With the Philadelphia Eagles set to join them on the practice fields the next two days, the New England Patriots decided to take things slow on Tuesday. The club held its second walkthrough in three days in order to get ready of what projects to be two intense joint sessions.
To recap the 18th practice of the summer, please head over to our Patriots training camp notebook. In the meantime, here is who caught our eyes.
Standout of the day
N/A: As usual, we are not naming a player of the day for a walkthrough. The focus of the session, after all, is not on competition but rather the mental element of getting ready for the upcoming season. As a consequence, our observations are based on usage rather than performance.
Other performances of note
WR Efton Chism III: The second-year wide receivers continues to be prominently featured on offense and in the kicking game. On Tuesday, he was part of the first-team offense around starting quarterback Drake Maye again while also serving as a personal protector on the punt team. It very much is starting to feel like the Patriots are trying to find as many roles as possible for him in order to justify having him on the roster.
ED Quintayvious Hutchins: The seventh-round draft choice has had his moments this summer, and the team is making sure to get a proper look at him. This means that he keeps seeing reps with the top-level defense. On Tuesday, that was the case yet again: together with fellow rookie Gabe Jacas, he was part of the second edge grouping alongside starters Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder.
S Mike Brown: Time will tell whether or not Brown can make a late push for the third safety spot, but he very much has held onto a valuable job throughout training camp: personal punt protector, a position he again played on Tuesday. While the aforementioned Efton Chism has started seeing reps in that role as of late, Brown’s experience — he has 141 in-game snaps as a PP on his career résumé — might give him an edge and could ultimately secure him a spot on the 53-man team.
The Patriots will be back on the practice fields on Wednesday for their first of two joint practices with the Eagles. The session will be open to the general public and is set to begin at 10:15 p.m. ET, with doors opening an hour earlier.