With the Patriots taking their first day off of training camp on Wednesday before padded practices begin on Thursday, we'll take the opportunity to discuss some developing thoughts on the roster.

The way we'd describe the start of camp for New England is boring (complimentary), which is the type of Champagne problem you have when you're a team coming off a trip to the Super Bowl. Some of that is by design due to the NFL's ramp-up period protocols, which requires teams to have a five-day build-up to fully padded practices. We've also grown accustomed to camps where things are more in flux in New England.

Now, the Patriots quarterback (Drake Maye) and head coach (Mike Vrabel) are made men, with Vrabel's entire staff returning to build on the foundation from 2025. Contract negotiations with second-rounder Gabe Jacas (who is now signed and on the non-football injury list) and star CB Christian Gonzalez are exceptions if you're into that stuff. But, on the field, the main talking points are about building roster depth. We're on to talking about the third running back, tight end, and depth on defense at linebacker, corner, and safety. Not exactly breaking in a new coaching staff, open competitions all over the roster, or developing the No. 3 overall pick at quarterback, which this team was doing over the last two summers.

Eventually, the Patriots will put pads on and host joint practices with other teams (Colts and Eagles), where they'll go best-on-best to gauge where they're at against opponents with playoff aspirations. Still, even then, we might not get answers to the lingering questions around the Patriots hopes of getting back and winning the Super Bowl: will they have enough pass rush? Will their young offensive linemen improve? Will Maye's playoff performance more closely mirror his terrific 2025 regular season? We aren't answering those questions in late July, making it a ho-hum camp for the defending AFC Champions.

That said, one on-field battle that has been exciting is Maye and his receivers going toe-to-toe with the Pats secondary. The MVP runner-up's group has had its hands full with Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, Marcus Jones, Kevin Byard III, and Craig Woodson. With the defense typically ahead of the offense early in camp, the Pats DBs flashed their potential in a Sunday practice where they got their hands on four of Maye's 12 attempts, including a Woodson interception on a high throw that deflected off star receiver A.J. Brown.

Some will read that as a negative that it's been a slower start to camp for Maye and the passing offense. Eventually, you'd like to see Maye become more in sync with Brown and Romeo Doubs as he breaks in a new wide receiver tandem. But the flip side of that is New England could have one of the best secondaries in the league. As the cliché goes, iron sharpens iron when offense and defense have a good back-and-forth in camp, with the offense finishing strong in Tuesday's practice with multiple downfield completions.

Here are 18 way-too-early thoughts on the Patriots roster after the first four training camp practices.

Offense

- Patriots QB Drake Maye has had some spray misses to start camp, especially early in practice and when targeting his new receivers. That said, Maye heated up with more extended reps in Tuesday's practice, where he completed three downfield dimes to Kayshon Boutte (go ball), Hunter Henry (high corner route), and Boutte again (coverage bust). Once he found a rhythm on Tuesday, Maye was ripping downfield throws.

- In the spring, veteran backup Tommy DeVito took the majority of the reps behind Maye. However, rookie Behren Morton has gotten more run in the early days of camp. DeVito had some inconsistent accuracy in the first three practices, so we'll see if he opens the door for Morton to start pushing for the backup role.

- WR Kayshon Boutte has made a highlight play-a-day to show his value as a big-play threat with pre-existing chemistry with Maye. Boutte has two long receptions on a diving catch in the first practice and then a terrific over-the-shoulder touchdown grab from roughly 40 yards out on Tuesday. The Patriots are exploring ways to play Boutte alongside Brown in two and three-receiver sets, including both Boutte and Brown running routes inside the formation.

- Newcomers A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs have had a slower start to camp. That isn't a major surprise, seeing that they're both adjusting to a new playbook and quarterback. Brown's three catches in team were all shorter targets on slants/under routes while Doubs flashed solid catch strength and sideline work in Saturday's session. From this perspective, the slower start for Brown on downfield targets is more about getting on the same page as Maye, with the two still figuring each other out in terms of route conversions and landmarks – that should improve in time.

- The Pats depth at receiver can be felt in these practices, with players who contributed last year repping with players further down the depth chart at times. WR DeMario Douglas has been featured as the Pats top slot receiver, offering more of a "speed" slot to their Brown-Doubs packages. We haven't seen as much of second-year wideout Kyle Williams yet, as he appears to be in a logjam at his position with Brown, Doubs, Boutte, and vet Mack Hollins. With seven receivers competing for five or six spots, Williams' lack of involvement has been a mild surprise early in the summer.

- Rookie TE Eli Raridon caught the eye on multiple occasions working in the passing game, with his speed to get behind second-level defenders and ability to catch the ball in traffic standing out. Raridon's playing faster than he did in the spring and is getting first dibs on reps with Hunter Henry in two tight end sets. On Tuesday, he found the soft spot in between the short zone-droppers on a crossing off play-action, showing good instincts to adjust his route. That's a positive sign from a young player early in camp.

- With injuries to Julian Hill (IR) and C.J. Dippre (PUP), undrafted rookie TE Tanner Arkin is getting opportunities. Arkin is best known for his blocking, which would fit in well with Henry and Raridon, as he can chip in as a run-game specialist and special teamer if he makes the roster as the third tight end.

- Second-year RB Lan Larison appears to be an early leader for the third running back role behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. However, rookies Jam Miller and Myles Montgomery have flashed explosiveness and lateral quickness. A push for one or both rookies could be coming, as the two have noticeable burst inside the outside zone schemes the Pats have been repping early in camp.

- Barring injury, it would be surprising if the Patriots O-Line to start the season wasn't LT Will Campbell, LG Alijah Vera-Tucker, C Jared Wilson, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Morgan Moses. First-rounder Caleb Lomu appears to be on the Nate Solder rookie plan, where he's the top swing tackle and eligible tackle in six OL packages.

- Campbell and Lomu both fared well in the first 1-on-1 period of camp in shells on Tuesday. Campbell won his reps against Dre'Mont Jones and Bradyn Swinson, with the latter coming on a quick set/two-hand punch that shut Swinson down quickly — it was good to see Campbell set aggressively rather than vertical setting. Lomu was 3-0-1 with two reps each at left and right tackle, with wins over Elijah Ponder and Jones. LG Alijah Vera-Tucker also looked outstanding in his two reps – advantage O-Line in round one of 1-on-1s.

- Second-year pro Marcus Bryant and sixth-year pro James Hudson are in an early camp battle to be the fourth OT, with rookie Dametrious Crownover still taking third-team reps. We've seen both Bryant and Hudson take some reps that allow Lomu to keep working as the jumbo tight end or get his full string of reps with the second unit. On the interior, the Pats are cross-training G/Cs Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich, with Rupcich as a dark-horse roster candidate.

Defense/Special Teams

- CB Christian Gonzalez has discussed wanting a new contract and so has Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, who said on the first day of camp that the team has made a substantial offer to Gonzalez that would make him the highest-paid corner in the NFL and the highest-paid player in team history. With those negotiations happening in the background, Gonzalez has been a full participant in practice and looks terrific, like he's in mid-season form. You wouldn't know from his participation, performance, or demeanor that extension talks are ongoing – he's not holding out or even holding in.

- As expected, DT Cory Durden has mostly been between Christian Barmore and Milton Williams in New England's five-man base fronts. DTs Eric Gregory and Joshua Farmer have also flashed against the run. Gregory has slipped a few outside zone blocks on the interior to make plays in the backfield. Last season, the Pats kept five defensive tackles on their initial roster, with Leonard Taylor III being a possibility as well.

- Second-year pro Elijah Ponder is continuing to work opposite Dre'Mont Jones on the edge. Obviously, that's coming with Harold Landry III (PUP) and rookie Gabe Jacas (NFI) unavailable. Still, there's tons of hype around a year-two leap for Ponder from his teammates and coaches going around. Edge rushers Jesse Luketa and Xavier Holmes are two under-the-radar EDGEs who have been active. Luketa has decent speed and bend to corner the edge while also showing some quickness to win over the guards.

- At linebacker, Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss have been mainstays while K.J. Britt works as a top backup (and core special-teamer). Although he hasn't flashed quite yet, undrafted rookie Khalil Jacobs is another potential darkhorse who could earn a roster spot this summer. Linebacker depth, which is still uncertain, is something we'll need to evaluate in full-contact practices and preseason games.

- The Pats might incorporate more three-safety packages to match bigger offensive groupings. However, they'll need a third safety to emerge for that package to be effective. S Mike Brown has been making a roster push since the spring but his ability to cover the slot was put to the test when Douglas ran away from him on a crosser. John Saunders Jr. has been an early standout. Saunders had a pass breakup on a Morton deep ball, and at 6-2, 211 pounds, he has the size to play near the line of scrimmage. Teams that feature three-safety groupings usually have a Kyle Hamilton or Nick Emmanwori who is great in that nickel-safety role. Do the Patriots have that guy?

- On Tuesday, CBs Carlton Davis III and Charles Woods both left practice early, with their attendance top of mind when the Patriots return from the off day on Thursday. That said, it does feel like a clear hierarchy is forming at corner—tier one (starters): Gonzalez, Davis, Jones; tier two (top backup): Woods; tier three (competing for roster spots): Vildor, Minor, and Prunty. Woods, who has repped both outside and in the slot, appears to be the clear-cut fourth corner early in camp.

- Kickoff returners: Douglas, Doubs, Chism, Williams, Henderson, Larison, Miller, Montgomery, Dorner, DeGenarro, Canada, and Prentice. Punt returners: Marcus Jones, Douglas, Chism, and Doubs

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer