5 takeaways from the Patriots’ final open practice of training camp

The Patriots’ final open training camp practice is officially in the books.

New England continued to prepare for Sunday’s preseason finale against the Commanders with a walkthrough practice in shorts and shells.

Here are five takeaways from the action.

Jacoby Brissett will start on Sunday

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye is still No. 2 on the Patriots’ depth chart heading into Sunday’s game.

“Jacoby [Brissett] is going to start the game off,” coach Jerod Mayo said. “Drake [Maye] will play as well. Joe [Milton III] will play as well. Now, you guys can sleep. Bailey [Zappe] will play. We do have some players dealing with small things that probably won’t play and get ready for the regular season – some of our proven players.”

Dell Pettus is making noise

The Patriots’ 19-year streak of having at least one undrafted rookie make the team was snapped last fall.

Mayo said he would like to revive the streak. Safety Dell Pettus, whom the Patriots signed out of Troy, appears to be a contender.

Jabrill Peppers described Pettus as an aggressive, hard-hitter who asks a lot of questions and applies what he learns in the film room to the field.

“He’s done a fantastic job. There’s been a lot of conversation around him, but he’s done a fantastic job up until this point,” Mayo said. “But it is important that those guys go out here and realize, ‘I can play at this level.’ There’s always this imposter syndrome where, ‘Am I good enough, or am I not good enough?’ For a guy like Dell Pettus, for example, to go out and make those plays just continues to boost his confidence.”

Mayo encouraged by new o-line combination

With their tackle depth depleted due to injuries, the Patriots experimented with a new offensive line grouping on Thursday and continued to give it a look on Friday.

Mike Onwenu, who had played guard for the majority of the summer, moved to right tackle. Chukwuma Okorafor was at the other tackle spot. Rookie Layden Robinson and second-year lineman Sidy Sow were the guards, along with veteran David Andrews at center.

“I would say it was encouraging. It was encouraging to see that,” Mayo said. “Anytime you can sandwich a rookie between two veteran players, that’s always going to be a benefit for the player and also the team. We’re still trying to figure out that combination, but I feel like we’re getting pretty close.”

Trash talk, and lack thereof

The biggest trash talker on the team, according to receiver DeMario Douglas, is Peppers.

Peppers downplayed his trash-talking when asked about Douglas’s comments.

“It depends, like if a guy starts talking to me like alright now you’ve got to hear me all day,” Peppers said. “But, I don’t typically say too much unless they start. I just finish it.”

Christian Gonzalez, according to Douglas, is the opposite. No matter how much Douglas may try to get Gonzalez to say something, Gonzalez tends not to bite.

“That’s my guy. He’s quiet. I’m the one who be like ‘talk, talk’ just to make him play. it’s great work, good on good. I love going against Gonzo. He don’t talk. A lot of DBs talk, he don’t talk so I be trying to get him to talk sometimes. He makes me work.”

Big man touchdown

Backup center Nick Leverett lined up as an eligible receiver and caught a touchdown pass at the end of practice.

“Nick is a natural, man. That’s fun,” tight-end Austin Hooper said. “Nothing gets the boys more juice than a big man touchdown. It is truly a beautiful thing. You guys were incredibly fortunate to witness that, so you’re welcome.”