fumble. Back on his feet, Maye found Boutte on a downfield route over the middle, scrambled, returned to Douglas for a short gain on a moving pocket throw and tossed two incomplete jump balls before the Diggs drop.

Tough day.

Studs

S Craig Woodson

The rookie safety started ahead of veteran Kyle Dugger and nearly scooped an interception from Maye in 11-on-11s. He also would have delivered a monster hit on an outside run in the same drill, a play where his play recognition put him ahead of where the ball was going.

WR Kayshon Boutte

Boutte snatched a couple of touchdowns from Maye, one in 7-on-7s and another in 11-on-11s. He finished with three catches on four targets in team drills.

Duds

QB Drake Maye

Maye’s accuracy has been scattershot the last week or so, save for the Patriots’ joint practice against the Commanders.

WR Stefon Diggs

Diggs dropped an easy touchdown at the end, one of two targets he saw during 11-on-11s. He has cooled significantly since the start of camp.

Offensive notes

Top targets in team drills: WR Efton Chism III 4/7, WR Mack Hollins 3/7, WR DeMario Douglas 3/4

Drops: WR Stefton Diggs, Hollins

Top offensive line: LT Will Campbell, LG Jared Wilson, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Morgan Moses

1-on-1 pass rush winners: OT Will Campbell 2-0, OG Mike Onwenu 2-1

1-on-1 pass rush losers: C Garrett Bradbury 1-2, OT Demontrey Jacobs

Running backs

• Antonio Gibson started in place of Rhamondre Stevenson, who was missing for reasons unknown. Gibson took a team-high six hand-offs to one each for TreVeyon Henderson and JaMycal Hasty.
• Henderson was quiet in 11-on-11s, save for a nice moment in blitz pickup where he crossed the pocket to stop an incoming blitzer from creaming Maye.
• Henderson’s light offensive workload also included a catch from Maye in 7-on-7s on an in route. During special teams periods, he and Gibson were the top kick returners.

Wide receivers

• DeMario Douglas continues to be Mr. Reliable, catching two passes in Maye’s 1-minute drill and three overall during full-team periods. Maye is most confident in his slot receiver.
• What’s up with Stefon Diggs? The Patriots managed his reps in last Wednesday’s joint practice with the Commanders, then didn’t play him in the preseason opener. His only catch Sunday came in 7-on-7s, a play that ultimately felt inconsequential compared to his drop at the end.
• Veteran free-agent addition Mack Hollins was a popular target, thanks partly to the 1-minute drill. Maye targeted the 6-foot-4 receiver on a couple of end-zone shots.
• Third-round rookie Kyle Williams did not catch either of his targets during team periods, one a bad miss from Maye and the other from Dobbs that seventh-round pick Kobee Minor batted away.  Williams has had an inconsistent camp around a strong preseason debut.
• Javon Baker, who is making a roster push on special teams in addition to his sporadic highlight grabs, had one catch.

Tight ends

• Hunter Henry left the field almost immediately after warmups. Austin Hooper and Jack Westover took his starting reps in team periods.
• Westover had the only catch between the two of them, with Hooper failing to secure any of his three targets.
• Westover’s placement with the first team reflects both the staff’s confidence in his ability to execute the playbook and, it seems, their lack of confidence in other options.
• Undrafted rookie Gee Scott, the most productive pass-catcher in this group for most of camp, has yet to work with the starters in a way that would indicate he’s inched closer to a roster spot.
• Recent free-agent addition Cole Fotheringham had two grabs, both from Joshua Dobbs.

Offensive line

• No major changes or developments up front Sunday. Will Campbell went 2-0 during individual pass rush drills, then allowed a sack to K’Lavon Chaisson who zipped by his fellow LSU alum in one team period.
• Another rookie, left guard Jared Wilson, appeared to be involved in another sack; this one courtesy of defensive tackle Milton Williams who burst through the middle to reach Maye.
• Wilson did, however, handle Williams once when they went head-to-head during 1-on-1 pass rush. The rookie packs serious strength.
• At center, Garrett Bradbury’s pass-blocking woes are most evident when he’s been isolated. He cannot get a grip on defensive tackle Khyris Tonga when they are head-to-head.
• Nice outing for Mike Onwenu, far and away the best and most consistent among the O-linemen.
• Morgan Moses rotated at right tackle in team periods with Demontrey Jacobs, who took a couple of major losses in 1-on-1 pass rush.
• Jacobs and Vederian Lowe currently project as the Patriots’ backup tackles. Caedan Wallace also returned to work with the second-team line at left guard, with Ben Brown at center and Cole Strange playing right guard.

Defensive notes

Top personnel during team periods: Top personnel during team periods: defensive linemen Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Keion White, Jeremiah Pharms Jr., Khyris Tonga and Joshua Farmer; linebackers Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens, Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson; defensive backs Alex Austin, DJ James, Marcus Jones, Miles Battle, Jabrill Peppers, Kyle Dugger, Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson.

Interceptions: N/A

Pass breakups: CB Marcus Jones 2, CB Carlton Davis, CB Alex Austin, LB Christian Elliss, CB Kobee Minor

Would-be sacks: DL Milton Williams, OLB K’Lavon Chaisson, Team

Defensive linemen

• Christian Barmore was limited for the most intense periods of practice, from 1-on-1 pass rush to team periods. Khyris Tonga replaced him in the starting lineup.
• Milton Williams looked much more like himself after a so-so practice versus the Commanders on Wednesday. He showed up in 1-on-1s and team drills.
• Keion White’s scorching start to camp is well over, thanks to a poor joint practice and inconsistent rush Sunday. White went 2-3 during individual pass rush.
• Isaiah Iton, a second-year defensive tackle, is making a run at the 53-man roster. He was among the first off the bench during the 1-minute drill at the end of practice, rotating in to keep the Patriots’ pass-rush fresh. A name to remember.

Linebackers

• Welcome back, K’Lavon Chaisson. Despite missing a full week of practice, Chaisson still led the Patriots in would-be sacks over training camp and recorded his seventh at Will Campbell’s expense late in practice.
• Chaisson took the field with the Patriots’ starting defense during Maye’s 1-minute drill, indicating he is a major piece of their subpackage plans, and deservedly so.
• Anfernee Jennings, who played deep into the fourth quarter Friday night, took snaps opposite fifth-round rookie Bradyn Swinson on the second team unit. Both performed well in 1-on-1 pass rush, with Jennings beating right tackle Morgan Moses clean around the edge.
• Starting inside linebackers Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss didn’t flash much aside from the pass breakup Elliss tallied in 7-on-7s and a screen he helped blow up early in 11-on-11s.
• Have no fear, “Dr. Gibby “is here. The Patriots’ top backup at inside linebacker, Jack Gibbens, made plays as a blitzer and in coverage Sunday. He’s been solid all summer with Jahlani Tavai still out.

Defensive backs

• Yes, it’s a demotion. Kyle Dugger began to split his time between the first- and second-team defenses earlier in the week, but that split leaned much heavier to the latter unit Sunday.
• Rookie Craig Woodson started most periods with Jabrill Peppers and Jaylinn Hawkins, while Dugger ran with the backups and allowed one of three catches to a tight end all practice.
• Dugger is not a clean fit for the new scheme, and has been noted in this space before, is often a half to full step behind in 1-on-1 coverage. It’s hard to imagine the 29-year-old has fallen off this far, but he’s running out of time.