The Patriots held a team scrimmage for their 12th training camp practice, making it the most competitive game session we’ve seen this summer. The offense drove the length of the field for most of practice while mixing in punt periods and end-of-half situations.
Here’s a look at New England’s attendance, Mike Vrabel’s top quotes of note, and what I noticed on a sweltering day in Foxborough.
Attendance
Absent: CB Carlton Davis III, LT Will Campbell, DI Christian Barmore, FB Reggie Gilliam, CB Charles Woods, G Caedan Wallace, WR Cameron Dorner
Physically Unable to Perform: ED Harold Landry III
Non-Football Injury: ST Brenden Schooler
Injured Reserve: WR Jeremiah Webb, WR Jimmy Kibble, TE Julian Hill
Tweet of the Day
A.J. Brown on learning the Patriots offense & how complex it is:
“This offense is very complex you know and that's a good thing…A lot more thinking, you know it's not just sitting over there and you got your route…like the defense come you gotta adjust, you gotta like the… pic.twitter.com/UGiYehU1Km
— Patriots on CLNS (@PatriotsCLNS) August 7, 2026
Mike Vrabel’s Top Quotes
On today’s scrimmage: We have the second annual Blue-White scrimmage. We split the coaching staff up. We had a draft. Terrell Williams will be the head coach on the white team. The blue team will be led by Tony Dews. The offensive coordinators for the game will be Todd Downing and Ashton Grant, and then calling defense is going to be Scott Booker and Justin Hamilton. And then we split Jeremy Springer and Tom Quinn up. So, Stretch [John Streicher] and I will be the officials, if there’s any issues there. But, we held a draft, and excited about just getting out there, playing, competing and putting them in the same situations that we’ve been here working through camp.
On how Kyle Williams can earn more starting reps: Again, all these opportunities, and he’ll continue to earn opportunities. I really, really know that Kyle is going to help us. His speed is going to help us. And I don’t want to use this and get this to be overblown, and I’m going to use the word scheme or – He’s got a skill set, right? We’re going to find ways to get him the ball, and it may be outside of just the normal installation plays, but that’s my responsibility, that’s Josh [McDaniels]’s responsibility, that’s Todd [Downings]’s, responsibility is to put him in those positions where we see the speed that showed up last year. And so, I know that he is going to be a large part of what we’re going to do, and those opportunities will continue to come. His release skills, his speed, his vertical speed, those are all things that we have to continue to take advantage of as we progress. And it’s a great room. It’s a good competitive room. And by competing and getting out there every single day, those will by nature increase his opportunities.
On Marcus Bryant stepping up for Will Campbell and his progress this summer: Same improvement that we’ve seen from a lot of the first to second-year players, and that’s been really good. Everybody can’t win an offseason award. Marcus was here a lot. Marcus got stronger. He’s a very long-levered offensive tackle, but really moved a lot of weight and got stronger for a guy that is tall and has got long legs, long arms, and still be able to move a lot of weight and get stronger. And I think that that’s showed up. I think it showed up in the run game, and again, I just get excited about guys that have improved and are continuing to improve, and I can’t lose sight of that. I can’t get frustrated about whatever, throwing interceptions in two-minute drill or giving up a big play on defense. Yes, I can be frustrated, but I also have to have the ability to look at all these guys that have improved and know that that’s going to pay dividends when we get going.
On what he’s seen from Khalil Jacobs: Well, he loves football, one, I can just tell you. I mean, since he’s walked in here, he loves football. He’s here a lot. He was here in the offseason, through the mini camps early, staying late. He stays late. I see him here all the time. He loves just kind of when you put the ball down to play. When you get to the team periods, you kind of notice his play speed, and I think that’s a great thing to say. He came here on a visit, and I was trying to just give him a hard time about his 40, and he was like, “Oh, that was the timing.” I’m like, “Thirty-two teams timed your 40 wrong.” Just giving him a hard time. But to his credit, he plays a lot faster than whatever his 40 was. I don’t even know what it was, but he has a play speed about him, and sometimes he knows where he’s going, and sometimes he doesn’t, but he still kind of goes pretty quick wherever he decides to go.
On Terrell Williams’ new day-to-day responsibilities as assistant head coach: Well, he’s really taken control of that front seven, and it’s something that’s critical to our defense, the way that we want to play, the style that we want to play and making sure that when we pressure, when we run games, when we’re in different fronts. So, that’s kind of really being able to bring Clint [McMillan]’s guys and Smitty [Mike Smith]’s guys together so that everybody’s seeing it the same way and that we’re coordinating how we want to rush and the way that we want to rush. So, I think that’s one way. Still continuing to support Zak [Kuhr] and the defensive staff and then continue to support me as I try to reach guys. I’ve always said he’s got a really special quality of being able to reach a lot of different players, whether that’s on defense or offense. And he’s already made bonds with guys like Caleb Lomu and Eli [Raridon] and just he’s seen a lot of football in this league and been around a lot of different players. I see him spend a lot of time with guys. I always like that. When guys that have experience on one side of the ball and they have the capability of doing it, of reaching players on the other side of the ball that maybe his position goes against, and they can tell him the things that they’re doing well or any things to be able to encourage them.
Notebook
- DeMario Douglas looked like the best player on the field while working with Tommy DeVito—who may have had his best practice this summer—and the blue team. Douglas hauled in a deep crosser early in practice, juked Dell Pettus on a screen, and caught two touchdowns, winning on a slant just outside the goal line, then getting wide open on a corner (possible pick play) during a red zone drive. Douglas’ best play, and likely the catch of the day, came on the first play of an end-of-half situation, with the slot receiver speeding past Mike Brown and catching a deep seam ball to set up a field goal attempt.
- Drake Maye and the white offense got off to a slow start, stalling on back-to-back series due to a combination of missed connections, quick pressure, and a penalty. But in typical Maye fashion, the group bounced back to score points on their ensuing drives. The blue team’s only touchdown in full-field work came on its third possession, with Maye hitting Eli Raridon down the seam, converting a fourth down on an explosive shallow cross to Nick DeGennaro, and finding an open Romeo Doubs in the end zone. During an end-of-half situation, Maye threw a trio of short passes before hitting Kyle Williams on a dig to get in scoring territory, where Andy Borregales converted on a 54-yard field goal.
- Borrageles had a slightly shakier day than usual, going 4-5 on field goals and 1-2 on extra points.
- Douglas may have had the day’s best catch, but undrafted rookie Myles Montgomery had the wildest play. After recent signing Tejhaun Palmer bobbled a curl target from Behren Morton multiple times, Montgomery came out of nowhere to snag the pop-up and accelerate down the sideline, where he was tracked down just shy of the end zone. The provided some much-needed padding for Morton’s stat line, as the rookie struggled to move the ball and should’ve thrown an interception directly to Khalil Jacobs.
- A.J. Brown appeared to be limited today, but he did catch two passes from DeVito on a scramble right and a slant off play action.
- TreVeyon Henderson beat Namdi Obiazor on a backfield corner for a touchdown during red zone work, making an impressive adjustment on a throw that was a hair short and forced the receiver to work through contact.
- There were multiple notable plays from the defensive line. Lawrence Taylor III batted a Maye pass on a play where he and Gabe Jacas nearly converged on the quarterback (credit Amari Gainer for the initial pressure). Joshua Farmer also blew up a run play, and nose tackle Cory Durden had a would-be strip sack of Morton.
- Carlton Davis III (hamstring) is not expected to participate in next week’s joint practice or preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts.
