Patriots Camp: Mac Jones Interception Sparks Defense; Day 1 Notebook

The New England Patriots are back in action on the Gillette Stadium practice fields on Wednesday, as they opened 2023 training camp. Our Day 1 review ...

FOXBORO — As the New England Patriots walked off of the practice fields on Wednesday morning, the words of Commander Mike ‘Viper’ Metcalf from 1986’s action classic Top Gun (well-articulated by actor Tom Skerrit) might seem quite relevant.

“Gentlemen…you had a helluva first day.”

At long last, the Patriots returned to practice, officially kicking off 2023 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 — including a stellar performance by the Pats defense. 

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

Roll Call

The Patriots enjoyed near perfect attendance for their first training camp practice of the season. The only notables absences were offensive tackle Michael Onwenu and special teamer Cody Davis — who currently reside on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list — and offensive tackle Calvin Anderson — who was placed on the non-football illness (NFI) list on Tuesday. 

Both defensive tackle Justus Tavai (PUP) and linebacker DaMarcus Mitchell (NFI) were present at practice

Making his much-anticipated debut on the practice fields, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster hyped the crowd by running alongside the bleachers, prior to the start of Wednesday’s session, much to the delight of the fans in attendance. 

Quarterback Snapshot

Starting quarterback Mac Jones got off to a shaky start, yet finished the day completing 4 of 7 passes in 11-on-11s, and 1 of 3 in 7-on-7 drills, with an interception. 

Jones’ pick came on his first pass of the day during 7s, which was intended for tight end Mike Gesicki. Safety Kyle Dugger got the jump on Gesicki in the end zone. Still, the Pats quarterback rebounded by connecting on three touchdown passes — his first to JuJu Smith-Schuster and two to tight end Hunter Henry, one of which was a pinpoint throw in tight coverage over rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Jones also tossed a pair of scores to hybrid receiver Ty Montgomery. 

Bailey Zappe was the clear second option during practice, connecting on 2 of 8 passes as he struggled through 11-on-11s. He also completed 2 of 3 in 7-on-7s, looking much sharper in the process. 

Offense Observations

In addition to exciting the crowd alongside fellow receiver Kendrick Bourne, Smith-Schuster had a notable day on the field. The veteran receiver led off positional drills, while catching his first training camp practice touchdown with Mac Jones as his quarterback. Smith-Schuster showed no signs of being hampered by the knee injury which had kept him on the sidelines until Wednesday. 

Though he was among the top choices to earn a spot near the top of the running backs depth chart, hybrid back Ty Montgomery spent significant time working with the receivers. The 30-year-old appears to be settling into an offensive option on third-down, as well as a backfield receiver, as he was used similarly during OTAs and minicamp. He was also the logical choice as their third Z-receiver option [off the line of scrimmage] on select packages. Montgomery led all pass catchers with four receptions on the day, including two would-be scores on Jones’ passes. 

Amid some recent questions about both his presence, and his role, offenisve tackle Trent Brown appeared to be a key component in the Pats o-line alignments. Brown looked to be in good shape, as well as engaged, as he manned the left tackle position for the team’s primary unit. Second-year lineman Cole Strange aligned at left guard with David Andrews handling duties at center. In Onwenu’s absence, reserve Bill Murray played at right guard with veteran Riley Reiff lining up at right tackle. While Onwenu will almost certainly return to his rightful spot on the line when healthy, it will be worth monitoring the amount of reps Reiff takes on the right side. The 34-year-old is expected to compete with Conor McDermott rookie Sidy Sow, as well as Calvin Anderson when healthy for the position.  

Defense Observations

While one day is hardly an adequate sample size, the Pats secondary showed enough to prove that they will be a formidable unit this season. New England’s defensive backs collectively broke up seven passes, with third-year cornerback Shaun Wade leading the way with two. 

Despite surrendering the aforementioned touchdown, top rookie Christian Gonzalez aligned with New England’s top defenders throughout the session. Gonzalez, along with Jonathan Jones were the primary options on the perimeter with Myles Bryant handling duties in the slot. As promised just one day earlier by coach Bill Belichick, Jack Jones was on the field, seeing most of his action with the reserves.

The Patriots front seven also made its presence felt, with defensive lineman Christian Barmore breaking up a pass during team drills and linebacker Anfernee Jennings earning a would-be sack, per Mark Daniels of MassLive. 

Up Next: 

The Patriots will return to the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday for their second training camp practice of 2023. 

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