The Patriots kept things light on Monday, turning their third training camp practice into a walkthrough behind Gillette Stadium after opening camp with two faster-paced sessions. That meant there was no real candidate for a true practice star, but a few names still stood out based on how New England deployed them.
Lan Larison kept showing up in the same place he has all camp: third in line at running back. Behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, the sophomore once again handled the RB3 role during the walkthrough. Full pads could still shake up the depth chart, but for now Larison looks like the clear front-runner for that job.
The receiver battle also stayed worth watching. The top of the Patriots’ wideout group appears set with A.J.
Brown, Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte - though Boutte still carries the wrinkle of being a trade candidate. After that, the competition looks wide open for what could be the final spot, and Monday offered another look at Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III.
The two sophomores rotated through the top offense, and neither has separated from the other yet.
Tanner Arkin also continued to make his case. Like Larison, he was already mentioned among the notable performers from the previous day, and he stayed in the mix with meaningful reps alongside the first-team offense. With Julian Hill out for the year, Arkin appears to have a real path to a depth role if this early pattern holds.
In Other News...
Patriots Camp Just Sent A Troubling Message About The Receiver Battle
Training camp has only just opened, but the Patriots are already making the kind of roster moves that tend to tell you where the real battles are. New England claimed rookie wide receiver Kobe Prentice off waivers from the Panthers, a move that came with a corresponding release of first-year offensive lineman Sebastian Gutierrez, and the team also added tight end Jeremiah Franklin and Gabe Jacas as it continued sorting through the early camp mix.
For a receiver group trying to establish itself under Mike Vrabels staff, the timing matters. The Patriots have been busy with fan events, practice sessions and a round of press conferences from Vrabel and team executives, yet the more revealing news has come in the personnel churn around the bottom of the roster. Adding Prentice gives the group another young name to watch, and the fact that New England felt the need to keep adjusting the board this early suggests the competition at receiver is already getting tighter than anyone would prefer. [Read more 🡒]
Romeo Doubs Is Already Facing Pressure In Patriots Camp
Romeo Doubs arrived in New England with a chance to carve out a real role, but the early returns in camp have been uneven. Through offseason workouts and the first two training camp practices, the receiver has looked like he is still getting comfortable in Josh McDaniels offense, with route adjustments and the timing of reads still a work in progress as he tries to settle in alongside Drake Maye.
The bigger issue for Doubs is that the competition around him is not standing still. DeMario Douglas has been handling the slot work, Kayshon Boutte has looked ahead of him on the boundary, and the Patriots have not even reached padded practices yet, which means the pace is only going to pick up from here. With preseason games approaching, Doubs has time to close the gap, but he also has to show he can turn a slow start into something more convincing before the depth chart hardens. [Read more 🡒]