NFL Notes: 7 early takeaways from Patriots training camp

Four Patriots practices down, seven takeaways. Let’s dig in. 1. Who is the offense built for? The answer should be Drake Maye. Right? He’s the quarterback, the one holding the ball every play and by extension, the fate of the franchise. Then again, the perks of having a quarterback with limitless talent include running whatever offensive system you want. Every concept, play and formation is available. If you can draw it on the whiteboard, he can take it to the field. An offensive coordinator’s dream. Except on the field is where limits crop up fast for Josh McDaniels. The Patriots, inarguably, own one of the least proven and talented pass-protecting offensive lines in the league. Their weapons are average at best, and their most dangerous receivers (Stefon Diggs and DeMario Douglas) do their best work within 10-15 yards of the line of scrimmage. All of which is to ask, if McDaniels doesn’t expect Maye to have much time in the pocket or many viable targets deep downfield, is he already playing in a box? Maye did not attempt a single pass beyond 10 yards Thursday, a practice dedicated exclusively to first-down plays; base concepts that reveal what an offense is and how it wants to move the ball. But then, 41% of Maye’s passes traveled more than 10 yards Saturday when the team incorporated more third-down plays in 11-on-11 periods, including a bomb Maye threw to DeMario Douglas. Overall, 25% of Maye’s passes have targeted the intermediate or deep levels, Of course, four practices is a pint-sized sample size, and the Patriots haven’t put pads on yet. But the question remains: what will the offense’s identity be? On Friday, new center Garrett Bradbury relayed what many first-year Patriots have discovered for years upon diving into McDaniels’ playbook: it contains answers to any and every defensive problem. “All the film we’ve watched from this offense are the glory years here, right?” Bradbury said. “And you see how (Tom) Brady played with such quickness, he knew where he was going with (the ball) because he mastered the system. And you can understand that once you master this system, you’ve got all the answers to the book. And so once (Maye) gets that, I think we’ll be in a good place.” The rub is that even if Maye arrives at mastery, the nature of his position makes him both the most influential and dependent player on the field. And while Maye has the physical ability to unlock all parts of the playbook, his teammates do not. Meaning, even if McDaniels tailored the offense to Maye’s most powerful skills – deep passes, movement plays and middle-of-the-field throws – that vision may not be realized because the Patriots’ talents don’t complement their quarterback’s. And even if McDaniels designed an offense for everyone around Maye, and the quarterback manages mastery, is he, at 22 years old, able to trigger a quick passing game after spending the past two seasons looking long and extending plays out of necessity? Brady’s most underrated skill over his 20 years in New England was his malleability; the mental discipline and flexibility to lead a spread offense one season, a two-tight end attack the next, and play-action-powered passing games late in his career. Can Maye do the same? What will McDaniels ask of him? 2. Diggs, Douglas and … ? New England Patriots wide receivers Stefon Diggs (8) and Kayshon Boutte (9) warm up before a team practice, Thursday, at Gillette Stadium. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald) Maye has two favorite targets so far at training camp. Neither should come as a surprise. Diggs has caught five passes from Maye in team drills through four practices, while Douglas has seven. Diggs has worked exclusively with the starting offense, while Douglas has taken scant reps with the backup units. Both players are far ahead of all other wideouts. Ideally, third-round rookie Kyle Williams would complement them as the No. 3 receiver, a speedster who can serve as the fulcrum of their deep passing game. So far, Williams’ most successful routes have all been out-breakers; a reflection of how corners feel threatened by his deep speed. Williams even beat Christian Gonzalez, an All-Pro candidate, on a comeback route during his first training camp practice Wednesday. Otherwise, the Pats are left with 2024 draft pick disappointments Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker and steady-eddy veterans Mack Hollins and Kendrick Bourne. Hollins remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list, while Bourne has primarily repped with the second-team offense. Undrafted rookie Efton Chism has had a quiet start to camp. 3. Stock up WR DeMario Douglas: He’s been the most consistent and productive receiver in training camp. OLB Harold Landry: A would-be sack machine in team drills, where he’s often pulling up and peeling away from Maye after creating a path to the quarterback for himself. OL Jared Wilson: the Georgia product has taken first-team reps at left guard and center. The coaching staff seems intent on giving him a shot to unseat either Cole Strange or Garrett Bradbury. 4. Stock down WR Javon Baker: He owns the lowest catch rate of all pass-catchers in team drills, thanks partly to a missed deep ball on Thursday. He did, however, snag one Saturday. OLB Anfernee Jennings: So far, the one-time Patriots starter has been as invisible as any edge-rusher in camp. Jennings does not appear to be a scheme fit for the new defense. RT Morgan Moses: Chalk it up to rust or lack of pads, but Moses has been victimized for an allowed sack on multiple days. The Patriots are currently slow-playing it with Moses, hoping to keep the 34-year-old upright and available for the entire season. 5. Christian Wilkins intersest FILE - Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (94) warms up before an NFL preseason football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) Health is the big question here for the recently released Wilkins, whose foot injury was at the heart of the Raiders’ shocking decision to release him this week. The 29-year-old Massachusetts native has ranked among the best defensive tackles in the league, but couldn’t reach an agreement with team doctors about how best to proceed with his recovery. So, less than a year and a half after signing him to a four-year, $110 million deal, Las Vegas cut bait, and the team is hoping to void more than $35 million in remaining guarantees. Wilkins has appealed. While both parties await a decision, Wilkins is in search of a new team. Vrabel confirmed Friday that the Patriots will weigh whether to make a run at him. “Well, I mean, I think we’ll have a conversation,” he said. “I mean, this is pretty new, so I don’t have all the information on where Christian is. I know Christian, recruited him when he was up here in the area in Connecticut going to high school. So, I’m sure we’ll have a conversation.” The Patriots made a real run at Wilkins in 2024, when the Herald reported the front office was “big game hunting” heading into free agency that offseason. Wilkins was atop their list but, like many free agents, opted for a more stable situation than what the Patriots could offer. Since then, the Vrabel-led Pats have added ex-Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams, who has already grown into a locker-room leader and should form one of the best interior pass-rushing duos in the league next to Christian Barmore. Do the Patriots want to make that a trio? The view here is go for it. 6. Eyes on Doug Marrone Last season, according to stats pulled by Underdog Fantasy’s Hayden Winks, the Patriots ranked second in quick pressure rate allowed and third in unblocked pressure rate. Translation: not only did their offensive line stink, so did their protection schemes. Related Articles Where Patriots rookies stand in first week of training camp Patriots’ rookie Kyle Williams: ‘Blessing’ to play with favorite receiver Patriots rookie class feeling fortunate for veteran free-agent addition Patriots’ new pass-rusher could bolster Mike Vrabel’s defense with breakout Patriots training camp Day 4: Drake Maye rips long TDs on roller-coaster day That puts more pressure on McDaniels and new offensive line coach Doug Marrone to paper over the team’s most obvious weakness by providing the right answers and making the right call more than their counterparts on the opposing sideline. A longtime former head coach with the Jaguars and Bills, Marrone was an ideal hire based on his resume. But that doesn’t mean it will translate immediately to a group that must rely on younger players – namely, Will Campbell and third-round rookie Jared Wilson – to find success. Marrone not only has to connect with the younger players almost 50 years his junior, but get them to play like veterans. 7. Vrabel’s servant leadership Do you know what Mike Vrabel has been doing through the first 30 minutes of most practices? Serving as a ball boy. For special teams drills, defensive back drills, wide receiver drills, Vrabel is not bouncing from position to position to talk over his assistants. He’s adding subtle value, often as a ball boy but other times by holding a blocking pad. A new feature of training camp. Quote of the Week “I spent a lot of time with him this spring, and I have to remind myself he’s 22, right? I mean, he’s light years ahead of where I was as a rookie, where most rookies I’ve seen (are). In terms of his approach, his mentality, he doesn’t act like a 22-year-old. He understands the weight of the position he plays.” – Center Garrett Bradbury on Drake Maye