Patriots
A few things to know from Wednesday’s practice.
For a brief period of time, literally a snap or two, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was working with the starting offensive line group during team drills.
Maye has been working almost entirely with the second unit in practice this summer.
Wednesday was one of the first times, if not the very first, that Maye has been seen taking snaps under center from David Andrews during the scrimmage portion of practice during this camp.
The quarterback competition is still open, and Jacoby Brissett is still expected to be the starter, coach Jerod Mayo said before practice.
Brissett received the bulk of the reps behind the starting offensive line in practice.
Here are five takeaways from the action, including how the quarterbacks fared.
Rough day for Jacoby Brissett
Brissett threw an interception right at the beginning of practice, and nearly had another one later on in the day.
He tried to hit Tyquan Thornton on a play-action play, but rookie cornerback Marcellas Dial stepped in front of the throw and snagged the pick.
Brissett also tried to force a throw in to Javon Baker, and AJ Thomas got his hands on it but was unable to finish the catch.
The veteran quarterback also had a pass batted down at the line of scrimmage. He completed most of his passes, but the mistakes were glaring.
Maye continues to progress
Maye completed another day without any turnovers and continued to look sharp completing short throws and screens. There weren’t many misses. There also weren’t any big-time highlight-reel plays.
Maye launched a pair of deep passes that fell incomplete, including one that was thrown too far ahead of Ja’Lynn Polk.
Mayo said he expects to know who the Week 1 starter will be by Monday or Tuesday of next week and that he feels Maye is “100 percent” ready to run a huddle.
“I think I’m going to take advantage of my opportunities,” Maye said, when asked if he views the handful of practices left before the final preseason game as a final push to win the job.
“Jacoby has done a great job,” Maye added. “He’s a great player, great teammate and he’s been repping with the ones the whole time. So, excited for him and just trying to take advantage of the reps I do get and when I’m in there try to have some fun.”
More shuffling on the offensive line
Rookie Caedan Wallace finished the practice at left tackle after Vederian Lowe left early with an apparent injury.
Rookie guard Layden Robinson has “strung a few weeks together” that have led to a competition with Sidy Sow.
“I told these guys at the beginning of camp: there are more people in this room than there are jobs,” Mayo said. “And so either you’re going to hold on to your job, or someone’s going to take your job. I would say all those guys have been battling. So, it’s going to be a tough decision.”
Mayo was also asked about Mike Onwenu taking snaps at the tackle position earlier this week.
“I would say, look, we always, as coaches, reserve the right to change our mind,” Mayos said. “I don’t want that to get misconstrued in any type of way. But that was the plan initially. Then, as we continue to build depth amongst the offensive line, we had to move those guys around.”
There’s a new No. 9 in Foxborough
Matthew Judon is no longer with the Patriots after being traded to the Falcons in exchange for a third-round pick last week.
With Judon no longer available to wear No. 9, newly added receiver Matt Landers is rocking the number.
The Patriots claimed Landers off of waivers on Tuesday. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound pass catcher signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent last season.
He spent time with the Seahawks and Panthers practice squads last season. He spent most of this summer with the Browns before he was waived.
Cutdown day is approaching
The Patriots released defensive tackle Mike Purcell on Wednesday.
The roster will continue to shrink over the coming days as New England must trim its roster to 53 players by next Tuesday at 4 p.m.
A few veteran players, including defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr., were asked for their advice to players who are on the bubble.
“I tell everybody to treat it like a game, treat it like a game — a high school or a college game, because at the end of the day it is football,” Wise said. “Two, this is high-stakes, so when you come out here just trust your techniques and fundamentals. Take a deep breath, go out there and do your thing.”
“If you don’t make this team, you’re putting on film your resume for the other 31 teams to evaluate you and see what you can do,” Wise added. “Because we all know what happens at the end of the day but there’s a spot for somebody out there whether it’s here or somewhere else.”
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