Did Patriots Learn Anything New From First Joint Practice? Ultimately, Not Really

FOXBORO --- The New England Patriots didn't emerge a true winner from their joint practice last week with the Indianapolis Colts. Maybe you could have given the edge to the visiting Colts, who won both of their starting unit reps to close practice.

But at the end of the day, it was a day of great work for the Patriots, who would go on to play their way to a 13-13 tie a few days later.

A lot of good came from the practice, where the starters got most of the run. Drake Maye looked solid for spurts, Romeo Doubs continued his summer climb and rookie tight end Eli Raridon kept getting better.

But there's always something to learn from a joint practice, at least from the mindset of this humble reporter. For head coach Mike Vrabel, a lot of what he took away from the session was just trying to get better against a new team.

"We have to just continue to be more consistent, we have to continue to understand the opponent changes, that what we see in the beginning of practice is usually going to be some of the same things that we see in the end," Vrabel said this week.

Aug 11, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen (left) speaks to New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel (right) during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"If you don't fix problems or get things addressed or recognize new plays, that's going to be what it's like in the game. So, I don't know if I learned anything other than we have to continue to keep improving, and that's the goal."

Did Patriots Learn Things From Last Week's Practice?

So this week, ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles arriving to town for two days of joint practices, I asked several Patriots if there was anything they learned about themselves against Indianapolis.

The verdict?

Similar to Vrabel's sentiment, not a whole lot.

"I don't think there's anything new I learned," tight end Hunter Henry said. "It's just coming together as a cohesive group. Obviously, offense cheering on defense, defense kind of cheering on offense, special teams cheering, coming together as a full unit."

"I think just getting reps against different guys," offensive tackle Will Campbell said. "They have a very experienced front, a bunch of guys that have played a lot of football. So, you know, getting out there, seeing a different defense from ours, playing against different guys and what we've been going to is always nice to get out there and compete. It was super fun going against other people."

For the offensive guys, they didn't take away anything totally new. For second-year safety Craig Woodson, he was able to learn about what this team's defense can look like on film.

Aug 11, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (29) breaks up a pass to New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins (13) during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"That was good work. It's good competing with somebody else other than your own team," Woodson said, saying that he took a lot from where this team is at. "Just see a couple things on how people move and stuff like that, and how you can play it."

What To Expect This Week From Philly:

The Eagles joint practice will certainly be more of a measuring stick than the Colts one, and for good reason. The headline of A.J. Brown facing off against his former team leads the charge, while two of the most recent conference champions are bound for a jammed-packed practice.

Players and coaches might not learn a whole lot of new information based on what comes out of these two days, but it will test New England's strength.

"You get a lot of intensity, but you see a lot of different looks, and teams are running a lot more stuff than they would run in the preseason in the game and putting it on film, if that's what you mean," Vrabel said. "Stuff that we saw from Indianapolis in practice, we didn't see from them in the game. We saw basically one or two blitzes and a lot of other base defenses."

So expect to see a lot of Maye and Brown, and Milton Williams and Robert Spillane this week. You may not see them in the preseason game, but you'll learn a whole lot about how this team stacks up against one of the NFL's premier teams this week.

Even if the Patriots don't learn anything they haven't already known.

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