FOXBORO — Now, that’s better.
Much better.
The Patriots’ best receiver and fastest wideout both bounced back during the team’s first padded practice of the summer Thursday, when A.J. Brown hauled in four of five targets in team drills and Kyle Williams scored two touchdowns.
Brown secured all of his catches within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage — an early theme of his chemistry with Drake Maye — and scored at least two would-be touchdowns during red-zone work. The lone incompletion Maye threw in Brown’s direction was a 20-yard, tight-window throw that Christian Gonzalez smothered.
As for Williams, he’s been stuck behind Brown, four other veterans and fellow second-year receiver Efton Chism III on the depth chart. But none of them, not Brown, nor Chism, who made his own highlight grab, were better than Williams at practice. For a day, he took the Best Receiver on the Field belt from Kayshon Boutte, who cooled after a scorching start to camp.
Defensively, Gonzalez was a full participant again, which for now assuages any lingering concern he stir the pot amid contract negotiations. The Patriots were, however, without Carlton Davis, who had a rotating cast of replacements in team drills. Davis was one of two players newly absent.
Elsewhere, at least one undrafted rookie is tracking to make the 53-man roster, a defensive tackle debuted with the starting defense, Will Campbell impressed and the run game needs revving.
Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations:
Attendance
Returned: CB Charles Woods
Absent: CB Carlton Davis, CB Brandon Crossley
Limited: N/A
PUP: OLB Harold Landry, TE CJ Dippre
NFI: OLB Gabe Jacas, S Brenden Schooler, RB Terrell Jennings
Notes: Woods was a full participant after leaving Tuesday’s practice with the help of two staffers. Davis walked onto the field late in practice in street clothes, a positive sign for his eventual return. Crossley missed his first practice of the summer.
Earlier Thursday, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel told reporters Jacas is closer to returning to the field than Landry. The latter is dealing with a knee injury that dates back to last October.
Play of the Day
Kyle Williams’ one-handed touchdown catch: The route was simple enough. The catch was not.
Aligned to the right side of the formation on a tight red-zone snap, Williams shook veteran corner Kindle Vildor at the line of scrimmage, charged up field for a few steps and angled 45 degrees toward the back pylon. Tommy DeVito’s back-shoulder throw arrived a split-second later. Williams shot his arm out and initially bobbled the ball, then cradled it between his hand and bicep as he tumbled to the ground.
Williams bounced up in front of Vildor with a touchdown and one of the best plays of the summer.
Player of the Day
Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams hauls in a pass during practice Monday in Foxboro. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
WR Kyle Williams: Two catches, both highlight touchdown grabs.
Barring a Boutte trade, Williams has more work to do to feel completely at ease about keeping his roster spot in New England. But he can and should rest easy about his performance as one of the best players on the field for one day.
QB Corner
Note: The passing stats below were tallied during competitive 11-on-11 periods only. The stats in parentheses represent the quarterbacks’ camp-long performance.
Drake Maye: 7-of-8 (29-of-42, INT, sack)
Tommy DeVito: 5-of-7 (22-of-31, sack)
Behren Morton: 2-of-2 (12-of-18)
Notes: A strong, albeit brief, day for Maye.
Like most team drills thus far in camp, Maye led off with a pass to A.J. Brown, who, working against Christian Gonzalez, failed to haul in a long fade throw covering roughly 20 yards. Maye then hit Brown on a slant route from an empty formation that generated a cushy matchup for him versus linebacker Christian Elliss. A botched snap and shallow-cross completion to rookie tight end Eli Raridon off play-action came next.
Still working from the 20-yard line, Maye chose to scramble after staring down a well-covered Brown. That led to another slant completion for his new No. 1 receiver and a swing pass that found Rhamondre Stevenson. Maye’s final period featured completions to Brown on a curl route in front of Gonzalez, Romeo Doubs running an out route and Brown again on a slant, this time in front of Charles Woods.
Studs
WR A.J. Brown: Any time you double your catch total for training camp in a single practice, it’s a good day.
OL Will Campbell: Campbell was unbeaten during 1-on-1 pass rush drills and generally pass-protected well during team periods. He’s been a quiet winner thus far in camp.
CB Christian Gonzalez: The allowed curl-route completion notwithstanding, Gonzalez looked every bit a No. 1 corner’s No. 1 corner. He went 3-1 during 1-on-1 receiving drills with three pass breakups in front of Brown and Kayshon Boutte. He also stopped Brown from scoring on the first snap of team periods.
Duds
CB Kobee Minor: Rough morning for Minor. He was beaten twice for touchdowns during 11-on-11s and lost both his matchups in an individual drill with the wide receivers.
OL Ben Brown: Another poor performer in 1-on-1 drills, Brown got beat twice during individual pass rush.
Offensive notes
Top targets in team drills: WR A.J. Brown 4/5, WR Kyle Williams 2/3, RB TreVeyon Henders 2/3
Drops: N/A
Top offensive line: LT Will Campbell, LG Alijah Vera-Tucker, C Jared Wilson, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Morgan Moses
1-on-1 receiving drill winners: Rhamondre Stevenson 3-0, Mack Hollins 2-0, TreVeyon Henderson 2-0
1-on-1 receiving drill losers: Kayshon Boutte 0-2
1-on-1 pass rush drill winners: Will Campbell 2-0
1-on-1 pass rush drill losers: Ben Brown 0-2, James Hudson III 0-2
Running backs
- TreVeyon Henderson took more starting reps next to Drake Maye in 11-on-11s, including six handoffs. His best reception, though, came at the end of a long Tommy DeVito pass down the left sideline with backup outside linebacker Amari Gainer in coverage.
- Still, vision and blitz pickup are the chief areas that seem to hold Henderson back in any conversation about more playing time. Vrabel praised Stevenson’s work in this area before practice and noted Henderson is still working on his protection. Henderson also got stuffed multiple times in team periods.
- Stevenson aced his 1-on-1 reps in a coverage drill, beating Robert Spillane for two catches and K.J. Britt for another.
- For a second straight day, seventh-round rookie Jam Miller was busier than Lan Larison during 11-on-11 work. Miller took five handoffs and had one catch, while Larison rarely handled the ball. Miller and Larison are likely competing for the same roster spot, which will also weigh special teams impact.
Wide receivers
- A.J. Brown? Back. Kyle Williams? Back in the conversation.
- Nothing is ever, ever decided so early in training camp, yet it was nonetheless encouraging to see Williams produce in pads after a quiet start to the summer and mostly forgettable rookie season. His body control and releases were notable on both touchdown catches.
- Brown, meanwhile, is playing power forward as he develops better downfield chemistry with Maye. Most of his catches in camp have come on slants, including Thursday, when his play strength was best put to use. Brown also beat Christian Gonzalez on a fade route during 1-on-1 work.
- Kayshon Boutte lost both of his 1-on-1 drill reps against Gonzalez and went catch-less in team periods.
- Efton Chism high-pointed a fade touchdown pass over safety Mike Brown on one of the day’s final reps. He celebrated with teammates and then Vrabel.
- No receiver outside of Brown and Williams saw multiple targets on a day with just 20 total dropbacks in team drills. The fact Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas again joined Brown at the start of the opening 11-on-11 snap was the most notable leftover development for the wideouts.
- Undrafted rookie Cameron Dorner showed late hands on a fade-route touchdown he hauled in over fellow rookie Karon Prunty. Pretty grab.
New England Patriots rookie tight end Eli Raridon chats with the media on Thursday. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Tight ends
- A way-too-early prediction: undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin makes the team.
- Arkin may be the Patriots’ best run-blocking tight end already. He crunched edge defenders in his first padded NFL practice, pancaking backup edge rusher Jesse Luketa and even washing Dre’Mont Jones down the line on a zone run where Rhamondre Stevenson bounced outside for a long gain.
- Arkin did lose some run-blocking reps, including one play where outside linebacker Elijah Ponder caught him leaning. But he saw several first-team snaps for a second consecutive practice, as strong a signal as any that the staff intends to keep him around.
- Third-round pick Eli Raridon also joined Maye and Co. and finished with two catches, one from Maye and another from DeVito. If Raridon can build up a head of steam, as he did on a shallow cross where Maye found him off play-action, there may be explosive play potential here.
- Ho-hum day for Hunter Henry, who beat Kevin Byard in 1-on-1s, then took a loss against Craig Woodson.
Offensive line
- New starting center Jared Wilson botched another snap working with Maye. It’s unclear who was at fault, but that gives this duo two fumbles through four full-speed practices.
- Will Campbell took care of business in 1-on-1 pass rush, a drill he was embarrassed in a few times last year by ex-Patriot defensive lineman Keion White. He nullified Dre’Mont Jones and Bradyn Swinson, and held up just fine in team drills.
- Morgan Moses again resumed his spot as the starting right tackle but sat out individual pass rush. Rookie Caleb Lomu went 1-1 in his NFL debut with the drill (losing to Elijah Ponder and man-handling Bradyn Swinson).
- Lomu drilled regularly with the second-team offense at right tackle, while 2025 seventh-round pick Marcus Bryant worked at left tackle. Lomu has seen his jumbo tight end snaps decline sharply in recent practices, perhaps a reflection of the staff’s confidence in Arkin.
Defensive notes
Interceptions: N/A
Pass breakups: N/A
Would-be sacks: N/A
1-on-1 coverage drill winners: Christian Gonzalez 3-1, Charles Woods 2-1
1-on-1 coverage drill losers: Robert Spillane 0-2, Kevin Byard 0-2, Kobee Minor 0-2
1-on-1 pass rush drill winners: Eric Gregory 2-0
1-on-1 pass rush drill losers: Bradyn Swinson 0-2, Cory Durden 0-2
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez runs during practice Thursday in Foxboro. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Defensive linemen
- A night-and-day difference defending the run and pass. The defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage on almost every run play, but failed to generate consistent pressure and zero would-be sacks.
- Quiet days overall for Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, though Barmore scored one of the loudest wins in 1-on-1 pass rush against Alijah Vera-Tucker. Williams lost versus Vera-Tucker, then seemed to get the better of Mike Onwenu.
- The story up front was Eric Gregory, a defensive tackle the Patriots claimed off waivers a year ago when he was cut in Cincinnati as a rookie. Gregory smoked guard/center Ben Brown twice in 1-on-1 pass rush and received starting reps in team periods.
- Gregory is in a position battle with 2025 fourth-round pick Joshua Farmer and Leonard Taylor III, at least two of whom should make the roster. Improved pass rush would significantly boost Gregory’s chances as a player who recently was billed as a run-first prospect.
- Cory Durden enjoyed a nice day, contributing to multiple run-stuffs and tallying one all on his own as the starting nose tackle in base personnel and a rotational player in other packages.
Linebackers
- Two undrafted rookies to keep an eye on: inside linebacker Khalil Jacobs and outside linebacker Xavier Holmes. The latter has flashed occasionally in team drills and received a few first-team reps Thursday. Given the lack of proven depth around him, Holmes could play his way onto the roster.
- Jacobs did not run with the starters Thursday, but did register a run-stuff and sniff out a screen for what would have been a loss while drilling with the second unit. Jacobs is a good athlete, too.
- The Patriots’ depth at inside linebacker may, in fact, be better than expected, including Jacobs, K.J. Britt and Chad Muma. At the top, Robert Spillane had a tough day in single coverage, while Christian Elliss allowed one slant catch and tallied a run-stuff.
- On the edge, Dre’Mont Jones and Bradyn Swinson were largely neutralized during 1-on-1 pass rush, and Elijah Ponder had an up-and-down day overall.
Defensive backs
- Wanted: more disruption. Three total pass breakups over four full-speed practices is less than ideal for any secondary. The only consistent production has come from — you guessed it — Christian Gonzalez.
- Charles Woods replaced Carlton Davis in team periods, where he allowed one catch after outperforming every defensive back except for Gonzalez in 1-on-1 coverage drills.
- As for Gonzalez, he was pulled slightly earlier in 11-on-11s than usual, likely a reflection of the staff’s desire not to lose their No. 1 corner after temporarily shelving their No. 2. Again, he all but dominated.
- The same can’t be said for the other backup corners, especially Kobee Minor (see: duds section). Kindle Vildor and Karon Prunty also allowed touchdowns against the second- and third-team offenses, respectively.
- More three-safety personnel packages have crept onto the field lately, which have given veteran safety and free-agent addition Mike Brown some nickelback duties that usually fall to Marcus Jones.
- Results in the three-safety package have been mixed, but at the very least seem to reflect more belief from the coaching staff that the Patriots should match bulkier offensive groupings with this personnel.
- After Brown, Dell Pettus and John Saunders Jr. have been next up on the depth chart.
Special teams
- Punting was the primary focus Thursday, with Bryce Baringer booming several balls in a period devoted to directional punting.
- Mike Vrabel was particularly hands-on during the walkthrough periods that preceded the live punts, coaching up apparent punt-team starters Elijah Ponder, Chad Muma, Jack Westover, K.J. Britt, John Saunders Jr., Namdi Obiazor and Reggie Gilliam. Names to remember, especially those on the roster bubble.
- Punt returners: Marcus Jones, DeMario Douglas, Romeo Doubs, Kobe Prentice and Efton Chism.
Extra points
- Kayshon Boutte, Caleb Lomu, Eli Raridon, Reggie Gilliam, Mike Onwenu and Cory Durden spoke with reporters after practice.
- DeAndre Hopkins is no longer visiting or working with the Patriots’ coaching staff, per Mike Vrabel.
- The Patriots will hold their sixth training camp practice Friday at 10:15 a.m. Fan admission and parking are free.
