The New England Patriots took a step back from the full-pads grind on Wednesday and shifted into a walkthrough, but there was still plenty to sort through. With the pace slowed and work divided across two fields, the session offered a clearer snapshot of where things stand on the depth chart.
One of the biggest changes came at wide receiver. Romeo Doubs was out, and Efton Chism III made the most of the opening.
He saw a heavy dose of snaps with the first-team offense, frequently lining up alongside A.J. Brown and DeMario Douglas.
Chism has been used in a variety of receiver roles this camp, and the Patriots have also leaned on his run blocking in first-team packages. That combination has him tracking toward a roster spot.
Drake Maye’s main group featured Brown, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, Douglas and Chism. Kyle Williams began on the other field before eventually joining Maye once the full offense came together.
The backfield picture also got a little sharper. Terrell Jennings, who was activated off the NFI list two days earlier, worked with Maye’s offense alongside Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
Jennings is the only depth running back on the roster with NFL experience, and he may have an early edge in the RB3 race. On the other field, Lan Larison, Jam Miller and Myles Montgomery handled their reps.
At cornerback, the absence of Carlton Davis kept Charles Woods in the top spot opposite Christian Gonzalez. Behind them, rookies Karon Prunty and Channing Canada continued to get chances with the first-team defense.
Prunty has been around the ball a lot since the pads came on, while Canada has shown up in coverage too, even if Tuesday’s practice included multiple completions against him. Both appear to be moving in the right direction as the Patriots look for help behind their starting corners.
There was also movement on the injury front. Reggie Gilliam returned after resting, and he said his managed workload this summer has been tied to nagging injuries from recent years.
Tight end C.J. Dippre was on the field in uniform for the first time this summer, a sign that he has been activated off the PUP list.
Meanwhile, Harold Landry III and Brenden Schooler remained on PUP/NFI.
The Patriots also had a few smaller details worth noting. Will Campbell wore a Rob Gronkowski-like arm brace on his left arm.
The top two offensive lines stayed intact: Campbell-Vera-Tucker-Wilson-Onwenu-Moses and Bryant-Rupcich-Brown-Hudson-Lomu. Gabe Jacas worked mostly with the second-team defense and on the punt block unit, while Dell Pettus mixed in behind Craig Woodson and Kevin Byard, which could point to him as the No. 3 safety.
Special teams got a lot of attention during the walkthrough, which makes sense with roster spots still up for grabs. The day wrapped with Hail Mary work.
The Patriots are back on the field Thursday, when they return to shells at 10:15 a.m. ET.
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