FOXBOROUGH, Mass - The New England Patriots held their longest practice of the summer on Thursday ahead of their preseason finale against the Washington Commanders this weekend.
While the team was just in shells, they still got a lot of work done.
So here are the top takeaways from practice:
1. A shift on the offensive line
Vederian Lowe, who has primarily served as the team's 'starting' left tackle throughout the past few weeks, left practice early on Wednesday.
And because of that he was missing on Thursday. A ccording to MassLive's Mark Daniels, Lowe is dealing with a minor oblique injury.
So because of that, there was a change in the starting five on the offensive line.
Chukwuma Okorafor, who has been on the right side, switched over to the left. And Sidy Sow was next to him at left guard. In the center was of course David Andrews.
Mike Onwenu, who has mainly been at right guard, slid over and played tackle. The team then opted to put rookie Layden Robison in at right guard.
2. Maye reps with the 1s
While the coaching staff says that it's been a quarterback competition, it's been clear that Jacoby Brissett is the starter and has been put in the position to succeed. As for Maye, he's been treated as a backup.
Brissett has spent the most time with the 'starting' offensive line this summer, but when Maye finally gets a chance to rep with them, he shows what he's capable of.
And on Thursday, he got some additional time, having six snaps with the starters. Maye went 3-for-4.
3. Jacoby Brissett has solid day
Brissett's performance in the first two preseason games did not instill confidence in the veteran quarterback.
But on Thursday ahead of the final preseason contest, Brissett looked much better.
He finished going 12-for-15, going 10-for-11 in 11s, and 2-for-4 in 7s. And one of the highlight plays of the day included back-to-back passes to Jalen Reagor during a 2-minute drill over cornerback Marco Wilson.
4. UDFA S Dell Pettus continues to make case for roster spot
It has been an impressive summer for undrafted free agent safety Dell Pettus, who has certainly made a strong case for a spot on the roster. And he added to it with an impressive day on Thursday.
Pettus broke up a pass from Jacoby Brissett intended for Jaheim Bell during 7-on-7s that he nearly intercepted, but wasn't able to bring it in.
Then on the first play of Drake Maye's two-minute drill, Pettus played a part in breaking up another pass intended for Bell. His effort allowed Trysten Hill to intercept the ball and put an end to the drive.
5. Kicking competition update
Joey Slye has taken a clear lead in recent days, and it seems that things didn't change much on Thursday.
The Patriots once again finished practice allowing the kickers to practice some field goals. Each got four kicks.
32 yards
Slye ✔️
Ryland ✔️
37 yards
Slye ✔️
Ryland ✖️
42 yards
Slye ✖️
Ryland ✔️
49 yards
Slye ✔️
Ryland ✖️
However, Ryland did nail a 47-yard field goal during Brissett's 2-minute drill through the skinny posts on the far end of the field.
6. Depth a center is a problem
The New England Patriots have David Andrews, who is the clear starting center.
But after the team placed Jake Andrews on injured reserve, it was clear that they needed someone to be able to fill in at that spot if needed.
Nick Leverett has proven to be a solid option, but the team has also been trying Atonio Mafi and Liam Fornadel at the position. And those two have been struggling.
Specifically, Fornadel had a bad snap to Zappe that the quarterback had no chance of catching.
It just continued to emphasize that lack of depth.
6. Longest Practice of the Summer
The Patriots held their longest practice of the summer, going for two and a half hours.
The team was not in pads and it wasn't a very physical practice, but the emphasis on preparing for their opponent (the Washington Commanders) was clear.
7. Attendance
Returned : CB Shaun Wade
Absent/DNP : DT Christian Barmore, S Marte Mapu, LB Oshane Ximines, LB Joshua Uche, OT Calvin Anderson, TE Hunter Henry, TE Mitchell Wilcox, Sione Takitaki (PUP), Cole Strange (PUP), and Kendrick Bourne (PUP)
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