Patriots Training Camp Notebook: Solid First Day Back, Drake Maye Leads

FOXBORO --- The New England Patriots took to the practice fields for the first time this summer in front of packed stands. The opening training camp practice, while relatively slow, still gave fans plenty to cheer about on a hot Saturday morning.

"The support has been fantastic. And I’ve said this when we all got here, is that we want to, we have a very knowledgeable fan base," head coach Mike Vrabel said before practice. "They know what good football looks like. They know what bad football looks like. And when we play good football, they support that. They enjoy that. They embrace that."

There weren't pads on, so the hitting didn't draw people to their feet, but there was enough highlights to make the morning a worthwhile day. Here's what stood out during the nearly two-hour practice in front of the New England faithful.

Attendance

It was a very well-attended day. The players that weren't present were edge rusher Gabe Jacas (who reportedly signed his rookie contract during the practice), running back Terrell Jennings and safety Brenden Schooler (non-football injury list), and tight end C.J. Dippre and edge rusher Harold Landry (physically unable to perform list).

Dippre was present with a brace on his left wrist, but didn't suit up.

Newly-signed tight end Jeremiah Franklin was a late arrival, missing the initial warmups before joining his position group for individual drills.

Passing Stats

The practice wasn't a full-on air raid. Most of the day was working on outside zone runs, with TreVeyon Henderson (seven carries) and Rhamondre Stevenson (three carries) doing most of the heavy lifting. The quarterbacks did each get several reps under center. Drake Maye was the clear winner of the group.

Maye went 6-for-9 during competitive 11-on-11 drills, while Tommy DeVito went 3-for-6 and rookie Behren Morton went 3-for-4. One of Maye's incompletions was a drop from A.J. Brown on the first pass of the summer, and another was a swatted pass by Dre'Mont Jones at the line.

Both Maye and Morton looked good maneuvering in the pocket out of pressure. There was one hiccup from Maye, as he dropped a snap, but was able to get the ball off cleanly.

New England Patriots quarterback Tommy DeVito takes a snap during warmups. | Ethan Hurwitz / Patriots On SI

Slot Receivers Stand Out

It feels like I'm washing, rinsing, and reusing here, but the Patriots' slot receiver duo of DeMario Douglas and Efton Chism III popped once again. Following up their strong springs, both young players had solid catches across the middle of the field.

Douglas, who's entering a contract season, replicated a long touchdown he scored during OTAs today. Streaking across the field, the 25-year-old beat safety Mike Brown for the catch. He also had a nice grab down the sideline, toe-tapping his way to stay in bounds.

For Chism, he had a busy day working with the backup offense as well as returning punts. He had a strong grab across the middle and broke through a pair of defenders (that would have tackled him had there been full pads on).

Offensive Line Remains The Same

New England Patriots offensive tackle Caleb Lomu lining up in his first training camp practice. | Ethan Hurwitz / Patriots On SI

In the spring, the Patriots' starting five up front was -- reading left to right -- Will Campbell, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Mike Onwenu, and Morgan Moses. Caleb Lomu, who practiced at both left and right tackle in OTAs, was used as a sixth offensive lineman during the first-team reps. As a backup, he was working on the right side.

Vera-Tucker, who was limited in spurts during mandatory minicamp, appeared to be a full participant.

James Hudson also got reps with the starting unit at right tackle, while Andrew Rupcich (left guard) and Ben Brown (center) remained solid with the second-string guys.

Play Of The Day: Boutte's Long Grab

It didn't take long for the Patriots fans to get loud. On what was just the third throw of the day for Maye under center, he connected with Kayshon Boutte down the left sideline on a sprawling grab. It was an easy win for Boutte over free agent signing Kindle Vildor and was good for a roughly 40-yard gain.

First big play of the year: Drake Maye connects with Kayshon Boutte on a sprawling catch. Loud cheers from the fans.
— Ethan Hurwitz (@HurwitzSports) July 25, 2026

Christian Gonzalez A Full Participant

Despite being in ongoing contract discussions, the superstar cornerback was still out on the field practicing. While he didn't take part in any competitive drills during the spring, he was part of the starting defense during 11s.

Gonzalez didn't seem like he was hampered by anything caused by an atypical spring schedule, and his presence on the field was a welcome sight. Both Maye and cornerback Carlton Davis spoke highly about Gonzalez being out there with the starters.

"He's definitely one of the best corners in the league, and definitely deserves to be paid as such," Davis said, also mentioning how Gonzalez is a team player. "He definitely's deserving of all of it."

"They Said It"

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft speaks to the media during the team's "Pawtriots" dop adoption event prior to practice. | Ethan Hurwitz / Patriots On SI

"We love Christian Gonzalez. We love him as a player, as a person. That’s why we’ve made an offer to him that makes him the highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL, and coincidentally, it’s the highest contract in the Patriots franchise history. So we’re glad we drafted him and we developed here, and we hope he’ll be with us for a long time." - Robert Kraft on Gonzalez's contract negotiations.

What's Next?

The Patriots will be back on the field tomorrow morning for their second practice of the summer. The session will begin at 10:15 a.m. with gates opening to the public one hour prior. It will the second of four-straight practices to open up training camp.

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