Tag: Tyquan Thornton

5 takeaways from Day 12 of Patriots training camp practice

The Patriots ramped things up at practice in preparation for their preseason opener.

The New England Patriots put a cherry on top of their Week 1 prep work for their upcoming preseason opener at Tuesday’s training camp practice.

It was a padded practice that shifted focus to those expected to suit up for Thursday night’s game. Those hoping to see defensive end Trey Flowers back in a Patriots uniform will have to wait a little while longer. After signing with the Patriots, the former defensive star was placed on the active/PUP list by the team.

There were several absences and a big return for the Patriots at practice. The full list of absences is as follows:

DE Trey Flowers

G Michael Onwenu

G Cole Strange

G Bill Murray

OT Calvin Anderson

ST Cody Davis

RB/WR Ty Montgomery

OT Calvin Anderson

This was likely the final day fans will be allowed to attend a Patriots training camp practice this year. Let’s jump into some takeaways from the latest practice before the preseason opener.

Stock up, stock down for Patriots ahead of preseason opener

Who’s stock is up and who’s stock is down for the Patriots?

The New England Patriots are approaching their first preseason game of the 2023 season on Thursday, which will be an important test for every player on the 90-man roster. Each player is fighting for a role and an opportunity to make the 53-man roster.

As each week passes, we will be taking a look at players or position groups and breaking down how they have been performing this summer.

Stock watching is a way of sharing what we see and how a player is performing or building off of their past performances. Generally, the more a stock drops, the lower their roster lock status becomes.

As with all roster moves, there are multiple facets that get taken into consideration, like contracts, draft status and positional need. Let’s take a look at who is up and who is down in the Patriots’ stock watch.

6 takeaways from Day 10 of Patriots training camp practice

The Patriots were back on the practice field after a day off. Here are six takeaways from Day 10 of Patriots training camp.

After taking a Saturday off, it was back to work for the New England Patriots for Day 10 of training camp practice on Sunday.

The team is slated to face the Houston Texans in their preseason opener on Thursday night. So everything they’re doing from here on out is clearly in preparation for that game.

There were several players, including multiple starters, missing from practice. Some have been on the list since the start of training camp, while others are popping up for the very first time. Here’s the full list of absences:

G Michael Onwenu

ST Cody Davis

C David Andrews

CB Jonathan Jones

ST Matthew Slater

G Cole Strange

RB/WR Ty Montgomery

OT Calvin Anderson

Offensive tackle Trent Brown did not participate in team drills, but he was on the field. Let’s take a look at six observations from Sunday’s training camp practice.

5 takeaways from Day 7 of Patriots training camp practice

The offense came alive on Day 7 of Patriots training camp.

It took seven days for things to get competitive, but on Wednesday, the competition between the New England Patriots offense and defense was fierce.

That isn’t something we saw much of last year around this time. But then again, that Patriots team didn’t have Bill O’Brien as the offensive coordinator.

Things have obviously changed with the new play-caller taking the reins. The offense looks more decisive, disciplined and focused than it has been in quite some time. A greatly improved offensive unit facing off against a likely elite defensive unit gives actual meaning to the idea of iron sharpening iron.

Some of the absences for the Patriots included Michael Onwenu, Cole Strange, Cody Davis, Ty Montgomery, Terez Hall and Calvin Anderson.

Here are five takeaways from Day 7 of Patriots training camp practice:

6 leftover notes from Day 6 of Patriots training camp practice

Leftover notes from Day 6 of Patriots training camp

The New England Patriots were back on the training camp field on Tuesday after holding their first padded practice. So there was naturally a sense of excitement to see how things would progress on Day 6.

Cole Strange, who suffered a leg injury on Monday, was seen on the field, but he didn’t participate in team drills. While his injury isn’t believed to be serious, the Patriots are clearly being cautious with whatever he’s dealing with in that regard.

The team was also without Michael Onwenu, Calvin Anderson, Cody Davis, Brad Hawkins, Ty Montgomery, Jalen Hurd (retirement), Terez Hall and Chasen Hines. Meanwhile, offensive tackle Trent Brown was once again working off to the side on conditioning drills.

Here are six leftover notes from Day 6 of Patriots training camp:

Madden 24 ratings for every Patriots wide receiver

How did EA Sports rate the Patriots’ receiving corps in “Madden NFL 24”?

The New England Patriots’ wide receiver position has probably been the most contentiously debated amongst fans. So it’s no surprise there has been plenty of excitement surrounding the “Madden NFL 24” player ratings reveal at the position.

After losing Jakobi Meyers in free agency, the Patriots brought in JuJu Smith-Schuster to join the likes of DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton.

None of those names jump off on paper exactly as a true No. 1 receiving option, but they are all quality targets for Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. Will it be enough firepower to compete in an AFC East division that’s arguably the best in football?

Good luck with that.

Here’s a look at the ratings for every Patriots receiver on the roster for the upcoming “Madden NFL 24” video game:

5 takeaways from Day 2 of Patriots training camp practice

5 takeaways from Day 2 of Patriots training camp

The New England Patriots were back on the practice field on Thursday for Day 2 of training camp.

In many ways, it felt like a carryover from Wednesday’s practice with the team focusing more on red zone work. Coach Bill Belichick mentioned the first week was an extension of minicamp and OTAs, but the team is expected to up the intensity and bring out the pads next week.

The story of the day was once again about the defense dominating. Granted, quarterback Mac Jones and the offense had a few nice plays in 11-on-11s, but for the most part, they struggled against a stingy Patriots defense that appeared tough to fend off at every level.

Here are six takeaways from Day 2 of Patriots training camp:

3 Patriots players to avoid in 2023 fantasy football drafts

You may want to avoid these three Patriots players in fantasy football drafts

It’s always fun talking about sleepers or offensive mainstays, but we need to talk about some players to avoid in fantasy football in 2023.

That isn’t to say they’ll be terrible overall, but these are players who will likely not provide any fantasy value to your roster due to many factors, including role, injury or depth chart.

These players could wind up making me eat my words, and I would hope they do. But not everyone will be fantasy relevant, even on the best offensive teams.

These players should stay on waivers and could be picked up eventually. However, it is best to monitor their play for the first month before rostering them.

Here are three Patriots players that should be avoided in fantasy football drafts this season:

3 major concerns for Patriots heading into training camp

Here are three concerns for the Patriots heading into training camp

There was never any doubt that the 2023 season would be an uphill battle for the New England Patriots, but considering some of the issues currently facing their roster, things could potentially be worse off than anticipated.

No, this isn’t some attempt to snuff out all of the happy vibes heading into training camp. Make no mistake, there are still a lot of things for the Patriots to feel good about.

Bill O’Brien is back calling the offensive plays, and the defense could be a rising juggernaut. But the Patriots will still have their work cut out for them if they have any hopes of competing, much less winning, a stacked AFC East division.

Here are three major concerns for the team heading into training camp:

Biggest winners and losers from Patriots’ OTAs and minicamp

Who stood out and who didn’t at the Patriots’ spring practices?

Not everybody came out of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp a winner for the New England Patriots.

That doesn’t mean they won’t bounce back in the summer and turn things around at training camp. It’s always important to avoid overreacting to spring practices, especially when players aren’t even working out in pads.

But then again, the teams wouldn’t be meeting if OTAs and minicamp weren’t considered important offseason work. There were clearly standouts for the Patriots on the field, and on the other end of the spectrum, there were also players that struggled.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from the Patriots’ spring practices: