Jalen Hurts is a big fan of the Patriots defense, and more notes from Day 14 of training camp

The New England Patriots held their final open practice of this year’s training camp on Tuesday, welcoming the Philadelphia Eagles for a joint session. The two-and-a-half-hour practice was one of the most competitive and physically challenging of the summer, and another big step in the Patriots’ preparation for the 2024 season.

To recap the action, please take a look at Brian Hines’ practice notebook. For everything else, let’s clean out the notebook.

Patriots Training Camp Notebook: Day 14

Practice recap | Performances of note | Drake Maye presser | John Morgan III to IR | Pats Pulpit Training Camp Guide

Jalen Hurts is a big fan of the Patriots defense: For the Patriots, it will all come down to defense in 2024. Given the work-in-progress state of their offense, the team will rely heavily on coordinator DeMarcus Covington’s unit to put it in competitive positions in Year 1 of its rebuild.

Luckily for New England, that defense projects as one of the better units in the NFL. Just ask Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who saw the unit first-hand on Tuesday.

“I don’t know what the expectations are, but I think they are a really good football team,” he said about the Patriots as a whole before diving deeper into their defense in particular.

“There was a little motivation there, naturally, just from playing them last year and how we felt like we played there. But I think they’re a great football team. I love [Ja’Whaun Bentley] in the middle leading the way, and Jabrill [Peppers] at safety — I think he’s a great player. And they have a great corner [in Christian Gonzalez]. They got great things ahead of them, they just need to take it one day at a time. But I really love their defense.”

Hurts is no stranger to going up against New England’s defense. He already faced the unit during last year’s regular season opener, completing 22 of 33 passes for 170 yards with one touchdown and a lost fumble.

The Eagles came away with a 25-20 victory, but their offense was mostly held in check by the Patriots defense. While the unit did undergo some personnel turnover this offseason, especially on the sidelines, Hurts still thinks the unit looks familiar.

“I think they are a multiple defense that does a lot. They’ve always done it; they have a history of doing that,” he said. “So, it just gives us a good opportunity to test everything that they’ve shown to us.”

Joint practice brings the crowds: The Patriots’ final practice of training camp saw an increase in interest. As announced by the club, 11,476 people attended the session — the highest such number this summer, and particularly impressive given that practice was held at 10:30 a.m. on a Tuesday.

Jerod Mayo explains the value of 1-on-1s: The Patriots like to run their fair share of 1-on-1 drills in practice, both between wide receivers and cornerbacks, and linemen on both sides of the ball. For head coach Jerod Mayo, there is value in those drills even though not every O-lineman responds similarly to them.

“They’re very important. But in saying that, we’ve all seen offensive linemen who during 1-on-1s stink, but once you put them in the group, they’re a vital piece of the puzzle,” he explained.

“It’s been that way for a long time, around here at least. As a unit, you always want to evaluate those guys. I would say if you had to weight it, it’s more weighted toward the group than it is the individual performance. I’m not saying that 1-on-1s aren’t important, but those guys have to work hand-in-hand.”

Christian Barmore a welcome visitor at Patriots-Eagles joint practice: Christian Barmore remains sidelined following his blood clots diagnosis earlier this summer. However, the veteran defensive tackle made a visit to the Gillette Stadium practice fields for Tuesday’s joint practice — his first since he was still an active participant in practice.

“It’s good to see him in good spirits,” said safety Jabrill Peppers. “We’re praying for a healthy recovery. It’s always health before anything else. I’m happy they caught it when they did, and hopefully when he gets cured we get him back out here as soon as possible.”

One of the better defensive tackles in the NFL, Barmore was expected to play a three-down role for the Patriots this season. However, his injury changed his outlook and it is unclear whether he will be back on the field at one point this season.

Naturally, his teammates were quite happy to at least see him as a spectator.

“Seeing my teammate, my brother — great seeing him out there,” said fellow defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. “The most important thing is he’s in great spirits. I know it’s tough for me: I tore my ACL as a senior in high school, I was out for the rest of the season. I’m not saying he’s out for the rest of the season, but I know the feeling of being out. So, I know it can be dark days. Just seeing him smile, I told him, ‘Come around more. We miss you.’ Just great seeing him at practice, though.”

Center David Andrews, who himself had to miss the entire 2019 season due to blood clots, shared a similar sentiment.

“It’s good to see him,” the team captain said. “I remember going through all that stuff, so I think it’s good for him to be around the guys. He’s probably missed it.”

Patriots’ backup defensive linemen tested versus Eagles’ O-line: With Barmore sidelined, the depth along New England’s defensive line had to step up versus a talented Philadelphia offensive line. The group did a decent job, said Jabrill Peppers.

“Losing Barmore definitely hurts. Those guys know they’ve got to step it up,” the safety said. “But I definitely think they did a great job today.”

With more being asked of the depth options, entrenched starters such as Davon Godchaux are under increased pressure as well.

“We have a lot of young guys — Jeremiah Pharms [Jr.], Trysten Hill. A lot of young guys in there,” the 29-year-old said. “Just taking that leadership role, letting guys be aware of certain formations; ‘Look, this is the play they want to run.’ Just holding them to the standard of New England Patriots defense. Obviously, we’re missing one of our key pieces, Christian Barmore, along the D-line. So, we kind of need everybody to do their part and to do more. Even me, we need to do more.”

Jabrill Peppers sees room for improvement on defense: The Patriots defense mostly held up its end of the bargain versus the Eagles on Tuesday, but Jabrill Peppers still thinks the unit has room for growth. According to him, it always has, all across the board.

“I think it could be better from top to bottom, every position,” he said. “It was a different atmosphere here today, but the communication, the execution, and the technique can be better, always.”

For Peppers, there are three particular areas the unit has to focus on.

“We have to correct the tape, get better with our eye discipline, get better with our fundamentals, and technique,” he explained. “Just put it all together.”

Austin Hooper makes most of increased opportunities: Hunter Henry was a non-participant on Tuesday, even though Jerod Mayo said that he would not expect the starting tight end to be out for long. Nevertheless, his absence opened the door for other players to see more opportunity — and Austin Hooper made the most out of them.

While there were some ups and downs, the offseason signing was one of the better players on the offensive side of the ball against Philadelphia.

“Hunter’s out, everybody else, like, ‘Let’s go.’ You’re down a guy, so everybody else gets more opportunities, more reps,” said Hooper following practice. “It’s a great opportunity for those guys, including myself, to get more of these reps. They’re so valuable, grateful for every one of them.”

The nominal TE2 behind Henry, Hooper led the Patriots with a team-high 13 targets in team drills on Tuesday. At this point in time, he clearly is ahead of every other tight end on the roster; Mitchell Wilcox, La’Michael Pettway, Jaheim Bell and Jacob Warren — in that order — are the next men down the depth chart. Unlike Hooper, though, none of them are locks to make the team at this point in time.

What’s next: The Patriots are holding their traditional pre-game walkthrough on Wednesday that is closed to fans and media alike. They will then host the Eagles in both teams’ second preseason game on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.