Prior to the start of Wednesday's joint practice with Washington, Mike Vrabel talked about his desire for added competition. The ensuing two hours gave the coach exactly what he was looking for.

There was nothing perfect about the Patriots performance against the Commanders, but for the bulk of the action the teams traded periods of success and rode the emotions that come with an added level of intensity.

At times that led to short fuses as the teams tangled on a couple of occasions, Vrabel himself getting cut while trying to break up a skirmish. But for the majority of the morning the Patriots took a step forward on both sides of the ball.

"Competition is always good," tight end Hunter Henry said. "I thought the guys rallied and we did some good things, and we have some things to clean up. We're coming along and starting to come together as a unit. Offensive football comes down to the details and we need to continue to work."

The practice featured several periods of team work with the offense operating on the right field and the defense going against Washington's dynamic second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels on the left side. Things started a bit rocky for both units, but before long the results improved and by the end of the day there were likely things on both sides that the coaches felt encouraged about.

Specifically on offense, Drake Maye looked comfortable and found a rhythm with DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Henry and fellow tight end Austin Hooper. There were occasions when the pass protection was a bit spotty, but when the guys up front offered some time, the quarterback generally delivered. Douglas in particular shined, uncovering quickly on various crossers.

"I loved what we did today," Douglas said after practice. "We have plenty of stuff to still work on, but it shows our hard work off the field during the offseason is working."

The offensive line had some moving parts as Morgan Moses did not take part in the team periods. Trey Jacobs took his spot to start before Marcus Bryant replaced him. It's unclear if the plan was to split time between the two going in, but the rookie took more reps and finished the day. Also, Ben Brown replaced Garrett Bradbury at center roughly halfway through practice before Bradbury returned and finished the day. Again, it's unclear if that was part of the plan. Either way, the group competed at a much higher level than what we witnessed last summer against the Eagles.

The one negative was the final drive, a hurry-up situation where the offense took over at the Washington 25 with 45 seconds left. Maye opened with back-to-back 8-yard completions to Henry and Kayshon Boutte to set up first-and-goal at the 9. He looked toward Stefon Diggs on a fade but the wideout had trouble off the line and was tightly covered to bring up second down.

Maye appeared to have Douglas with a step on Washington's Mike Sainristil, but linebacker Bobby Wagner tipped the pass and Sainristil made a diving interception to end the drive.

"I wish we would have ended it better, tipped ball down there, but hey, that happens, that's football," Maye said. "It was a good play for Bobby. I think I could have looked him a different way and he barely got a hand out. I tried to throw it with some speed down there in the red zone to hopefully not have tipped balls, but a good play by him. Unfortunate, but I think it was a good play, I think, reading the eyes."

As is often the case with joint practices, tempers flared on a couple of occasions. Vrabel was actively involved in trying to maintain order and came away bloodied.

"We want to practice the same way we've practiced against our team and that's by playing physical and aggressive and not doing stuff that hurts the team and certainly don't expect any of that and if it does, we'll have to handle it accordingly," Vrabel said before practice. "You have to be able to play competitively and physically without letting your emotions get the best of you."

Despite the fisticuffs Maye loved what he saw from his coach.

"That's what we're trying to build," Maye said. "And it starts with the head coach. The intensity, bringing it every day, taking no crap when we're out there on the field. But also, there comes a time with our guys offensively, getting over there and getting into some tussles and having some penalties and extra after the whistle can get us in trouble. But for a mentality, I like it."

The defense had some trouble handling veteran tight end Zach Ertz, and Daniels' athleticism was apparent throughout. But the pass rush was impressive at times with Christian Barmore and Harold Landry applying consistent pressure. And the coverage improved steadily throughout, particularly Alex Austin. He closed the Commanders hurry-up drive with a pair of excellent plays against wideouts Chris Moore and Ja'Corey Brooks. He knocked away Daniels' fourth-down pass to give the defense the "win" on the final snap.

Here are some additional observations from Day 12 of training camp.

*The Patriots made some roster moves on Tuesday, signing running back JaMycal Hasty, defensive tackle Bryce Ganious and claimed cornerback Tre Avery off waivers from San Francisco. To make room for that trio, the team placed cornerback Marcellas Dial and defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy on injured reserve and released tight end Tyler Davis. Dial reportedly tore his ACL during Monday's practice while Roy also was carted off the field that day.

Hasty played in 15 games for the Patriots last season after appearing in two in 2023. Ganious, 21, participated in the Patriots rookie mini-camp this past spring. The 6-0, 300-pounder began his college career at Villanova before transferring to Wake Forest for his final two seasons. Avery, 28, was released by San Francisco on August 4 after spending parts of three seasons with the Titans, appearing in 38 games with five starts and has 54 total tackles, 11 passes defensed and 11 special teams tackles.

*Robert Kraft was joined by Jon Bon Jovi at practice. The legendary rocker and Pats fan was seen chatting with Maye toward the end of practice. Former Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola was seen on the field as well.

*Celtics all-star forward Jayson Tatum was a guest at practice, drawing a nice ovation from the large crowd as he walked onto the field.

*Shawn Hochuli's crew was on had to officiate the activities. There were a handful of flags seen flying but thankfully no lengthy explanations from the loquacious Hochuli.

*Joshua Dobbs may have turned in the best throw of the day when he dropped a perfect rainbow into Hollins' arms for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play of his final hurry-up drive. Dobbs threw the ball well, hitting Hooper and Antonio Gibson for touchdowns during an earlier period.

*Kickers Andy Borregales and Parker Romo got some field goal work, and the rookie went 4-for-4 while Romo missed his third attempt. The miss came from roughly 42 yards out and was the first for either kicker over the last several days.

*Christian Barmore, Antonio Gibson, Drake Maye, DeMario Douglas, Hunter Henry and Marcus Epps spoke with the media after practice. Former Patriots Deatrich Wise and Jonathan Jones also spoke with the media.

*The Patriots will conduct a walkthrough on Thursday that will be closed to the public and the media. The preseason opener against the Commanders will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Gillette Stadium. There will be a ceremony to unveil the Tom Brady statue in the plaza prior to kickoff at 6 p.m. The next scheduled training camp practice, and the last one open to the public, will take place on Sunday at 10:15 a.m. Gates will open at 9:15 a.m.

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