FOXBORO - The Patriots were back on the practice fields Saturday for their 15th training camp session of the summer, and the scene felt different right away. Season ticket members were in attendance, but plenty of familiar faces were not.
Coming off Thursday’s 13-13 tie with the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason opener, New England spent the morning in full-speed work, and a long injury list made the day feel more like a survival test than a standard camp rep session. Twelve players were not spotted as the team continued working back toward full health after its first game action of the year.
Among those absent were wide receivers Kobe Prentice and Kyle Dixon, center Ben Brown, offensive guard Andrew Rupcich, defensive tackle Christian Barmore, edge rusher Xavier Holmes, linebacker Chad Muma, cornerback Christian Gonzalez, safety Eric Butler and long snapper Niko Lalos. Edge rusher Harold Landry, listed on PUP, and safety Brenden Schooler, on NFI, were also not in attendance.
The Patriots also brought in a pair of offensive linemen who were both on the field: center Joe Michalski, No. 60, and guard Darrian Dalcourt, No. 61. Their presence points to two roster moves coming to make space.
Drake Maye returned after sitting out Thursday’s game and had a mixed morning. He opened with a rough stretch in 7-on-7 work, finishing 1-for-5, but settled in once the full team periods started. In 11-on-11 action, he went 10-for-16 and hit several strong throws to the end zone.
Tommy DeVito was the only other quarterback to work in 11s, going 6-for-13 there. He was perfect in 7-on-7s at 4-for-4, but a late-game situation drill ended with his drive stalling after back-to-back throws sailed out of bounds in the direction of Kyle Williams.
Behren Morton saw only three snaps in competitive work and completed two of them. One of those completions was one of the cleaner plays of the day, a throw that backup tight end Jack Westover hauled in by diving to his right at the goal line. Safety Mike Brown had tight coverage, but Morton fit it in anyway.
The loudest offensive performance belonged to Romeo Doubs. He finished with three touchdowns and kept finding ways to separate himself in the passing game.
His first score came with the starting offense in 7s, where he was blanketed by Carlton Davis, who was a full participant after a prior hamstring injury. Doubs still went up and high-pointed the ball.
That was only the start. In full-team work, he beat Charles Woods twice for scores, including the touchdown that finished off Maye’s end-of-game drive.
By the end of the day, he was a bigger factor in the passing game than A.J. Brown, which may have been the first time that’s happened this summer.
"I think just new offense, new year, figuring out the player, getting to know him," head coach Mike Vrabel said prior to practice on Doubs. "Really, a lot of positive things, I think, trending in the right direction."
On defense, Dre’Mont Jones began the day on the field but didn’t finish it, leaving midway through with a member of the training staff. Rookie Gabe Jacas took on a larger share of first-team edge reps in his place and made the most of them, stacking up several run stuffs with his physical style.
Special teams was a much cleaner operation for Andy Borregales after a rough preseason opener, when he missed three kicks, including a potential game-winner from just inside 50 yards. On Saturday, the kicking group worked on field goals using a skinnier-than-usual goalpost, and Borregales appeared to go 5-for-6. After practice, he told ESPN’s Mike Reiss that the miss actually went over the goal post and was ruled good.
Vrabel also praised K.J. Britt’s early work since signing in free agency, saying, "Well, obviously K.J. showed up with a veteran presence, and he's been in this league, physical presence, trying to play physical, help us on special teams, and add versatility.
Trying to play both positions inside. I just have appreciated the way he showed up, how he approached the offseason and now he's been given a chance to compete."
The Patriots are set to return Sunday morning for a non-padded walkthrough. After practice, Jones, Hassan Haskins, DeMario Douglas, Will Campbell, Mike Onwenu and Craig Woodson are scheduled to speak with reporters before the team shifts its focus to Philadelphia Eagles prep.
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