With the Washington Commanders set to invade Foxborough for a joint practice on Wednesday, Mike Vrabel conducted a walkthrough on Tuesday as the Patriots made some final preparations. The 90-minute session was light in intensity, but the players were able to get in some valuable reps as they welcome their first opponent of the 2025 season.
Drake Maye repped with a similar offensive line to the one seen over the past several days, which is perhaps an indication that Vrabel and his staff have settled on the five they prefer. Will Campbell, Jared Wilson, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses continue to open most of the team periods. During Tuesday's walkthrough, Moses was in attendance, but Trey Jacobs and Marcus Bryant split the reps at right tackle.
The receivers also remain in similar groupings with Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas leading things off with tight end Hunter Henry, and Rhamondre Stevenson in the backfield. One recent change has been the inclusion of tight end Jack Westover as a fullback. Westover took reps out of the backfield on Monday and was seen there again on select snaps. Rookie fullback Brock Lampe was placed on injured reserve last week, perhaps leaving an opening for an extra tight end to slide into the role.
On defense, corners Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis remain out and Vrabel said they won't take part in the work against Washington. That leaves Alex Austin, who has enjoyed a strong camp, on one side and a variety of options including D.J. James, Miles Battle, Isaiah Bolden and Brandon Crosley as options on the other. Marcellas Dial went down with an apparent left leg injury on Monday and was not on the field for the walkthrough. Marcus Jones continues to work in the slot.
Up front, Christian Barmore, Milton Williams and Keion White have been mainstays during most practices while Harold Landry and K'Lavon Chaisson have received most of the reps off the edge. Chaisson missed Monday's practice, however, so his status for the remainder of the week is uncertain. Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss have gotten most of the work at linebacker.
"I'm always looking forward to hitting somebody else," Peppers said of the Commanders visit. "I'm also looking forward to seeing a different scheme."
The latter should entail some running from dynamic second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels. Those specific plays will give the defense some opportunities to prepare for the regular season. Third-string quarterback Ben Wooldridge ran some zone reads as part of the scout team on Tuesday.
"It will be good to see how many times [Daniels] is able to break containment," Peppers said. "We will have to track him with our eyes because we will be seeing some mobile quarterbacks during the season so that should be fun."
In terms of playing time for the preseason opener, Vrabel said he was more concerned with getting the work done on the practice field, which on Monday featured lots of red zone reps.
"[The details in the red zone] is where my focus, is getting back to fundamentals, and then when Friday comes around, I'll try to do my best to let everybody know," Vrabel said on Monday.
Beyond the Washington prep work, here are some observations from Day 11 of training camp.
*Gonzalez, Dial, Chaisson, Tyler Davis, Caedan Wallace, Jahlani Tavai, Sidy Sow, Kendrick Bourne and Jaquelin Roy were not spotted at practice. Carlton Davis was in uniform, as he has been for every walkthrough, and took some reps at his cornerback spot. Tavai was also seen in uniform but did not take part in any reps.
*Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was on the field for practice after leaving Monday's practice due to dehydration.
*The addition of Diggs to the lineup has given the offense a potential top option in the passing game. But as talented and productive as the wideout has been, his days of being an elite gamebreaker are dwindling. After averaging 13.2 yards per catch in Buffalo in 2022, that number has dropped the last two seasons – 11.1 in 2023 and 10.6 in an injury-shortened campaign in Houston last year.
That doesn't mean the offense won't have a playmaker to lean on, however. Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson has electric speed and shown the hands to be a valuable threat in the passing game. Josh McDaniels likes to use his backs as weapons in the passing game, and Henderson has a great reputation as a pass protector as well.
On Monday, he caught all four of his targets in team periods including a 25-yard touchdown from Maye on a wheel route. He's actually been open downfield frequently, giving Spillane and Elliss trouble in coverage, but the quarterbacks haven't been able to consistently make the connections. He also has been effective on toss sweeps near the goal line, using his speed to outrace defenders to the pylon.
Henderson looks like he will be a big part of the offense under McDaniels' tutelage.
*Kyle Dugger, Truman Jones, Elliss, Peppers, Boutte and Onwenu were among those who spoke with the media after practice.
*The Patriots will welcome the Washington Commanders to town for a joint practice on Wednesday ahead of the teams' preseason opener Friday night. The practice is open to the public and set to begin at 10:15 a.m. with gates opening at 9:15 a.m.
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
