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Patriots stock report: Which players stood out, struggled during joint practice with Commanders?
Drake Maye and New England's offense had a strong showing against the Commanders.
FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots still have just over a month to go before the start of the regular season.
But, Wednesday marked an important stepping stone for Mike Vrabel’s team as the team looks to start building toward a bounce-back campaign.
After 11 days of practices against one another, the Patriots welcomed in the Washington Commanders for a joint practice on Wednesday, two days before the teams meet in their preseason opener.
“The goal is just to be able to put the identity out on the field against another team, to put the fundamentals that we put out there, the installation, to be able to do it against another defense, to be able to adjust to different play styles of players, players that maybe are longer or quicker or stronger, just different play styles of each player throughout this league,” Mike Vrabel said ahead of practice.
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As expected, Wednesday’s two-hour practice featured plenty of competitive reps (and scraps) between two training-camp rosters.
In our latest stock watch, here’s a look at which Patriots players struggled and succeeded during their matchups against Washington.
Stock up
QB Drake Maye
New England’s revamped defense has been a standout grouping throughout training camp this summer.
Drake Maye and New England’s offense has been a bit more inconsistent. While Maye has largely limited his turnovers this camp, the Patriots’ offense has been prone to some rough stretches, especially during red-zone drills against New England’s first-team defense.
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But, on Wednesday, Maye and the Patriots capitalized time after time against Washington’s starters, with the Patriots’ second-year QB utilizing the middle of the field with several crossing routes while also limiting turnovers.
During team drills, Maye was 15-of-21 with three passing touchdowns, one rushing score, and one interception. His completion percentage also could have been higher, as it took a hit due to several drops — including another potential touchdown snag from rookie TreVeyon Henderson on a wheel route.
Maye was red-hot at the start of 11-on-11 drills, only getting knocked for one incompletion through his first 12 passing attempts. He was also far better during red-zone situations, hitting both Hunter Henry and Mack Hollins for scores with limited room to operate.
The one knock against Maye came in the closing stretch of practice, as one of his final attempts of the afternoon was batted down by Washington linebacker Bobby Wagner and picked off by safety (and Everett native) Mike Sainristil.
Even with that miscue, it was an encouraging showing from both Maye and New England’s offense against other competition. Backup QB Joshua Dobbs also had a strong showing against Washington’s second team grouping, going 17-of-20 with a pair of touchdowns to Javon Baker and Hollins.
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“I thought we did some good things offensively, wish we would’ve ended it better. A tipped ball down there, but hey, that happens, that’s football,” Maye said. “That’s why you practice those. But overall, proud of the guys up front battled hard. I’m looking forward to getting things going as we get into Minnesota and Friday night.”
WR Kayshon Boutte
Boutte continues to stack good days.
After reeling in a pair of highlight-reel touchdowns on both Friday and Monday, Boutte again drew plenty of cheers from a packed Gillette Stadium crowd Wednesday after recording a back-shoulder catch in the end zone from Maye with Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore in tight coverage.
Even if Boutte isn’t racking up as many short yardage catches as other Patriots wideouts like DeMario Douglas, he’s developed a knack for generating big plays off deep throws from Maye. He’s looking like New England’s starting “X” receiver in Week 1.
DT Christian Barmore
There’s only so much that can be gleaned from joint practices, especially with live tackling still not permitted.
But, New England’s front-seven routinely made life miserable for Washington on Wednesday, giving even a mobile QB like Jayden Daniels limited time and space. Early camp standout Khyiris Tonga continues to look like the real deal in the trenches and during 1-on-1 reps, while Milton Williams has consistently won his matchups.
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But, Barmore’s health and his ability to regain his form as the pass-rushing force he was in 2023 might be the biggest determinant over whether or not this defense establishes itself as an elite unit this fall.
Barmore looked the part Wednesday, forcing several throw-aways from Daniels during 11-on-11s by generating pressure up the gut against Washington center Tyler Biadasz. It didn’t take much to notice Barmore during 1-on-1 reps, as he ragdolled guard Nick Allegretti during their matchup.
“Everybody makes a play,” Barmore said of New England’s defense. “If somebody makes a play, I feel like everybody makes a play. It’s not about one person; it’s about the team. We all give energy to everybody … I feel like we’re going to keep getting better.”
CB Alex Austin
With both Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis still working their way back from injury, all eyes have been on New England’s next group of corners in camp and whether or not they can step up moving forward.
DJ James has been a pleasant surprise so far during camp, but Alex Austin continues to look like a player who could fight for more reps moving forward. During a critical fourth-down play during 11-on-11 drills, Austin batted down a pass from Daniels that was intended for Ja’Corey Brooks in the end zone.
New England needs both Gonzalez and Davis back, but Austin is looking like a more-than-capable backup.
WR DeMario Douglas
Douglas has continued to assert himself as one of Maye’s security blankets, especially in short-yardage situations.
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Douglas impressed early during 11-on-11 drills Wednesday, using his stop-and-start acceleration to gain separation from Washington defensive backs. Maye hit Douglas for first downs on several crossers, although he also got knocked for a drop later in practice.
“Pop, I think he’s tough to guard,” Maye said. “You see it in the little crossing routes and little quick moves when he’s meeting a defender face to face. I think all year, it’s our job to get him open in space and let him run with the football.”
K Andy Borregales
The kicker competition has been one of the top storylines to follow so far during training camp, with rookie Andy Borregales continuing to scrap with veteran John Parker Romo for the lone spot on the roster.
Wednesday marked a step forward for the rookie, as Borregales went a perfect 4-for-4 on the afternoon, while Romo went 3-of-4 on his attempts. After a rough start to camp where Borregales went 2-for-4 during Day 4, the 2025 sixth-round pick has made 22 straight kicks.
Even with his miss on Wednesday, Romo had made 25 straight kicks to open camp, so this competition is far from over.
WR Mack Hollins
With Stefon Diggs not participating at the start of practice, Hollins earned plenty of reps with New England’s first-team unit on Wednesday.
After a quiet beginning of camp due to his status on the PUP list, Hollins impressed against the Commanders, with the veteran leading all Patriots wideouts with five catches and a pair of touchdowns from both Maye and Dobbs.
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His second score was impressive, as he reeled in a throw from Dobbs with just one arm while fighting off Commanders corner Bobby Price in coverage.
Hollins was knocked for a pair of drops, but Wednesday showcased how the Patriots might utilize the 6-foot-4 wideout as a red-zone target for the strong-armed Maye.
Stock steady
WR Javon Baker
The Patriots’ 2024 fourth-round selection is staring at an uphill climb when it comes to making the roster on an already crowded wideout corps. Tuesday was a step in the right direction for the second-year pro after getting some run with the first-team receivers, and he caught a slant over the middle for a touchdown on Wednesday, courtesy of Dobbs.
Still, Baker continued to make a few head-scratching decisions, including hurling the ball up in the air after the touchdown — a move that would have almost certainly drawn a flag in an actual game.
LT Will Campbell
As has been the case for most camp, there was both some good and bad from Campbell on Wednesday as the team’s starting left tackle. The fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft once again had some struggles during 1-on-1 reps against Washington edge rushers, especially former Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise.
But to Campbell’s credit, the rookie has shown on multiple occasions that a bad rep or two has not snowballed into a catastrophic showing throughout practice. During his matchups against Wise, Campbell at one point put the veteran on the turf after he tried to cut inside.
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Campbell was stronger during 11-on-11s, at one point springing TreVeyon Henderson for a big gain after negating Wise on the edge. During those team reps, Campbell was not knocked for an obvious “sack” during sessions without live tackling.
All things considered, it was more good than bad from Campbell, who seems to be working his way back from his struggles last week. Now it’s all about stacking Wednesday’s showing with a strong performance on Friday.
Stock down
C Garrett Bradbury
New England’s de facto starting center had a rough going on Wednesday, as he was beat pretty decisively on a pair of 1-on-1 drills before later allowing plenty of pressure up the middle during team drills. Bradbury was later relegated to second-team reps as practice went on, with Ben Brown getting plenty of run with the first unit.
WR Ja’Lynn Polk
While Baker at least seems to be stringing together some positive plays over the last few days, Polk can’t seem to generate any sort of momentum this week as he tries to make a case for a roster spot. The 2024 second-round pick had just one catch on Wednesday and didn’t make much noise further down on the depth chart.
Backup tackles
One of the more glaring holes on New England’s roster is the team’s depth at offensive tackle, which could prove costly given both Campbell’s inexperience and the age and health of starting right tackle Morgan Moses.
With Moses limited on Wednesday, Demontrey Jacobs and rookie seventh-round Marcus Bryant both rotated in as the team’s starting right tackle against the Commanders.
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It wasn’t the smoothest showing from Jacobs, who lost multiple 1-on-1 reps against Washington — while Bryant gave up some pressure on the right side during team drills.
Jacobs has admittedly exceeded expectations as a serviceable depth option as a seventh-round pick, but New England could be in trouble this season if Campbell struggles and Moses is injured.
RB TreVeyon Henderson
After putting together his strongest showing of camp on Monday, the rookie second-round pick went through some ups and downs. Despite gaining some chunk yardage while showcasing his speed, Henderson dropped a touchdown pass off a fantastic throw from Maye during team drills.
Henderson sparked the largest scrap of Wednesday’s practice after blowing up a blitzer, leading to a bloodied Mike Vrabel emerging from the pile. Still, New England’s head coach was likely pleased with his rookie continuing to land welts as a stingy blocker so far during camp.
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