Young receiver returns, Christian Gonzalez hurt

FOXBORO – If Christian Gonzalez’s leg injury proves solely to be a minor scare, the primary padded observe of Patriots coaching camp ought to be remembered as a sneak peek of what’s to return.

Offensively, the Pats pounded the rock Monday, handing off 27 occasions in comparison with 11 go makes an attempt. That run-to-pass ratio received’t proceed by means of the common season, however it nonetheless spotlight the strengths of the offense: Rhamondre Stevenson, rookie working again TreVeyon Henderson and an offensive line extra able to clearing room for these two than it’s defending Drake Maye.

Naturally, the offensive outcomes have been blended at finest on the primary padded observe of the summer time (a departure from current years when the Patriots’ protection completely dominated and particularly within the purple zone). Maye and Co. have been stuffed on almost 30% of all runs and took three would-be sacks. Nonetheless, the protection didn’t deflect a single go and likewise allowed a pair late touchdowns.

So, who scored? Stevenson and forgotten second-round choose Ja’Lynn Polk, who returned for his first observe of the summer time. However, after all, all will likely be forgotten Monday if Gonzalez – who left observe below his personal energy with an obvious leg damage – is out for a chronic time period.

Elsewhere at observe, a younger edge rusher continued to rise, DeMario Douglas received shut out, Will Campbell and Keion White battled, and the kicking competitors heated up.

Listed below are the Herald’s full observe observations, with protection stats courtesy of reporter Doug Kyed:

Attendance

Absent: CB Carlton Davis, LB Jahlani Tavai

Returned: WR Ja’Lynn Polk, S Josh Minkins

Restricted: DL Christian Barmore

PUP: TE Austin Hooper, OT Vederian Lowe, WR Mack Hollins

Notes: Polk and Minkins participated of their first observe of the summer time. Davis has now missed three of 5 practices at coaching camp and two straight. He appeared on the first observe of camp, then a walkthrough final Friday. Barmore was held out of the second set of workforce intervals, seemingly a part of the workers’s plan to maintain him accessible coming off final yr’s blood clots.

Tavai had his first absence of camp. He was restricted on the finish of final week. Hooper, Lowe and Hollins have but to take the sector with the workforce this summer time.

Play of the Day

Ja’Lynn Polk’s late TD seize

Much less of a spotlight and extra of a nod to a beleaguered receiver making his return, Polk caught Maye’s final go of the day for a landing.

Polk broke working proper to left by means of the top zone, and Maye noticed him after executing a play-action pretend. The second-year wideout missed the workforce’s first 4 practices on account of a soft-tissue damage and bombed as a rookie. Re-entered right into a packed receiver competitors Monday, Polk did effectively along with his landing and smattering of first-team snaps.

Participant of the Day

OLB Ok’Lavon Chaisson

Two sacks in workforce intervals, and a decisive win in 1-on-1 go rush.

Is Chaisson’s breakout lastly right here?

5 coaching camp practices is, after all, too early to inform. However the former first-round choose has unquestionably been one of many Patriots’ most constant playmakers in camp. Chaisson completed final season sturdy, tallying 4 sacks in his final six video games with the Raiders. He’s seemed precisely like that participant to date In New England.

QB Nook

Word: The passing stats under have been tallied throughout aggressive 11-on-11 intervals solely. The stats in parentheses symbolize the quarterbacks’ camp-long efficiency.

Drake Maye: 5-of-6, 3 sacks (35-of-47, 15 sacks)

Joshua Dobbs: 2-of-2, 1 sack (20-of-30, 2 INTs, 2 sacks)

Notes: For a lot of the day, Maye and Dobbs handed the ball off. After they dropped again to throw, that is the way it went.

Maye hit Stefon Diggs on a 10- to 12-yard crosser over the center, with Gonzalez trailing in protection and Keion White closing for a would-be sack. Later, to shut the primary workforce interval, he discovered Rhamondre Stevenson on a checkdown that seemingly additionally would have been negated in a recreation setting by a sack.

Maye’s subsequent interval featured a play-action tight finish display screen completion to Hunter Henry and rushed throwaway for TreVeyon Henderson in the correct flat, because of Harold Landry’s stress. His final throws discovered Antonio Gibson in a checkdown and Polk in the long run zone, each snaps taken contained in the 10-yard line.

Studs

RB Rhamondre Stevenson

Stevenson beat veteran linebacker Robert Spillane twice in 1-on-1 protection drills and punched in a late landing throughout workforce drills. He additionally caught a checkdown from Maye.

DB Marcus Jones

Jones knocked a go away from Diggs throughout 1-on-1 protection drills and blanketed Douglas on one other rep.

Duds

OL Jared Wilson

The third-round rookie botched a snap late in 11-on-11s and allowed a sack to Chaisson. Summer time miscues the workforce can’t afford as soon as the common season arrives.

CB Christian Gonzalez

Earlier than strolling off with an obvious leg damage, Gonzalez misplaced all three of his reps in 1-on-1 protection drills; two to Kayshon Boutte and one other towards Diggs, who dropped a catchable ball. Gonzalez later gave up a catch to Diggs within the first workforce interval earlier than exiting.

Offensive notes

High targets in workforce drills: TE Gee Scott 2/2, RB TreVeyon Henderson 1/2 (no different pass-catcher completed with a number of targets)

Drops: N/A

High offensive line: LT Will Campbell, LG Cole Unusual, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Morgan Moses

1-on-1 protection drill winners: WR Kayshon Boutte 2-0, RB Rhamondre Stevenson 2-0, RB Antonio Gibson 2-0

1-on-1 protection drill losers: TE Jack Westover 0-2, TE Hunter Henry 1-2

Working backs

• Nobody had extra enjoyable Monday than these backs. Stevenson, Gibson and Henderson ate up snaps, barreling into the road of scrimmage on the primary day of pads.
• Stevenson capped his day by nosing his method throughout the purpose line for a brief landing, regardless of getting stuffed on his two earlier hand-offs.
• Gibson adopted Stevenson for many of observe, taking the following reps subsequent to Maye. He was stuffed simply as soon as, and caught one other checkdown over the center on a play the place Maye would have been sacked.
• Up-and-down day for Henderson, who fumbled a hand-off late and confirmed his plus burst and lengthy pace each time he received into area. He took reps with all three offensive items.
• Terrell Jennings zipped to an 18-yard landing run off the left aspect early in 11-on-11s, arguably the perfect run of the day. Like most backs, he saved a low pad degree and bumped into contact, reasonably than attempting to flee it.

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Broad receivers

• What number of completely different receivers labored with Maye?! Nearly all of them. From Diggs right down to undrafted rookie Efton Chism III and second-year unknown John Jiles, most wideouts received time with the beginning offense in 11-on-11 intervals.
• None, naturally, shined as pass-catchers on a run-heavy day, apart from Polk’s late landing catch in his return.
• One other comparatively down day for Diggs, who misplaced a ball that hit his fingers in 1-on-1s, the place he additionally misplaced one other rep. He did catch Maye’s longest go of the day, an intermediate crosser on the play the place Gonzalez left.
• Diggs, Douglas and Boutte stay the Patriots’ high three wideouts, adopted carefully by third-round rookie Kyle Williams, who rotated into the highest offense after three snaps on the “X” receiver spot.
• Douglas completed and not using a catch for the primary time in coaching camp, and misplaced each reps in 1-on-1 protection drills thanks partly to at least one drop.
• Kendrick Bourne’s nondescript camp continues, although if the teaching workers plans on a run-heavy operation this season, his run-blocking may very well be of use. He is caught one go from Maye in workforce intervals by means of 5 practices, and at present ranks as their No. 5 receiver.

Tight ends

• Even accounting for Austin Hooper’s damage, this group is likely one of the extra disappointing positions so far in camp.
• Hunter Henry misplaced a fumble in 1-on-1 protection drills working towards Kyle Dugger, then one other rep to Jabrill Peppers. He had one catch in workforce intervals on a display screen.
• Whereas Henry has largely been OK, his backups are an inexperienced mess.
• Undrafted rookie Gee Scott stays the steadiest of all of them. He had two grabs in 11-on-11s, together with a landing from Dobbs on Dobbs’ final try within the purple zone.
• Elsewhere, No. 2 choice Jack Westover misplaced each reps in 1-on-1 protection drills and did not catch a go in workforce intervals. Former seventh-round choose Jaheim Bell has principally been invisible, and undrafted rookie CJ Dippre drilled with the highest offense for the primary time.

Offensive line

• General, the Patriots generated respectable push within the run recreation, although not sufficient with eight run stuffs allowed. The beginning O-line accounted for half of these run stuffs.
• Welcome to the NFL, rookie. After Keion White tossed him to the bottom in consecutive drills, together with 1-on-1 go rush, rookie left sort out Will Campbell largely rebounded in workforce intervals.
• Campbell managed to drive edge defenders again throughout run-heavy stretches of 11-on-11s and began all of these intervals.
• Subsequent to him, left guard Cole Unusual continues to get a fast hook in favor of third-round rookie Jared Wilson throughout workforce intervals. Unusual was pulled after two snaps within the first 11-on-11 drill.
• Each had down moments, with Unusual shedding badly in 1-on-1 go rush and Wilson permitting a sack and fumbling a snap over workforce drills.
• Wilson additionally labored at heart with the first- and second-team offenses, although it appears, for now, the teaching workers trusts veteran heart Garrett Bradbury greater than Unusual.
• Backup guard Sidy Sow produced essentially the most spectacular rep of 1-on-1s, tossing rookie defensive sort out Joshua Farmer to the bottom. Sow is at present preventing to be the eighth or ninth O-lineman on the roster.

Defensive notes

High personnel throughout workforce intervals: defensive linemen Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Keion White, Jeremiah Pharms Jr., Khyris Tonga, Joshua Farmer and Jaquelin Roy; linebackers Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens, Harold Landry and Ok’Lavon Chaisson; defensive backs Christian Gonzalez, Alex Austin, Marcellas Dial Jr., Marcus Jones, Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson.

Interceptions: N/A

Go breakups: N/A

Would-be sacks: OLB Ok’Lavon Chaisson 2, Staff

1-on-1 protection winners: DB Marcus Jones 2-1, S Jabrill Peppers 1-0, CB DJ James 1-0

1-on-1 protection losers: CB Christian Gonzalez 0-3, LB Robert Spillane 0-2, LB Christian Elliss 0-2

Defensive linemen

• Christian Barmore was held out for lengthy stretches to work on conditioning on a separate area. Once more, his pitch rely appears to be a part of the workers’s plan to finish his restoration from blood clots.
• Early on, the defensive position dominated 1-on-1 go rush, because of Milton Williams placing Unusual on curler skates, Khryis Tonga zipping by heart Garrett Bradbury and White ragdolling Campbell.
• White later appeared to succeed in Maye in 11-on-11s, a interval that grew to become extra of a good battle between him and Maye.
• Fourth-round rookie Joshua Farmer and former practice-squad signing Jaquelin Roy have been first off the bench with Tonga. Farmer and Roy struggled in 1-on-1 go rush, the place the rookie received tossed to the bottom and Roy misplaced each reps.

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Linebackers

• No Jahlani Tavai allowed Christian Elliss to imagine full-time beginning duties in workforce intervals subsequent to Robert Spillane. Elliss and Spillane each went winless in 1-on-1 protection drills.
• Throughout workforce intervals, each gamers have been extremely energetic over the center; a key battleground throughout padded practices like Monday’s when the offense poses extra of a dashing risk and might play-action go.
• Ok’Lavon Chaisson earned each of his sacks towards Maye, first working towards rookie Jared Wilson and later zipping off the correct edge versus veteran sort out Morgan Moses. He additionally smoked rookie sort out Marcus Bryant in 1-on-1 go rush.
• Fellow outdoors linebacker Harold Landry sniffed a one play-action bootleg throw in 11-on-11s, and received victimized on a decent finish display screen go from Maye that zipped proper by him. Relationship again to the spring, Landry has been efficient defending bootleg passes to his aspect, exhibiting preliminary self-discipline after which dashing the quarterback right into a throwaway.
• Anfernee Jennings tallied a run stuff late in observe on an out of doors zone idea, his first of coaching camp. Jennings usually leads the workforce in that division, and has in any other case been quiet this summer time.

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Defensive backs

• Gonzalez’s exit after two snaps in workforce intervals compelled children Alex Austin, Marcellas Dial Jr. into motion on the skin, the place Carlton Davis remains to be absent.
• Any extended absence for Gonzalez would essentially change how the Patriots can play of their secondary, although there was no replace on his standing as of late Monday afternoon.
• In his place, Dial Jr. is taking extra reps with the first-team offense than he did all final summer time. The previous sixth-round choose is an impressive athlete with shaky ball abilities, although he jumped on a Henderson fumble late in 11-on-11s.
• Good day for Marcus Jones throughout 1-on-1s, breaking apart a go meant for Diggs and besting Douglas on one other rep. Diggs handed Jones his solely lack of the drill.
• Jones continues to begin at nickelback, with little competitors behind him. Dial Jr. was behind him within the spring.
• Quiet day for the safeties, although fourth-round rookie Craig Woodson rotated into the first-team protection for just a few red-zone snaps. Woodson, 24, is likely one of the most skilled and mature defensive backs the Patriots have drafted in years.