FOXBORO, Mass. — Matthew Judon sat atop a stack of blocking pads at the start of the New England Patriots’ first padded practice of the summer, watching without words as the rest of the team went through warmups.
He’d already made clear his feelings about his contract situation, already chatted on the side with owner Robert Kraft at a previous practice, and now was speaking with his actions. He wasn’t going to practice.
First-year coach Jerod Mayo came over to chat. The two have worked together since Judon arrived in New England. Judon championed Mayo’s ascent to the head coach’s seat after Bill Belichick’s departure and was an important supporter of Mayo in the locker room.
But now Judon wants answers — and it’s not clear if Mayo can provide the ones Judon wants. So after a lengthy conversation, Judon walked away from the head coach and off the practice field, starting an apparent holdout as he seeks more contract security entering the final year of his deal, one which he has largely outperformed with the Patriots. He returned about 15 minutes later and chatted with Eliot Wolf, the team’s top front-office executive. After that, Judon left again.
This is all just reading body language but it sure doesn’t look like Matthew Judon walks away fired up about where things stand between him and the Patriots. https://t.co/AaE7NQaR2n
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) July 29, 2024
Meanwhile, powerhouse agent Drew Rosenhaus stood a few feet away, presumably here in support of his client Davon Godchaux, the team’s other disgruntled player who said he feels disrespected by his lack of contract security. Rosenhaus chatted with Matt Groh, one of Wolf’s top assistants, during practice, then spoke with both Godchaux and Mayo after practice.
Monday was supposed to be an important day for the Patriots, the first day in full pads, one that often feels like a right of passage amid the grueling lead-up to the season opener. Instead, it was full of drama.
Only a week into camp, Mayo has not just a tightrope to walk but some tough news to face. One of his best players (Christian Barmore) was diagnosed with blood clots over the weekend and is out indefinitely. Another vital defender (Judon) is openly irritated, apparently pleading his case for a new deal on the practice field in front of teammates. And Mayo’s best run stopper (Godchaux) has his high-profile agent publicly chatting with executives during practice. That’s quite the 24-hour news cycle for a first-time head coach with a team that Vegas predicts will be among the NFL’s worst.
And that was just what happened outside the white lines of the team’s practice field. Here are some takeaways from Monday’s action at Gillette Stadium.
GO DEEPER
Patriots’ Matthew Judon frustrated by lack of new contract — but doesn’t hold out
QBs going in different directions
Drake Maye is going through his first bit of NFL adversity since New England made him the No. 3 pick in the draft. He followed up a not-so-great practice Sunday with a pretty rough one Monday, completing only three of 11 passes to go with an interception during drills.
Coaches have made it clear that Maye would have to definitively outplay Jacoby Brissett to be the starting quarterback in Week 1, and so far that hasn’t happened. Brissett had a good practice on Monday, making the downfield throws the offense has mostly lacked through the first week.
None of this is to say there’s concern about Maye. This was only the first fully padded practice. The traits are all there, and the Pats are incredibly high on the future they envision with him. It’ll be interesting to see how he responds to a couple of poor practices when the team returns to the field Tuesday.
But right now, all signs continue to point to Brissett being the starting quarterback when the season begins.
O-line shows up
The Patriots offensive line had probably its best practice of training camp Monday, delivering impressive performances both in the one-on-one drills against the defensive line and in full-team scrimmages. It was especially impressive in run blocking, opening clear lanes for the running backs. (This is where it should be noted that, of course, the unit didn’t have to face Barmore or Judon, the team’s best defensive linemen.)
Mike Onwenu and rookie Caedan Wallace, who was the starting left tackle for the second straight day, were especially good. However …
GO DEEPER
Wait, why are the Patriots extending so many players from a 4-13 team?
Silly mistakes continue on offense
One of the biggest problems for the offense has been logistical. There are consistently players lining up in the wrong spots or jumping offside, costly mistakes if they’re made in a game.
Monday might’ve been the worst so far in that vein.
Mayo has continued Belichick’s philosophy of making players run a lap around the field when they make procedural errors like that. But at one point toward the end of practice, so many players had made mistakes that Mayo made the entire offense run.
“We’re not figuring it out by talking to each other, so let’s run until we figure it out,” said tight end Austin Hooper. “We’ll either be a cross country team or we’ll be a football team. I’d rather be a football team.”
Another Baker highlight
One positive aspect of training camp so far has been downfield, standout catches from fourth-round pick Javon Baker. He delivered again on Monday with an impressive grab over two defenders after Brissett lobbed the ball his way on a free play. (New offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has emphasized hard snap counts with the quarterbacks to try to lure the defense offside, then take advantage of the free play. Aaron Rodgers has been the best in the NFL at that, and Van Pelt was Rodgers’ quarterbacks coach from 2014 to 2017.)
That said, there has been a bit of a learning curve for the 22-year-old Baker. On Sunday, after he hauled in a deep pass, he threw the ball into the stands to celebrate. The problem? He hadn’t been touched down by a defender, and unlike college football, receivers aren’t down until a defender touches them.
“He’s definitely a good player,” Mayo said of the rookie. “I would say he has a lot to learn. … That right there is a fumble. Those are the things that they’ll learn through training camp, and hopefully he doesn’t do it during the season.”
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(Photo of Judon: Eric Canha / USA Today)
