Second-Year Leap Incoming: Maye, Diggs & Co. Ready to Rewrite Patriots’ Destiny!

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — At long last, the New England Patriots have returned to practice, officially kicking off 2022 training camp. With fans in attendance, expectations high and excitement at a lofty level, New England began its journey towards a return to league prominence.

While Wednesday's session was more of an extension of minicamp than simulation of game action, there were still some seedlings of potential camp battles to come.

Here are some of the highlights of an eventful first day:

Roll Call:

The Pats enjoyed solid attendance on opening day of camp. With the exception of those currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP), as well as the non-football injury (NFI) lists, only one player was absent: receiver Ja’Lynn Polk.

Offensive lineman Vederian Lowe and tight end Austin Hooper is currently on PUP, while safety Josh Minkins remains on NFI.

Quarterback Snapshot:

As expected, second-year Drake Maye has opened camp having taken the reins as the team’s top option at the position. Maye had a strong first day, completing 8-of-9 passes during team drills — the first of which went to veteran wideout Stefon Diggs on a crowd-pleasing shallow crosser. Overall, the 22-year-old tossed two completions to Diggs, as well as a pair of connections with rookie receiver Kyle Williams.

Reserve Joshua Dobbs completed 2-of-6 with an interception on a pass intended for second-year receiver Javon Baker. Third option Ben Wooldridge showcased his accuracy, connecting on 3-of-4 in limited duty.

Offense Observations:

After looking a bit out of sorts at times during mandatory minicamp, the Patriots offense looked to be a bit more cohesive. The Pats ran rudimentary alignments in multiple concepts, with Maye at the helm of the first-team offense. He was joined by running back Rhamondre Stevenson, tight end Hunter Henry and receivers Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas.

New England’s top offensive line consisted of left tackle Will Campbell, left guard Strange, center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Mike Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses. Third-round rookie Jared Wilson saw some first-team reps at center, while second-year lineman Caedan Wallace saw some time aligning at left guard.

While most eyes are typically focused on the quarterbacks early in camp, Kyle Williams took full advantage of capturing the rookie spotlight. In what may have been the performance of the day, Williams caught two passes from Maye during his top-team reps on offense — an underneath grab which he extended through yards-after-catch up the sideline, and a back shoulder catch with cornerback Christian Gonzalez in coverage.

Defense Observations:

While tangible defensive analysis is difficult to provide prior to the start of padded practices, the Pats defense is already demonstrating a greater amount of aggression in their approach to defending both the run and the pass.

Under new head coach Mike Vrabel and coordinator Terrell Williams, the Patriots are widely expected to deploy an increasingly assertive four-down scheme. The benefit of transitioning to this type of defense is that it tends to be more proactive. Rather than reading and reacting to run or pass, the defensive line becomes unlocked to get upfield, leading to more plays behind the line of scrimmage.

Last season, the Pats struggled to generate early-down pressure, ranking at 31 of the NFL’s 32 teams in pressure rate on first and second down. As such, the Patriots new-look pass rush should bolster the amount of pressure provided by New England’s defensive front in 2025.

Cornerback D.J. James provided the day’s only interception, a pass from Dobbs intended from Baker. Though it appeard the Dobbs just missed Baker’s mark, James deserved credit for tight coverage and smart positioning to make the play. Safeties Jabrill Peppers and Craig Woodson turned in a handful of pass deflections, thus providing a preliminary look at the type of ball-seeking defense New England is capable of deploying in the back of their secondary this season.

Lastly, the Pats tools advantage in some lapses in pass protection along their offensive line by turning in four would-be sacks — from defensive end Keion White, linebackers K’Lavon Chaisson and Christian Elliss and one which could have been credited as a team sack.

We Are All “Pawtriots:”

As part of the newly-launched Pawtriots program, the Kraft Family and the New England Patriots Foundation hosted Pet Adoption Day on Wednesday outside of Gillette Stadium. Fans in attendance to attend the first practice of training camp also had the chance to head home with a new best friend — getting the chance to meet and adopt dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes. 

Team owner Robert Kraft, coach Mike Vrabel, receiver Stefon Diggs and special-teams stalwart were among those arriving for practice accompanied by one of Foxborough’s four-legged faithful available for adoption.

Next Up:

The Patriots will return to the practice fields on Thursday morning for Day 2 of training camp practices. The session is set to begin at 10:15am ET and will be open to the public.