Attendance
Absent/Did Not Participate: CB Carlton Davis III, LB Jahlani Tavai
Limited: DT Christian Barmore
Physically Unable to Perform: WR Mack Hollins, TE Austin Hooper, LT Vederian Lowe
Injuries: WR DeMeer Blankumsee, CB Christian Gonzalez
Tweet of the Day
#Patriots Rookie TreVeyon Henderson with a nice juke against Kyle Dugger. pic.twitter.com/poZgWEVCaX
— Patriots on CLNS (@PatriotsCLNS) July 28, 2025
Mike Vrabel’s Top Quotes of Note
On if players have been told to avoid fighting in camp: “Of course. We want to be able to practice the same way we have to play, which is physical and within the rules. Have a great play demeanor, finish through the whistle and all those things. If you throw a punch, you’re going to get kicked out of the game, which is going to cost the team. So, I don’t anticipate any of that. I want us to celebrate with our team and the defensive unit, celebrate with each other. Offensive unit, get excited and celebrate with each other. Not get into the taunting and the things that we can’t have during the game.”
On if he’s satisfied with the foundation to this point: “Yeah, I think so. It’ll be twofold, we’ll be down in the Red Zone. We’ll be getting a lot of work in the red zone. Things happen a lot quicker down there, tighter windows, just the speed of everything. It just gets sped up, and so that’ll be good for us to move on to that situation as well as see how we start to practice in pads and our pad level, our fundamentals, our hands, and those types of things.”
On what outsiders should watch for during padded practices: “To me, it’s critical at the line of scrimmage, right? Just being able to make contact. There’s going to be a stalemate. There’s two professional players lined up across from each other who can reengage, who can reset their feet, maybe get a little extra movement. How do we play? Do we stay our feet? Can we practice like this and stay our feet? We’ve got a bunch of guys falling on the ground. I’d rather not see that. I just don’t think that good teams end up practicing that way. And again, just the urgency in which we move around practice, that we’re in and out of the huddle. The players are running on and off the field. Those are all things that I think are critical, I think, that translate to the field, to the game, right? Where you’re not standing ten yards behind the ball, you’re coming from the sideline, and we’re communicating the personnel and the quarterback has to echo that. Those are the types of things right now that we’re trying to build.”
On the value of 1-on-1 pass rush drills: “One of the players I coached in Houston, Whitney Mercilus, we went through some developmental things with him. He was a very talented player. And one thing I always respected about Whitney was his willingness to try new moves during practice. And some of them wouldn’t work. Some of them you needed to see at full speed for him to say, that’s not something that I’m going to commit a lot of time to. And then others that worked and that he would commit time to. So, that’s exactly why you do practice, it’s so you can sometimes figure out what doesn’t work. And you can eliminate some things and you can move on, especially as a pass rusher. You’re trying to have a couple different pitches, not too many. But I certainly need a fast ball and some off-speed pitches and some counters. So, this is why we practice, is to be able to go out there and do that. I understand a lot of those things. When you get to the team periods and you get to the games and you can see how guys pass rush. But, I think that’s obviously a good thing. The offensive linemen are going to work on different techniques and things like that, so they’re not doing the same thing every single snap.”
On DeMario Douglas: “Great energy, great demeanor, very coachable. One of our offseason award winners. So, he obviously worked extremely hard, was here every day, ready to learn, ready to earn a role. I love being around Pop (DeMario Douglas). He’s got great energy and he’s got a lot of respect from everybody around here.”
Rookie Offensive Linemen in the Spotlight
The Patriots threw on pads for the first time in a session prioritizing the Red Area, the ground game, and 1-on-1s. This shift thrust early-round picks Will Campbell and Jared Wilson into the spotlight, as both are expected to play key roles in year one.
Campbell received an early baptism by fire against Keion White. During 1-on-1s, White knocked Campbell back with power before ripping through for a win, grounding the rookie late in the rep.
Rather than being discouraged by this slow start, Campbell got even during 11-on-11s. A dominant run blocker at LSU, he moved Milton Williams off his spot on two different runs. Despite there being a rotation at starting left guard, that side of the line got noticeable push consistently. Campbell also got the better of White and K’Lavon Chaisson when New England went play-action.
Wilson continued to rep at both center and left guard, including snaps in the middle between Mike Onwenu and, for the first time, Caedan Wallace. Wilson notched a win during 1-on-1s and flashed on a pair of pulls, but he also fumbled his second snap of camp on an exchange with Drake Maye.
Center is still a relatively new position for Wilson, who missed all of spring while rehabbing an injury. It’s too early to sound any alarms, but this will be a key area for improvement over the next few weeks.
Notebook
- Other 1-on-1 matchups included Morgan Moses over Harold Landry, and Mike Onwenu over Jeremiah Pharms.
- Kayshon Boutte caught two touchdowns against Christian Gonzalez during low Red Zone 1-on-1s. Gonzalez contested both, undercutting an in-breaker and staying close on an end zone fade, but Boutte showed strong hands at the point of attack.
- Antonio Gibson beat Christian Elliss underneath on a pair of 1-on-1 matchups, including an out and a whip route.
- D.J. James has gotten his hands on multiple passes this summer. During 1-on-1s, the corner registered a late breakup in the back corner of the end zone against Kyle Williams. Earlier in the period, Williams beat Marcellas Dial on an out-breaker and made a one-handed touchdown grab.
- Gonzalez left the field gingerly after giving up an intermediate catch to Stefon Diggs early in practice. Gonzalez did not return.
- Alex Austin and Marcus Jones were the top corners with Gonzalez and Carlton Davis out. Dial was the primary slot corner, while James and Miles Battle were the top backups outside.
- Javon Baker, Efton Chism, and Ja’Lynn Polk all repped with the top offense in a rotation-heavy day at receiver.
- Ja’Lynn Polk (minor muscle tightness) looked like a full participant in his first practice of the summer, catching a low Red Zone score after getting wide open on a play fake. Gee Scott Jr. also scored after finding space on a bootleg.
- Dial, Jabrill Peppers, and Christian Elliss were among the defenders who blew up run plays during 11-on-11s.
- Joshua Dobbs and TreVeyon Henderson were part of a fumbled handoff.
- Parker Romo went 6-6 on field goal attempts. Rookie Andres Borregales didn’t get any reps.
- DeMario Douglas called leadership his biggest area of improvement in year three, noting how teaching younger players also helps him learn in a new system. Douglas was an offseason award winner alongside Cole Strange, Khyiris Tonga, and Truman Jones.
