FOXBOROUGH – Real football will soon be upon us.
On Monday, the Patriots wrapped up their fourth day of training camp. Although the day was more intense and players were wearing shells, there was still little to no contact.
That will change on Thursday.
After four days of camp, the Patriots will take Wednesday off before having their first fully padded practice of the 2026 season on Thursday. (The session is free and open to the public unless it rains.)
Up to this point, camp has been a continuation of the spring, with the Patriots holding non-contact practices during OTAs and minicamp. Thursday’s first full-contact session has players excited.
“It’ll be good,” linebacker Christian Elliss said. “It’ll be good to actually fit the run the way we know we can and to get a little contact on contact.”
After a walkthrough on Monday, Mike Vrabel ramped up the intensity Tuesday with the team’s first 7-on-7 period of the summer, followed by six 11-on-11 periods.
Although the day started slowly for Drake Maye, the quarterback finished strong on Day 4 with multiple highlight-reel throws. He went 10-for-14 in 11-on-11s and 4-of-7 in 7-on-7s.
Here’s a look at the top takeaways from Tuesday’s practice:
Maye’s connection with A.J. Brown
The Patriots brought in A.J. Brown to be a major part of their offense. However, after missing most of the offseason workout program, it’s clear that Brown is still working to get on the same page as his quarterback.
On Tuesday, Maye started 0-for-2 when targeting Brown in full-team drills. The first two targets were wildly off the mark and looked like the two players weren’t on the same page.
Things got better as practice went on and Maye finished 3-of-6 when targeting the Pro Bowl receiver.
In 7-on-7s, Maye overthrew his first pass attempt of the period, which was intended for Brown. He ended the next period with a completion to the veteran.
In 11-on-11s, the defense started without Carlton Davis, who left practice with an apparent injury. When Maye saw Brown covered by backup cornerback Charles Woods, he threw to the receiver twice in a row, but both attempts fell incomplete. It looked like Maye expected Brown to run different routes on both attempts.
Later, Maye hit Brown on two short-to-intermediate attempts. One with backup Kindle Vildor in coverage and another with Brown running a crossing route matched up on Marcus Jones.
On Day 1 of camp, Brown dropped a one-handed catch attempt. On Day 2, Brown tipped a pass that led to Maye’s first interception. On Monday, he noted he was still working to get on the same page with Maye.
“I’m still getting comfortable each and every day,” Brown said. “I’m grateful. The offense is - I’m in a good spot. You know, I want to say I’m 90% and it’s just really, just about going to execute and get on the same page with Drake each and every day, but it’ll really come.”
Kayshon Boutte continues to shine
Kayshon Boutte was the subject of trade rumors this past spring.
Right now, it looks like a good thing that the Patriots didn’t move the wide receiver.
On Tuesday, Boutte once again looked like the best offensive player in camp. This day marked the third time he hauled in a highlight-reel catch. Boutte finished the day with a Patriots-high four receptions in practice.
“Man, that dude is unbelievable,” receiver Kyle Williams said. “You know, I’m super proud of him. Obviously, he’s picking up where he left off, and this is only the beginning for him.”
After the Patriots signed Romeo Doubs and traded for Brown, it was reported that the team could trade Boutte as their receiver depth chart was crowded. However, since training camp started, Boutte has been the team’s best receiver.
On Day 1, Boutte made a highlight-reel reception where he dove, caught the ball, and landed so hard his helmet fell off. On Day 2, he made another great grab on a back shoulder catch near the sideline.
On Day 4, Boutte blew through the Patriots’ starting secondary and got by All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to make a 40-something-yard touchdown catch on another Maye deep throw.
Boutte caught two passes from Maye and two from Tommy DeVito on Tuesday. He’s caught six of seven targets in training camp this summer. He has more catches than any receiver who’s played with Maye’s unit – DeMario Douglas (5), Brown (4), Doubs (2) and Efton Chism III (1).
Boutte, 24, enters this season in the final year of his rookie contract. He caught 33 passes for 551 yards and six touchdowns last season. Boutte didn’t participate in optional OTAs this spring, but that hasn’t impacted him one bit this summer.
“I have a lot of respect for Kayshon, and we went through this last offseason,” Mike Vrabel said on Monday. “He had a great offseason, and he had a good training camp, and that played out during the season. He was a large part of our success, and his communication through this offseason with Todd [Downing] and myself- he is a pro.
“He understands what his job is, and he has gotten off to a good start. So, I have a lot of respect for him for the way that he has handled all these different situations, the conversations outside of here and the noise that does not affect his performance on the field.”
Hunter Henry stepped up
Hunter Henry has been a security blanket for Drake Maye over the last two seasons.
It looks like that will continue in 2026.
On Tuesday, Henry had his most impactful day of camp, hauling in two highlight-reel catches from the quarterback.
In the fourth full-team period, Henry jumped over Byard to make a fantastic catch on a Maye deep pass. The veteran tight end crashed to the ground and held on, much to the appreciation of the fans in attendance. In the next period, he did it again – this time leaping over cornerback Marcus Jones to make another nice catch on a Maye throw.
Overall, it was a good day for Patriots tight ends. Rookie Eli Raridon had his best day of camp, catching three passes from DeVito. On his first reception, the third-round pick caught the ball over safety Dell Pettus.
Raridon and fellow rookie Tanner Arkin have been getting reps with the starters in training camp. Arkin also caught a pass from DeVito on Tuesday.
Gabe Jacas made an appearance
For the first time this summer, Gabe Jacas made an appearance at Patriots training camp.
The second-round pick ended his holdout on Saturday when he signed his rookie deal. Since then, Jacas was placed on the non-football injury reserve list. He’s not eligible to practice until he comes off that.
On Tuesday, Jacas could be seen wearing a Patriots long-sleeve shirt and shorts. He hung around his position coach Mike Smith and followed the defense around during the practice.
“We talked about this before, that we were going to evaluate him, we are going to see where he is at,” Vrabel said on Monday. “This is all part of the process. We would do this with any player who had some extended time away or had surgery in the offseason, just like the other guys. So, I am again, cautiously optimistic that he will work his way through the return to play, and we will get him back out there.”
Jacas, Harold Landry, Brenden Schooler, Terrell Jennings, and C.J. Dippre all remain on the physical unable to perform or NFI list. Those were the only players to miss practice on Tuesday.
The Patriots, however, lost two cornerbacks during the session as Carlton Davis and Charles Woods left practice.
Cory Durden stands out
When the pads come on Thursday, it’ll be a good time to evaluate the trenches. One name to watch is defensive tackle Cory Durden.
After the Patriots lost Khyiris Tonga in free agency, Durden is in line to play an expanded role as the team’s nose tackle. On Tuesday, Durden had an eventful day, finishing with a sack and pass breakup at the line of scrimmage.
Durden would have sacked DeVito on one play, bursting through the offensive line and beating backup guard Andre Rupcich. Later, he deflected a Maye pass at the line of scrimmage.
“Cory’s doing his thing, man. He’s balling,” Christian Barmore said this week. “He’s doing really good. You know, he’s going to be a big piece and big factor for our D-line.”
