The second practice of the New England Patriots’ 2024 training camp is in the books. It looked similar to the first as it was once again part of the so-called acclimation period, leading to a heavy focus on the passing game between the second 20s.
To recap the session, be sure to check out Pats Pulpit reporter Brian Hines’ training camp diary. Before we get to Day 3, let’s clear out that diary to officially wrap up Wednesday’s session.
Patriots Training Camp Notebook: Day 2
Practice Summary | Remarkable performances | Keion White Press | DeMario Douglas injury update | Pulpit Pats Training Camp Guide
The Patriots are playing the long game along their offensive line: The Patriots’ offensive line is one of their biggest concerns heading into the 2024 season, and it appears they have yet to determine their preferred combination up front. On Thursday, Chukwuma Okorafor, Sidy Sow, David Andrews, Michael Onwenu and Vederian Lowe made up the top group, a change from the day before, when Calvin Anderson was the top right tackle ahead of Lowe.
Mixing and matching is a practice that should continue to happen, Okorafor stressed after practice.
“Everything is open. Our coaches said that every day there will be a different team, so we don’t really know yet who the players will be,” he told reporters.
“David and Mike, we know them obviously. But apart from them, everything is open. So we have to understand how each other works. I could play next to Nick (Leverett) tomorrow or next week. It’s important to know how each other plays. If I’m playing next to someone, they have to know how I play and I have to know how they play.”
While offensive line coach Scott Peters and assistant Robert Kugler appear content with four of the five positions at this point, more moves appear to be on the cards for the group. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, Anderson said.
“It presents challenges that maybe I’m a little bit more used to, having played both right and left since I joined the league,” he said. “It might be new for some players, but I think it’s much more beneficial in the long run when you have players who can transfer their characteristics from one side to the other. I think it’s important to learn that. It also helps players in the long run, later in their career.”
The Patriots may be playing the long game by grooming their offensive linemen for different positions. As the team found out last season, after all, injuries can come quickly and derail a unit if adequate depth isn’t built in the offseason.
The players themselves don’t seem too concerned about this situation either.
“In this business, you have to be willing to play both sides,” Anderson said. “I’m here to show the new coaches that are here, to show my teammates that I’m willing to do it if necessary.”
Okorafor, who started 61 games at right tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers but now plays left tackle, feels the same way.
“I don’t want to be the guy who talks before he puts on pads, but I’ve played left and right; I’ve been an All-American at left,” he said. “I think you all try to make a big deal out of it, but to me, it’s not really a big deal. Football is football. If I’m supposed to play left guard, left tackle, right guard, right tackle, it doesn’t really make a difference to me.”
Jerod Mayo’s emphasis on relationships stands out: Whether the results will live up to the task remains to be seen, but Jerod Mayo is already having a positive impact on the Patriots. The new head coach, who succeeded future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick in January, is particularly notable for the personal connections he tries to build with his players.
“Mayo, and anyone who’s been around him knows, is very relationship-oriented. I think that contributes to the culture of the team,” offensive tackle Calvin Anderson said.
“I don’t know what other coaches are like, but Mayo knows his players. You walk around and you feel like you have a personal relationship with him. It makes it a lot easier to buy in. When we’re on the field, we can feel it when he’s with us and telling us what to do. I appreciate that. It makes the culture really nice.”
A former player under Belichick, Mayo was a team captain and defensive leader at the time. He later became a coach before rising through the ranks of the organization in recent seasons.
His leadership style contrasts with the more stoic – if sometimes misinterpreted – approach of his predecessor. Anderson appears to welcome the change.
“When you have a coach who puts that relationship aspect first – which gets lost in the business world in general, but also in ours – it brings you back to why you love to play the game: the team aspect of football,” he said. “It’s a lot easier to play as a team when you have that relationship aspect. He puts that emphasis on that, and I think everybody’s better for it.”
Christian Gonzalez tries to imitate Stephon Gilmore: Expectations are high for Christian Gonzalez heading into his second career season. Although he was limited to just four games as a rookie due to a shoulder injury, his talent and potential are evident and he appears poised to become a true No. 1 outside cornerback.
If so, he would be following the lead of former Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore. According to Gonzalez himself, he has been in contact with the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
“He’s one of the best players to ever do it. He plays with a lot of intelligence. He knows the game very well,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve talked to him a couple of times. He’s told me that and I’ve watched his video, you can see how he played like that. I just try to mimic certain things and things like that. But it’s really cool to be able to talk to someone like that or talk to him anytime I need to, or just when I want to talk about the ball.”
Gilmore spent four full seasons in New England and was one of the best cornerbacks in the league during that time. In addition to the personal accolades he received, he also helped the Patriots win a Super Bowl, something Gonzalez had also planned to do.
Vom Godchaux’s participation status raises questions: After participating in team drills during Wednesday’s session, suggesting he would not hold up in protest of his contract situation, Godchaux was largely absent Thursday. He was not spotted at the start of the session and when he did appear, he did not join his teammates on the field.
No reason has been given for this lack of participation, meaning that no option can be ruled out. That said, the coincidence of his inactivity with his contractual status is notable.
Godchaux enters the final year of his contract hoping to secure an extension. He has a salary cap hit of $11.8 million, but he ranks just 35th in the NFL in cash flow for the upcoming season at $8.3 million. He’s hoping for a fit and a contract that ties him to New England beyond 2024.
What Kyle Dugger wants to improve in 5th grade: With a new contract extension in hand, Kyle Dugger’s role on the Patriots roster is no longer a secret. He’s expected to continue to be a leader on the field and take on a larger role in that area off the field as well. For the 28-year-old, it’s a specific area he’s looking to improve in heading into his fifth NFL season.
“I just want to continue to be a better leader, a better communicator and really help the whole defense in any way I can,” he said. “That’s really the main thing for me, especially in terms of communication. I really want to help and be consistent.”
A second-round pick in the 2020 draft, Dugger has increased his role in New England’s defensive secondary each season. After Devin McCourty retired last spring, he became the No. 1 safety: A starter in every game and moving throughout the lineup, he rarely left the field and helped the unit stay afloat even when it struggled with personnel issues.
His game has a lot to do with it, but also his ability to rally forces. But, by his own admission, he does not do it with grandiose gestures or fiery speeches that resonate in defensive meeting rooms.
Dugger instead takes a more personal approach to leadership.
“It’s a feeling thing. You don’t want to force anything. It has to be authentic,” he said. “I’m a one-on-one guy, personally, I take guys aside and let them know, like, ‘Hey, pull yourself together.’ I don’t really get them mad in front of the room, but I let them know one-on-one what it is, what I expect from them and what the defense expects from them.”
“Just finding those spots, reading guys, seeing where they need to pick me up – guys that maybe don’t get that attention during the day; taking them aside and having a one-on-one with them, getting the playbook, things like that.”
It remains to be seen what the Patriots’ captaincy scheme will look like under new head coach Jerod Mayo, and how many players will end up wearing the new “C” patch on their jerseys in 2024. Dugger, however, appears to be a realistic candidate to rejoin the group in his fifth season.
The value of the acclimatization period is evident to Calvin Anderson: In their ever-evolving quest for player safety (and maximizing profits), the NFL and NFLPA have changed the way training camps are run over the years. Gone are the two-a-day sessions or the heavy-hitting sessions from day one. Instead, camp begins with an acclimation period that is essentially a continuation of offseason workouts.
Even though it limits action in the early days of summer, it’s an important step in preparing for collision football.
“These days are important,” Calvin Anderson says. “Obviously, we suit up with protection on. So that acclimatization period is really important for all the mental rehearsals. The better you are without protection, the easier it is when you have it on. Obviously, there are some limitations with not being able to hit things, but I think we benefit from these days.”
The Patriots will be donning their full protections next week, and the team is currently expected to step up the intensity in that regard on Monday.
And after: The Patriots will return to the practice field Friday at 11 a.m. ET for their final session before a day off. Gates will open again at 10 a.m. Be sure to follow Pats Pulpit (@patspulpit) as well as our own Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) and Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) for updates.