Patriots Training Camp Notebook: High-Intensity Indoor Practice, Young RB Returns

FOXBORO --- To begin the day, the New England Patriots were scheduled to practice in front of fans outdoors.

That never happened, as buckets of rain caused the team to move its eighth training camp practice indoors. It gave reporters an up-close look at some red zone work, as well as plenty of back-and-forth jawing from both sides.

Here's what stood out from inside the WIN Innovations Field House next to Gillette Stadium:

Attendance

New England Patriots running back Terrell Jennings practicing for the first time this summer. | Ethan Hurwitz / Patriots On SI

The Patriots got some veterans back from a scheduled rest day on Saturday, seeing the return of Reggie Gilliam, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Morgan Moses to the field. They also got running back Terrell Jennings -- who was on the non-football injury list -- back for his first practice of the summer.

The players that had been missing in previous practices, including Carlton Davis, CJ Dippre (PUP), Harold Landry (PUP) and Brenden Schooler (NFI), were also absent, as was offensive guard Caedan Wallace (who got banged up on Saturday) and defensive tackle David Blay Jr.

It's likely that a roster move is coming on Blay, as newly-signed defensive tackle Casey Rogers was present and wearing Blay's No. 96 jersey.

Passing Stats

It was a heavy dose of red zone plays out of the offense. The quarterbacks didn't air the ball out as much as they did last week outside, but did sling it outside the numbers quite a bit. They also went through an interesting drill where they simulated re-routing a receiver in the end zone by signaling them to move in a different direction.

Here's how the numbers turned out for the three signal callers.

In 7s: Drake Maye went 4-for-8 and Tommy DeVito went 5-for-6
In 11s: Maye went 7-for-13, DeVito went 11-for-16 and Behren Morton went 4-for-4

The receivers that popped during team drills included Mack Hollins (who led the team with five catches and three touchdowns), Efton Chism III (three catches) and undrafted Kyle Dixon (two catches).

A.J. Brown's Thumb

Jul 25, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown (1) delivers a puppy to its new family at training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During a rep against Christian Gonzalez, it looked like Brown grabbed at his left hand. Nothing was clear and the wide receiver stayed in to practice, not missing a snap.

After practice, he spoke to NFL Network about what happened.

"It was tough. I tried to get back into that flow state zone really quickly," Brown said. "Obviously you’re going through some quick pain. Obviously the game is what it is. You’re going to get bumps and bruises. You have to keep going. I know it’s just practice. I’m not coming out of practice. Thumb out of place? You keep going. You keep going."

Brown was, once again, a popular target for Maye. He caught four passes on five targets throughout the day.

Will Campbell Has Strong Day, Jacas Gets Involved

The Patriots might not have gotten the best returns from Caleb Lomu in 1-on-1 reps this summer, but they got some great reps out of their first rounder from a year prior. Campbell shined against the defensive line today, going 2-0 with wins against Dre'Mont Jones and Jesse Luketa, showcasing solid feet in both tries.

Another player in the trenches -- second round rookie Jacas -- got some more run with the starting defense as well. In just his second practice since coming off the NFI list, Jacas had a handful of snaps in team drills. In 1-on-1s, he beat backup tackle Lorenz Metz for his lone attempt.

Ramped-Up Physicality

There wasn't real tackling, but players started going down to the ground a lot more today. Romeo Doubs had a play where he was brought down after getting hit in the legs (inadvertently), while Dixon also saw some physical contact come his way after the catch.

Maybe it was because reporters were closer to the action than in practices past, but there was a lot of competitive drills during there day. Some players (Gonzalez and Brown were common faces to see) got in some friendly chirping to the other side of the ball.

Siren Song

In years past, the Patriots have played loud music to try and give their offense some distractions at the line of scrimmage. Today? It was something completely different.

The team began to blare siren noises during "third-and-short" plays, and it echoed enough indoors to sound like a real firetruck had driven onto the practice field. It was a mixed bag of results, with two Rhamondre Stevenson runs getting swallowed up, but a Lan Larison run moving the chains and a DeVito-to-Chism rollout also picking up some yards.

"They Said It"

New England Patriots running back Lan Larison — May 9, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots running back Lans Larison (34) breaks a tackle during rookie camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I feel like I'm doing all right, staying on track. It's been a minute, so I'm just trying to get back in the swing of things and stay focused and do my job." - running back/kick returner Lan Larison on how he feels this summer after missing his entire rookie season due to injury.

What's Next?

If the weather clears up, the Patriots will be back on their outdoor practice fields for another training camp practice with fans in attendance. Regardless of location, Mike Vrabel will speak to reporters at 9:30 a.m. before a select group of players speak after practice around 12:15 p.m.

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