Latest news with #JaLynnPolk
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
7 Patriots training camp observations from Day 5: Key WR returns for first day of pads
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots took the field at Gillette Stadium on Monday for the fifth day of training camp, but the first in full pads. And head coach Mike Vrabel was ready to keep moving things along. 'We want to be able to practice the same way we have to play, which is physical and within the rules,' Vrabel said. 'Have a great play demeanor, finish through the whistle, and all those things." While it was a quieter day for the offense, with the focus on the run game, one key player returned while a starter left the field limping during practice. So, without further ado, let's get into the top observations from the fifth day of training camp. 1. Christian Gonzalez Limps Off The Field During one of the 11-on-11 sessions, Gonzalez was tasked with covering Stefon Diggs, in which the veteran receiver caught a pass from Maye. Gonzalez grabbed his left leg after the play and was seen limping off the field alongside trainers. He didn't return to practice. The good sign was that he walked off on his own, but it's never good to see one of the Patriots' star players leave training camp in that manner. Carlton Davis, who is the presumed starter alongside Gonzalez, was also absent, leaving Alex Austin, Marcus Jones, and Marcellas Dial (slot) as the top three cornerbacks. 2. Ja'Lynn Polk Returns After missing the first four days of training camp with muscle tightness, second-year wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk returned to the field. He struggled in his rookie year, but is looking to get back on track. And Polk certainly jumped out to a good start with a six-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye during a red zone team period. 3. Quarterback Stats It was a quieter day for the offense, with the focus mostly on the run game in the red zone. Here is how the quarterbacks did on Monday: Drake Maye: 5/6Joshua Dobbs: 2/2Ben Wooldridge: 2/3 Maye also appeared to take what would have been three sacks, including two from K'Lavon Chaisson. 4. Defense Dominated 1-on-1s The defensive line and offensive line squared off against one another on one part of the field, while the wide receivers and the cornerbacks competed on another. Overall, the defense came out on top, but there were some impressive plays from individual players. Keion White certainly gave rookie left tackle Will Campbell some trouble, providing him with a true "welcome to the NFL." However, once they transitioned to 11s, Campbell fared a lot better, including a nice block on Milton Williams to open up a lane for Rhamondre Stevenson. As for the wide receivers vs. the cornerbacks, the defense mostly came out on top, staying in tight coverage and knocking the ball out when they could. Some of the highlight plays from the offense included Kyle Williams' one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone over Marcellas Dial. Kayshon Boutte won both of his matchups against Gonzalez, while DeMario Douglas used a nice move to get past Marcus Jones, with Jones having to do pushups in return. 'Iron sharpens iron every day, so my focus is on getting better every day, working towards the best plays and getting sharp every day,' Boutte said regarding his matchups against Gonzalez. 5. Kicker Battle Takes Interesting Turn Parker Romo was the only kicker to take any field goal attempts during the team period, despite rookie kicker Andy Borregales being out there as well. Romo went 6-for-6 from distances ranging between 30 and 50 yards. 6. Attendance Absent: LB Jahlani Tavai, CB Carlton Davis, WR Mack Hollins (PUP), OT Vederian Lowe (PUP), TE Austin Hooper (PUP) Returning: WR Ja'Lynn Polk, SJosh Minkins (NFI) 7. What's Next? The Patriots will be back out on the field on Tuesday for their sixth practice of the summer, with gates set to open at 9:15 a.m. ET and practice beginning at 10:15 a.m. ET. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook. This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 7 Patriots training camp observations from Day 5
CBS News
28-07-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Ja'Lynn Polk makes training camp debut for Patriots in first padded practice
Ja'Lynn Polk is fighting for a roster spot in Patriots training camp, but had yet to see the field through four practices. That changed for the wide receiver on Monday. Polk took the field with his teammates for the first time this summer for New England's first padded practice of training camp Monday in Foxboro. Over the first week of camp, Polk had been working by himself on the conditioning field as he was reportedly dealing with muscle tightness. It's unclear if Polk will get a second season with the Patriots, with 12 players vying for six or seven spots on the roster this summer. He was a highly touted second-round pick by Eliot Wolf in 2024, but Polk caught just 12 of the 33 passes he saw during his rookie season. Those receptions resulted in just 87 yards and two touchdowns, and Polk led the team in drop percentage at 12.1 percent with four dropped passes on the season. Polk brought down a one-handed catch in the red zone during one-on-one drills early Monday, and also worked with the team's kick returners during the session. While Polk was a second-round pick last year, he is no lock to make the roster in 2025. And though he only missed four days, he's fallen behind as a clear pecking order has emerged among New England receivers. Veteran free-agent signing Stefon Diggs has been setting the tone for the group as the No. 1 option off the line and as a leader and mentor in the locker room. Diggs has been seen talking with New England's young receivers a number of times during camp, including Polk. Kayshon Boutte has been the second receiver off the line in drills after Diggs, while DeMario "Pop" Douglas has been excellent as the team's slot receiver this summer. Rookie Kyle Williams has also turned some heads, putting him firmly in the mix to see some targets in the early days of his NFL career. Veteran Mack Hollins is on PUP, but will have a spot on the team after he signed a two-year contract in the offseason. That's five receivers heading into the season, with only one or two other spots up for grabs. Polk is vying for one of those spots along with fellow 2024 pick Javon Baker, veteran Kendrick Bourne, and undrafted rookie Efton Chism. Rounding out the receiver group this summer are John Jiles, Jeremiah Webb, and Demeer Blankumsee, who remain longshots to make the roster.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stefon Diggs makes early impression in return to Patriots practice
After making headlines off the field, Stefon Diggs returned to Patriots practice for the first time in front of the media on Monday. The receiver looked like he might be in hot water after a video surfaced of him on a yacht handing out an unknown substance to a group of women. On Monday, however, Diggs walked onto the Patriots practice field and said, 'Nice to see you' to a crowd of reporters. Advertisement Diggs was limited in practice but looked good for a player who suffered a torn ACL last fall. Before practice, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said he wasn't worried about Diggs on the field. 'He's here today and we're excited to have an opportunity to work with the guys that are out here and available to us,' McDaniels said. 'I know he's staying up on the information and the material. There's so many things and opportunities for us to teach all of our guys going forward... I'm not concerned about Stef in that regard.' The veteran receiver had a notable burst of speed during position drills. Diggs was among the Patriots receivers to go first in these drills. After warming up, he caught several passes from Maye. These drills didn't have any defensive players on the field, but Diggs caught every pass thrown to him. Advertisement When the Patriots broke off into competitive team drills, Diggs worked off to the side with Patriots offensive assistant Riley Larkin and receiver Ja'Lynn Polk. The veteran never took a rep in competitive drills but did participate in the walk-through portion of practice. Diggs was on the field with Maye and that offensive group. The Patriots signed Diggs to a 3-year, $69 million contract this offseason. The hope is that the 4-time Pro Bowler will give the Patriots offense something they've lacked in recent years. This marks the final week of Patriots OTAs. Diggs hadn't been seen at the other two open practices – but the team did put out a photo of him at one practice during the first week of OTAs. Advertisement On Monday, Patriots receivers coach Todd Downing said that Diggs' viral video wasn't a distraction for his position group. 'The easy part has been that I'm going to coach really hard the guys that are here practicing,' Downing said. 'Obviously that stuff that you mentioned was not here. So, I really kept my focus on the guys that were here and trying to help them get better and become the players they want to be. 'As far as the conversations with Stef – I'll keep the stuff that we talk about between the two of us.' Diggs, who isn't a full participant due to the knee injury, has said he wants to be ready by the Patriots season opener. Downing noted it's easy to see how hard the receiver has been working this offseason. Advertisement 'He's working hard,' Downing said. 'I think there's a little carryover with the stuff he did in Buffalo with (Brian) Daboll back in the day. So there's a little bit of a refresher course. But yeah, he's been working hard.' More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.
