The Patriots will be back on the practice fields on Friday morning for their third session of the summer.
For a third and final time before their first off day, the New England Patriots will return to the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Friday morning. Players will once again not wear any full pads as part of the acclimation period early in training camp, but the session still projects to be a competitive one.
With that being said, here is our choice of five players to keep an eye on.
QB Joe Milton III and QB Bailey Zappe: On Thursday, the Patriots’ quarterback rotation saw a change with Milton replacing Zappe as the next man up behind Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye. A permanent change? A sign of things to come for Zappe? We will see, possibly as early as Friday. Fact is, however, that both players appear to be under some pressure now: the rookie because the team is seemingly willing to give him more quality reps, and the veteran because his roster spot seems to stand on thin ice.
OT Caedan Wallace: The Patriots did not just change their backup quarterbacks on Thursday, they also used a different right tackle: Vederian Lowe replaced Calvin Anderson as the top option. If that rotation continues during Friday’s practice, third-round rookie Caedan Wallace might have to get ready for extended action with the starters. The situation would not be a new one for the youngster after he already lined up with the top O-line in mandatory minicamp.
DT Davon Godchaux: Have we entered hold-in territory? Friday’s practice might give us a clue. Godchaux, who is looking for a new contract, was effectively a non-participant on Thursday; he arrived late and watched the action from the sidelines. Something is going on, we just don’t know yet what it actually is.
S Brenden Schooler: Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers sit firmly atop the Patriots’ safety depth chart, but it remains to be seen how they will use the other players available. Among them is Brenden Schooler, who has seen an increase in defensive reps lately. With DB/LB hybrid Marte Mapu limited, the core special teamer special teamer was part of several starter-level groups Thursday.
Practice will kick off at 11 a.m. ET and is expected to run for around two hours. Afterwards, quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, Joe Milton and Bailey Zappe will meet with the media.