5 biggest takeaways from Day 1 of Patriots training camp practice

USA Today

4 days ago

After a long and eventful offseason, the New England Patriots finally opened training camp on Wednesday.
It was an open practice held in shorts and helmets. In many ways, it felt like an extension of minicamp, minus the fan attendance. The team focused heavily on drills while also holding two team periods of 11-on-11s.
Veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs participated fully for the first time after being officially cleared to practice on Tuesday. There was one unexpected absence on the field, and that was second-year wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk.
With 12 receivers currently on the team, Polk has a tough road ahead to make the final roster. He has been recovering from a shoulder injury and was limited over the spring. Every practice is crucial in his bid to get a second opportunity in New England.
Here's the full attendance report for the Patriots on Day 1 of training camp:
Let's dive into the biggest takeaways from Wednesday's practice.
Maye and Diggs connection picks right up
It didn't take long for Drake Maye to find one of his new favorite targets, four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Maye found Diggs on a short crosser for his first completion in training camp during the 11-on-11 period. It was a positive sign that the two already appear to be on the same page.
Diggs finished up the practice with two catches against the defense.
Before going down with the ACL injury, Diggs had six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. It isn't fair to expect a 31-year-old wideout to produce at the same level after a devastating knee injury, but Diggs could end up being the exception to the rule given his incredible work ethic and determination to be the best at his craft.
He is clearly off to a strong start after his performance on Wednesday.
Kyle Williams' stock already rising
The Patriots have a long history of drafting the wrong receivers, but their luck might have finally changed with the arrival of rookie third-round pick Kyle Williams.
It has been noted that Williams was one of the best pure separators in the 2025 NFL draft class. He showed off some of those skills in front of a live audience during the competitive team period. One of his catches included a comeback route with All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez in coverage.
The Patriots didn't get much production out of their rookie wideouts last year, and they went into camp this year with the hope that things would be different with Williams.
So far, so good for the former Washington State standout.
Maye looked impressive on Day 1
This was a solid practice performance for Drake Maye.
Overall, he went 8-of-9 passing with no interceptions. Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers nearly had a pick against Maye on an attempted pass to Demario Douglas, but he wasn't able to hold onto the ball.
Limiting turnovers has been one of the goals for Maye in his second year at quarterback. While he doesn't want to shy away from big plays, it's also important to limit the mistakes that can get the team beat. He looked sharp on Wednesday dealing to the new-look receiving weapons.
Joshua Dobbs went 2-of-6 passing with an interception, and rookie Ben Wooldridge was 3-for-4 passing.
Not a great day for the offensive line
Drake Maye would have been eating plenty of grass if the defenders were allowed to hit the quarterback in this practice. There were at least four would-be sacks on Maye during the competitive team period.
Patriots rookie Will Campbell had a good showing, aside from a lone play when he got blown up by edge rusher Keion White. The operation as a whole along the offensive front wasn't as successful as the team probably would have liked.
With that said, the Patriots were practicing in shorts and helmets. That limited contact makes for awkward battles in the trenches between the offense and defense. This wasn't a practice where you could walk away with a concrete opinion of where the offensive line stands at this point.
The top offensive line unit for the Patriots featured Campbell, Cole Strange, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses.
Patriots' defensive front could be a problem
The Patriots' defensive front deserves a lot of the credit for the offensive line issues in the first training camp practice. Milton Williams and Christian Barmore are a handful together for any offense. Their ability to create pressure up the middle often leads to opportunities for others on defense.
Keion White, in particular, was a player seen sniffing out potential sacks on multiple occasions. It's an impressive trio of defenders who could wreak havoc on opposing offenses in the 2025 season.
It's going to be fun to see how competitive things get when the pads finally come on. Given the elite talent in the defensive backfield, the significant upgrades along the defensive front could make the Patriots the most competitive they've been on the defensive side of the ball in years.
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