Tag: Patriots 2023 Training camp

6 takeaways from final day of Patriots training camp practice

Training camp has come and gone for the Patriots. Here are six takeaways from the team’s final practice.

The final day of training camp practice came and went for the New England Patriots on Wednesday. It’s crazy to think we are only a day away from the preseason finale and a little over two weeks away from the Patriots’ regular season opener.

These last few weeks have flown by, and we have reached the point where players on the roster bubble will have their final chance to convince coach Bill Belichick to keep them around on the 53-man roster.

The Patriots were in full pads for their final training camp practice, and there were several notable names that didn’t participate, including:

CB Jonathan Jones

G Cole Strange

WR Tyquan Thornton

OT Conor McDermott

ST Cody Davis

CB Isaiah Bolden

OT Calvin Anderson

DE Trey Flowers

C Kody Russey

Next on the itinerary for the Patriots is making the trek to Nashville for Friday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. But before liftoff, here are some takeaways from their final practice.

Two expected Patriots starters injured at Wednesday’s practice

It was a tough day on the injury front for the Patriots.

It was a rough day for the New England Patriots with multiple players going down with injuries at Wednesday’s training camp practice.

Unfortunately for New England, both of those players are expected starters.

Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez and tight end Hunter Henry were both reportedly banged up by the end of the practice session. Per NESN’s Zack Cox, Gonzalez came down awkwardly when in coverage against wideout Thyrick Pitts.

Cox wrote:

The first-round pick hopped to the sideline and still was receiving treatment from members of the Patriots’ medical staff when practice ended a short while later.

Meanwhile, Henry also looked like he might have tweaked something on a play. Like Gonzalez, he stayed on the field, but he didn’t participate in any team drills after the injury.

The Patriots can’t afford to lose Gonzalez, given the uncertainty with Jack Jones’ ongoing legal situation. Veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones has also been out with an injury.

Things haven’t been any better at tight end with Mike Gesicki working his way back from a shoulder injury.

With that said, there’s no use in hitting the panic alarm over the two injuries just yet. Both Gonzalez and Henry did remain on the field, and as Dolloff pointed out, it didn’t appear to be overly serious.

Yet, it’s still something to keep an eye on moving forward.

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Report: Patriots rookie WR Demario Douglas dealing with shoulder injury

An update on the health status of Patriots rookie WR Demario Douglas.

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas is reportedly dealing with a shoulder injury, per the Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard.

Douglas went through warm-ups with the team before going to the conditioning field for the rest of Tuesday’s practice. The sixth-round draft pick has been one of the Patriots’ standouts throughout training camp.

So an injury setback at this time, especially when the Patriots are so close to their regular season opener, is a disappointing turn of events.

“[Douglas] did not take part in [Tuesday’s] practice,” said Bedard, during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger & Mazz”. “I’m pretty worried, from what I hear, he sustained a shoulder injury on that last, sort of, wide receiver screen that he took, as you see, he goes to the ground on his right shoulder. Similar to what happened to Tyquan Thornton the previous year.”

Douglas has been considered a lock on the roster after his stellar training camp showing. Fellow rookie sixth-round draft pick Kayshon Boutte has also had a strong camp.

The Patriots passed on out-bidding the Tennessee Titans for former free agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins. One of the reasons for that was the hope that the young receivers, along with new additions like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki, would help carry the offensive load.

Douglas has exceptional potential as a receiver, and there’s hope he gets to realize it sooner rather than later in New England.

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5 takeaways from Day 17 of Patriots training camp practice

A major return. A rising defensive playmaker? An injury concern? Here are five takeaways from Day 17 of Patriots training camp.

It was back to the practice grind on Tuesday for the New England Patriots, who took a couple of days off after Saturday’s preseason game with the Green Bay Packers.

This was a lighter practice with the team working in helmets and shells. They were slated to travel to Tennessee early this week for joint practices with the Tennessee Titans, but those plans have been canceled. So the team will finish up training camp in Foxborough in preparation for Friday’s preseason finale in Nashville.

Here’s the full list of absent players from Day 17 of training camp practice:

CB Isaiah Bolden

G Mike Onwenu

G Cole Strange

CB Jonathan Jones

DE Trey Flowers

WR Tyquan Thornton

OT Conor McDermott

OT Calvin Anderson

ST Cody Davis

WR Tre Nixon (waived)

Don’t let the relaxed practice fool you. The stakes are still high for those on the roster bubble with the 53-man cut deadline rapidly approaching. Let’s delve into some takeaways from Tuesday’s practice.

Patriots TE Mike Gesicki returned to practice on Tuesday

The Patriots got a major return on Tuesday with TE Mike Gesicki practicing for the first time since suffering his shoulder injury.

New England Patriots tight end Mike Gesicki was back at practice on Tuesday, per multiple media reports.

This is a welcome development for the team. Gesicki suffered a mild dislocated shoulder during practice last Monday, per a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Depending on how well he progresses, this could be an early indication that he’ll be ready to play by the Sept. 10 regular season opener.

Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien likes to use tight ends in his play-calling. His familiarity with Gesicki from his days at Penn State could be beneficial, as he tries to implement his offensive scheme. Things certainly appeared to be trending in the right direction in the training camp practices.

The tight end recorded 32 catches for 362 yards and five touchdowns with the Miami Dolphins last season.

Gesicki will look to improve on those numbers this fall. Being back on the practice field is certainly a good first step in accomplishing that.

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Updated Patriots 90-man roster two weeks into the preseason

Here’s an updated look at the Patriots’ 90-man roster.

The New England Patriots are two weeks into the preseason with noticeable changes since our last 90-man roster check-in.

Rookies on the team have ditched their temporary numbers for their real jersey numbers, and the team has made several roster tweaks, including signing former two-time NFL leading rusher Ezekiel Elliott to a one-year deal.

We’ve reached that point in the preseason where coach Bill Belichick is going to have to make some tough decisions in an effort to get the roster down to only 53 players. Who will stay and who will go? Fans won’t have to wait too much longer to find out with the cut deadline slated for Aug. 29.

For now, let’s take a look at the current players on the Patriots’ 90-man roster.

WATCH: Video highlights from Patriots-Packers scrimmages

Check out the highlights from the Patriots’ joint practices with the Packers.

It was a heated two days of joint practices for the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers ahead of their Week 2 preseason game.

Things got competitive with both teams looking to one-up the other. For the Patriots, it was the first real opportunity to see their starters going head-to-head with a defense that wasn’t their own.

It got a little rocky on Wednesday with the offensive line struggling to win in the trenches, and the defense got burned on multiple big plays by the Packers offense. However, on Thursday, the Patriots steadied the ship and came out with a bit more intensity.

Some of the highlights from the scrimmage could be seen in the recently released “sights and sounds” video from the joint practices in Green Bay.

Things got verbal and physical on the practice field, and a Patriots player was even ejected. That sets the stage for a fun night of preseason action when the two teams meet for a third time on Saturday.

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Stock up, stock down for Patriots heading into preseason Week 2

Who is trending up and who is trending down for the Patriots in Week 2 of the preseason?

With the New England Patriots beginning joint practices on Wednesday, we got to see some of the starters in live reps against opposing competition. For the most part, training camp battles only go so far, as the Patriots typically want to keep everyone healthy.

Against real opponents, the Patriots got a sneak peek at their new-look offense with Bill O’Brien, along with the new offensive line combinations under Adrian Klemm.

The Patriots ended their two joint practices with the Packers on a high note on Thursday. In this piece, we’re going to take a look at three players trending up and three players trending down in preseason Week 2 for New England.

Leftover notes from heated Day 2 of Patriots-Packers joint practices

The Patriots had a statement performance against the Packers on Day 2.

After an up-and-down scrimmage with the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday, the New England Patriots came out roaring and looking to make a statement on the practice field in Thursday’s joint session.

And that’s exactly what they did.

The offense looked better than it has all training camp, and the defense was back to its disruptive ways. It was an intense practice with verbal—and sometimes physical—jabs being hurled back and forth between the two teams. There was enough drama and competition to captivate an audience like it was football in September.

The noted absences for the Patriots at the practice are as follows:

G Mike Onwenu

CB Jonathan Jones

TE Mike Gesicki

RB Ty Montgomery

RB Pierre Strong Jr.

C Kody Russey

DE Trey Flowers

ST Cody Davis

OT Calvin Anderson

LB Ronnie Perkins

OT Conor McDermott

Let’s delve into some leftover notes from what ended up being a very heated practice between the Patriots and Packers.

New England Patriots 53-man roster projection 2.0

Patriots updated 53-man roster projection in Week 2 of the preseason,

Following back-to-back joint practices, the New England Patriots step onto the iconic Lambeau Field for a head-to-head preseason showdown with the Green Bay Packers

This will be another opportunity for players to prove they deserve a spot on the 53-man roster. With 90 players battling, there have been constant changes to the list each week.

The Patriots have also signed new players that will have an opportunity to work their way onto the main roster as well. Let’s dive right into my 53-man roster projection for the Patriots if the preseason and training camp ended today.