The New England Patriots’ sixth training camp practice is in the books, and the session was the third that saw the team wear full pads — despite temperatures climbing into the high 80s. The session itself was once again dominated by the defense, in parts because of offensive miscues and a general sloppiness. Along the way, we also got to witness some standout performances for better or for worse.
Let’s take a look at today’s winners or losers.
Winner: CB Jonathan Jones
After playing a rotational role for most of the season, Jonathan Jones came up big for the Patriots down the stretch last year. He certainly took this momentum into training camp as he has been the second best cornerback behind Stephon Gilmore — something that was never more evident than today: Jones won all three of his 1-on-1s (two via pass breakup) and also broke up a pair of Tom Brady passes during team work. The slot is in safe hands.
Loser: WR N’Keal Harry
Speaking of hands, N’Keal Harry’s were all over the place today. While he did make two of the session’s best catches during 11-on-11s, the rookie also dropped four total passes. Three of the errors came during the team portions of today’s practice (one after he had beaten Gilmore, a rare feat for any player this summer), with the fourth happening during timing work with Brady. Furthermore, Harry drew the coaches’ ire at one point for lining up incorrectly; he also had a near-drop during a receivers-only drill. Not his best day.
Loser: WR Braxton Berrios
Braxton Berrios keeps getting plenty of opportunities but he is showing little actual progress, if any at all. Today was especially bad for the second-year wide receiver, who struggled to get open during 1-on-1s — all three passes thrown his way fell incomplete — and also got inconsistent separation during team drills. On top of it all, Berrios he also had a drop that almost resulted in an interception. It was a day to forget, and one from which the 23-year-old needs to rebound quickly.
Winner: OC David Andrews
Four days after returning to practice, David Andrews essentially became a full participant again: he saw his first action in competitive 11-on-11s today. New England’s starting center handled the increased workload well and appears to be over whatever forced him to miss the first two days of camp. With left tackle Isaiah Wynn still limited, having Andrews available is certainly good news for the offensive line’s chemistry.
Winner: CB Joejuan Williams
New England’s second-round investment had a quiet start into his first training camp, but today he produced his best performance to date. Williams recorded a pair of pass breakups and showed some visible improvements. One example of that came late in the session, when he went up against Phillip Dorsett. On Friday, the wide receiver was still able to beat the rookie for a 40-yard touchdown. Today, the defender covered him tightly before breaking up a deep pass attempt. Coaches look for players to learn from their mistakes and Williams appears to be doing just that.
Loser: TE Lance Kendricks
While Matt LaCosse and Benjamin Watson currently sit atop Patriots’ new-look tight end depth chart, the positions behind them — and thus the spot Watson will vacate during his four-game suspension — remain wide open. Leaving today’s practice because of what appeared to be an injury, therefore, does not help Lance Kendricks’ case. The free agency signing needs to return to the field quickly to not fall even further behind his competition.
Winner: WR Jakobi Meyers
Just like he did during the first week of camp, Jakobi Meyers continues to impress. The undrafted rookie receiver had a very good day today: he had one of the best catches of the session when he made a leaping grab over cornerback Keion Crossen on a throw from Jarrett Stidham, and spent more time in Brady’s ‘circle of trust’ — an honor that could be an indication for how the quarterback and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels view the rookie.
Winner: CB D’Angelo Ross
During Monday’s in-stadium practice — it was more of a walkthrough, to be fair — D’Angelo Ross briefly lined up with the starters in the secondary. This development was a noteworthy one, and apparently a sign of things to come: today, Ross again saw action with the ones and he also broke up two passes during 1-on-1 drills. While he still has to be seen as a player on the outside looking in due to the Patriots’ absurd cornerback depth, Ross is making sure not to go down without a fight.
Loser: OT Dan Skipper
Dan Skipper is similar to Braxton Berrios, at least when it comes to practice performance. With Isaiah Wynn’s reps still getting managed, the depth offensive tackle continues to see considerable practice time with the starting offensive line. However, he again failed to stand out in any meaningful way and was particularly inconsistent during 1-on-1 blocking drills: Skipper was manhandled by Shilique Calhoun and also had a tough time against Ufomba Kamalu. It seems increasingly likely that he is not the swing tackle New England is looking for.