The New England Patriots took to the practice field for Day 8 of training camp on Thursday, and there wasn’t a drop-off in intensity from the previous day of work.
It was once again a padded practice that came with some mixing and matching of different personnel. You can’t call it a Patriots training camp without a few curveballs from coach Bill Belichick.
The team was missing six players on the field, including Michael Onwenu, Cole Strange, Cody Davis, Ty Montgomery, Calvin Anderson and Terez Hall, who was released by the team with an injury designation.
Here are 5 takeaways from the Patriots’ eighth day of training camp practice:
1
Kyle Dugger gets Mac Jones with a hat trick
Mac Jones opened up 11-on-11s with a 40-yard bomb to wide receiver Tre Nixon, which was easily his best throw so far in training camp. However, when he tried to go back to Nixon again later in practice, safety Kyle Dugger jumped the route and made a play on the ball.
It was his third interception against Jones in training camp.
Another Kyle Dugger interception. This time, Mac was looking right to a slot fade to Douglas but didn’t like it. Came back right to a Nixon dig, and Dugger beat Nixon to the spot for the pick. #Patriots
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 3, 2023
Dugger has been the Boogeyman lurking in the defensive backfield, ready to pounce every time Jones attempts to make a play. On one hand, it’s great to see Dugger continue to ascend to the elite level that he’s clearly capable of reaching, but there’s also the other part where Jones has to do a better job of taking care of the football.
Turnovers were one of the biggest issues for the Patriots last season. So it’s definitely something to keep an eye on moving forward.
2
Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe switch personnel
After a strong Day 7 of training camp for the offense, the coaching staff decided to make things more difficult on Mac Jones and company by switching the skilled personnel.
Jones faced the top defensive unit with backups, while JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne caught passes from Bailey Zappe in competitive drills. It’s a clear effort on coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien’s part to throw everything they can at Jones.
Patriots switching things up on the QBs with this 11-on-11 period. Bailey Zappe got time with starting receivers but backup O-line, with Mac Jones getting opposite.
Top plays so far are Jones to Tre Nixon for a long gain, and Zappe to JuJu Smith-Schuster for about 30 yards
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) August 3, 2023
Although not by the design, the difficulty was taken to an even higher level with Jones playing behind a makeshift offensive line. He was once again without the team’s top-three starters, Trent Brown, Michael Onwenu and Cole Strange on Thursday.
3
Jack Jones leaves the field to cool off
Trust is a word that should never be taken lightly on a Bill Belichick-coached football team.
It means everything.
So the way Jack Jones has been utilized in the opening part of training camp really shouldn’t come as a surprise. He hasn’t been receiving all of the top team reps, despite being one of the top players in the defensive backfield for New England.
Some have pondered if it’s because of the looming gun charges and the fact that he faces possible jail time. Or, maybe it’s just Belichick mixing and matching a bunch of different combinations for the sake of experimentation. That’s certainly a possibility as well.
On Thursday, Jones was seen exiting the field of play after defending wide receiver Kendrick Bourne on a highly-competitive rep. Safety Jabrill Peppers had his arm around Jones consoling him as he walked off. Jones did return to the sideline later and could be seen engaged in a long conversation with Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh.
CB Jack Jones, animated after a sideline pass breakup on a ball intended for Kendrick Bourne, left midway through.
Jabrill Peppers had his arm around Jones as he walked off.
Jones returned to sideline (not practice) 2 periods later. Long chat w/ Matt Groh.
Needed to cool off.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 3, 2023
Jones has the talent to be one of the best in the league at the cornerback position, but there have been some speedbumps along the way, including a suspension in the 2022 season.
One thing is certain: the Patriots are a better football team with him on the field than off it. But that trust has to be there for it to work.
4
Demario Douglas looks like the real deal
Rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas is looking more like a sixth-round diamond these days, and it continued in one-on-ones at Thursday’s practice.
The former Liberty receiver had cornerback Marcus Jones shaking like a victim of a Jayson Tatum crossover on one particular play. That makes him 3-0 in competitive drills against the second-year defensive back.
Patriots rookie WR Demario Douglas got a ridiculous amount of separation against CB Marcus Jones in 1-on-1s.
Douglas has another level of quickness/speed compared to the team's other receivers.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) August 3, 2023
Douglas’ quickness at getting in and out of his routes is unreal. Not only has he been tough to defend, but he’s also hard to tackle. The Patriots went into the 2023 NFL draft in need of a true separator. They might have found it in Douglas, who has consistently made plays throughout training camp.
We’ll see if it translates under the bright lights in actual games.
5
Rhamondre Stevenson gets back to work
The Patriots have entered training camp with the strategy of managing starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson’s work load. There’s seemingly an effort being made by the coaching staff to save arguably their best offensive player from the wear and tear before the season.
But it was back to work at Thursday’s practice for the third-year running back. Granted, he wasn’t taking all of the big hits on the field, but he was getting hand-offs and showing off his pass-catching abilities.
He was 5-for-6 when targeted during team drills, which tied Kendrick Bourne and JuJu Smith-Schuster for the most receptions.
#Patriots top targets in team drills:
– Kendrick Bourne 5/7
– Rhamondre Stevenson 5/6
– JuJu Smith-Schuster 5/5
– DeVante Parker 3/5
– Demario Douglas 3/5— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) August 3, 2023
It’s a reminder that Stevenson is valuable for the Patriots in more than just the run game.
