FOXBOROUGH – Just two days after defeating the Washington Commanders in the first preseason game of 2025, the Patriots were back on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Sunday, wearing shoulder pads and focusing on the red zone.

"We know how critical [the red zone] is," said head coach Mike Vrabel before the session. "We didn't get a stop defensively in the red zone [against Washington]. We did a nice job offensively in the red zone, but defensively it wasn't very good. So, again, we like coming off these days off in the red zone. Shorter space for the players, but it's still a critical area where you need precision and speed, it's just not maybe long speed."

After Vrabel's pre-practice prodding, the defense largely carried the day's competitive periods, but the offense almost ended it with a decisive final touchdown. Stefon Diggs couldn't haul in Drake Maye's pass in the end zone as time expired and the defense closed the session with a stop.

K'Lavon Chiasson, absent since last Friday's in-stadium practice, was a returnee and made his presence felt, resuming his strong summer where he left off last week.

The Pats will be back on the practice fields Monday (closed to the public, open to media) before heading to Minnesota for a pair of joint practices with the Vikings.

Bradbury Returns to Minnesota for Joint Practices

Garrett Bradbury is heading back to familiar ground this week as the Patriots travel to Minnesota. After six seasons in purple, the veteran center is looking forward to reconnecting with old friends but knows the real focus is competition.

"This business is about relationships," Bradbury said. "Being there for six years, whether it's guys in the equipment room, weight room, operations, or most importantly, the locker room. I've got a lot of friends there. It'll be good to see them, but at the same time, compete and just get that much closer to Week 1."

Bradbury admitted he knew this trip was coming since early in the spring. "Crazy, crazy," he said. "When I first signed here, found out that we're gonna be going back there for joint practice. So it'll be great to see all the former guys."

The matchup will also provide a unique challenge: Brian Flores' aggressive, pressure-heavy defense. Bradbury knows what's coming and why it matters.

"It's unique because we're not going to see that every Sunday all year," he said. "There are wrinkles with this defense where you're like, 'All right, let's have an answer to this. Let's go back to our rules.' So it'll be a good test."

Fortunately, Bradbury believes the Patriots will be ready thanks to the familiarity between the coaching staffs. "I've seen some offenses come in there for joint practice with not a lot of game plan, and it's an absolute disaster," he said. "Coach McDaniels and Flores know each other very well, and so it'll be a good battle."

Javon Baker Embracing Special Teams Role

Second-year receiver Javon Baker is doing whatever it takes to carve out a role, and that includes special teams. Baker made two tackles in the kicking game during Friday night's preseason win over Washington, a performance that caught Mike Vrabel's attention.

"When you have players, especially receivers, that can create a role, that can help you, be big, physical, everything that we see out of Javon as a receiver. When they can embrace that as special teams players, that translates," Vrabel said after Friday's win. "Excited. Just happy for Javon being able to go out there and contribute."

Baker echoed that mindset after practice, "If they say go to special teams, go to kicker, whatever, I'm gonna do what they want me to do," he said.

He's also putting in extra work to master the offense. "My mindset going into camp was just honestly getting a good grasp on the offense," Baker said. "Every morning at eight o'clock, I meet with Coach Todd [Downing]. We go over where I'm gonna go and what plays we're gonna run. That's been huge for me."

Rookie Craig Woodson Learning on the Fly

It was a busy night for rookie safety Craig Woodson against Washington: 40 total snaps, two tackles on defense, and three more on special teams. He's also been seeing increased reps alongside former Cal teammate Jaylinn Hawkins, a connection that goes back to his freshman year.

"We've always stayed in contact," Woodson said. "So it's fun to play with that guy. We're on the field a lot together."

Woodson, who just narrowly dropped a would-be interception on Sunday, admitted the biggest adjustment has been the intensity and situational awareness required at the NFL level. "Every drill you do, you're competing and trying to earn a role," he said. "Just learning and getting better every day."

Special teams, he knows, is his ticket to a roster spot. "For a young guy, it's a way to earn a role on a team and have a spot on the 53-man roster," Woodson said. "It's an extension of defense in a way. Just being on there and being able to communicate, that's what's going to help the team."

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