FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots held their 10th day of training camp Monday, and one thing is very clear: The team is still working out how it'll look, with a new head coach and three new quarterbacks in the conversation.
It was hot and humid for the players in pads and it also ended up being one of the more physical practices in recent history, with full tackling to the ground for the 1s, 2s and 3s. There weren't too many flashy moments out of Monday's action, with lots of focus on the run game and short passes.
Coach Jerod Mayo didn't speak to the media, but did hear from outside linebacker Matt Judon, who is looking for a new contract as he enters the final year of his deal.
For more on what Judon said about playing on his current deal, click here. Meanwhile, here are more observations and news from Patriots practice:
Is this Jacoby Brissett's team?
The short answer: Yes. Brissett continues to get the snaps with the first team, something No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye has yet to get. Brissett, on his second stint with the team, looks more comfortable all around at the position than the rookie does.
With a new head coach and new personnel, this team needs wins right now and Brissett gives them the best chance to get those wins. The process of learning the NFL and a team's system doesn't happen overnight, and while Maye has shown some progress, he still has a long way to go until he looks like a starter.
The team hasn't officially named a starter and it's looking like their approach is to put Maye in when he's actually ready, rather than have him learn on the job. While recent history shows the push to get top draft picks out on the field right away, many of the greats didn't even have the chance to compete for the starting job their first year and still learned what they needed to learn on the sidelines.
Offense making steady progress
A big problem with the 2023 Patriots was that each week it seemed things only got worse. This led to players getting more frustrated, and that only took the situation down further. So while the offense has shown nothing astonishing this offseason, it has something it didn't have last year: progress. The defense definitely won the day, but the offense was still continuing to make that slow climb. They have a lot of unknowns, with the left tackle yet to be decided and a group of wide receivers that needs to be thinned out.
As the offense continues to get time as a unit and with joint practice and a preseason game around the corner, we will see more of how this unit will look this season.
Defense still has the edge, gets physical
The Patriots defense entered the offseason with the upper hand over the offense, but in the last few practices, the offense has looked like they were catching up. Today it was the defense that looked superior, creating difficulties for the run game and for receivers on short passes. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez, the 2023 first-round pick who only played four games last season, was a standout, looking good going one-on-one.
A major note from the defense was the physicality, and the mid-field tackling to the ground was surprising. Monday's practice really seemed to be a test for Mayo's squad and set a different tone than previous days.
Three players make a return
Tyquan Thornton and Calvin Anderson and Jaheim Bell return after missing Saturday's practice.
Thornton had a strong start to training camp, but that seems to always be the story for the third-year player: He has a great camp and then injury or bad play takes over. His missed practice due to injury made it seem like that pattern was back, so his return is significant and means the injury was not too serious.
