news-engine

← american_football

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye picks apart Eagles’ No. 1 defense, and other notes from their first joint practice - The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe · Nicole Yang · 2026-08-19T20:51:00+00:00 · nguồn gốc

FOXBOROUGH — Notes and observations from Wednesday’s first of two Patriots-Eagles joint practices . . . 1. With a dominant performance during team drills, quarterback Drake Maye might have been the player of the day. New England’s passing attack looked sharp. Maye was dealing during the 11-on-11 period, completing nearly every pass against the Eagles’ first-team defense. There were a couple of points when edge rushers Jalyx Hunt and Jihaad Campbell might have registered sacks in game situations, but Maye had his way with the secondary. His favorite target was A.J. Brown, who caught all seven of the passes thrown his way during team drills, though Maye still spread the ball around downfield. “He’s very special,” Brown said of Maye. “He makes my job a lot easier. Just learning how he sees the game and getting on the same page, there’s definitively a learning curve. But we’re going to continue to try to keep working at that.” 2. Practice attracted an impressive turnout, as the line to enter circled around Gillette Stadium and through Patriot Place. Fans, supporting both teams, filled the bleachers, with a small contingent of Eagles fans, decked out in Kelly green, even starting a faint “E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!” chant. The first reps of the day, a one-on-one drill between Patriots receivers and Eagles defensive backs, received quite a pop from the crowd. They cheered loudly in anticipation while Brown ran down the sideline. Had Brown hauled in the deep pass from Maye, the noise level would have boomed, but All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell managed to punch the ball loose. “Q got away with a little bit of holding,” Brown said after practice with a laugh. “I won and he pulled himself back into the play. I’ve got to finish the play. My right hand didn’t get to the ball quick enough, my left hand got on the ball, and that’s on me — attention to detail, catching the ball high, not letting it get low. Those are the little things. It’s never about who I’m going against. It’s the little things. That could’ve been a 40-yard bomb.” Mitchell acknowledged he was “more amped up” for the play, given his past battles with Brown during practice in Philadelphia. Their rep kicked off a series of high-intensity plays. DeMario Douglas shook Cooper DeJean for a wide-open grab. Tariq Woolen started talking trash after defending an incomplete pass intended for Romeo Doubs. 3. Eagles edge rusher Jonathan Greenard did not practice because he’s still dealing with a pectoral injury. His presence could have represented a chance for Patriots left tackle Will Campbell to demonstrate his improvement from last summer, when Greenard, then a member of the Vikings, decisively and repeatedly beat Campbell during joint practices. Instead, Campbell matched up against Hunt, a 2024 third-round pick, for his two one-on-one reps. Hunt easily got the better of Campbell on their first matchup. Campbell bounced back for a better showing the second time, but Hunt’s speed, explosiveness, and power were apparent in his ability to generate pressure. Campbell, who has otherwise put together a strong camp, also had the chance to reunite with longtime Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson, who invited him this summer to train at his newly constructed facility in Oklahoma. “Will kind of reminds me of myself, in a way,” Johnson said. “A country kid drafted in the first round, so I know the pressures that are on guys like that. For me, I thought he had a really good rookie season. Talking to him — really, our lives are pretty similar in a lot of ways in what we’re doing. You can see him getting better. I was watching him some today, he looks thicker and bigger. He’s healed up from his knee injury.” 4. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez once again was absent, as he has now missed seven straight days of team activities (two joint practices, two padded practices, two walkthroughs, and one preseason game). The Patriots maintain that Gonzalez is still working his way back after suffering an injury at the end of practice on Aug. 10. As for edge rusher Harold Landry (physically unable to perform list) and core special teamer Brenden Schooler (non-football injury list), both of whom haven’t practiced this summer? “They’re here,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “They’re rehabbing. They’re working through the return to play. Where they are for Week 1, they won’t be out there today, so that’s the only update I can give you. They won’t play in the [preseason] game this week.” 5. The Patriots’ defense came away with five takeaways, including two interceptions from Jalen Hurts to Craig Woodson. It is worth noting the Eagles were without two of their top receivers, DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and rookie Makai Lemon (hamstring). “He’s been having a phenomenal camp,” safety Kevin Byard said of Woodson. “Two takeaways today, can’t get any better than that. He’s a very mature guy. I want to say he’s, like, 25 or something like that, so he’s not a young 21-year-old, second-year player. He’s very mature. He obviously played in this defense all last year, started every single game.” Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.