5 takeaways from Day 6 of 2025 Patriots training camp

Patriots

Christian Gonzalez remains out, Will Campbell has a better showing, and the kicker battle heats up on Day 6.

FOXBOROUGH – After a string of practices focused on short routes – screens, crossers, finding running backs in the flat, the Patriots turned up the degree of difficulty for the quarterbacks a bit on Tuesday.

There were many plays where the Patriots worked on hitting receivers in the back corner of the end zone. More corner routes, more fades, things like that. Much of the work was done just outside the red zone.

Tougher throws made this practice the most inconsistent one of this training camp for the offense so far.

Drake Maye completed a little less than half of his passes in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills. He had another botched snap late in the practice, this time with veteran Garrett Bradbury. Coach Mike Vrabel didn’t make the team run for the mistake, opting to keep the practice moving and sub in the second-stringers.

It was an up-and-down day, but there were also plenty of highlights. Here are five takeaways from the action.

The Patriots remained without their top corners.

Christian Gonzalez missed Tuesday’s practice after leaving early on Monday with a lower body injury.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Gonzalez suffered a hamstring injury that will “sideline him for a bit.” He is expected to be ready for Week 1, according to the report.

Carlton Davis also missed practice, marking his fourth absence in six practices.

Tight-end Austin Hooper returned to practice on Tuesday. Hooper was fourth on the team in receiving yards last season with 476.

Rookie offensive linemen show improvement in 1-on-1s.

After a relatively rough start on Monday, rookie left-tackle Will Campbell looked sturdier during 1-on-1 drills on Tuesday.

The Patriots ran a variation of the drill with a snapper and a pair of offensive linemen on each side, and a pair of defensive linemen lined up across from them.

Campbell held his own against Keion White in the first rep, a positive sign after White overpowered the rookie at times on Monday. He also fared well against K’Lavon Chaisson, who has had a strong start to camp.

Fellow rookie Jared Wilson, who has been mixing in at left-guard and center, held up relatively well during a pair of reps against Christian Barmore.

Barmore is still working his way back to top form, working off to the side with trainers during team drills for much of the camp. But, he is gradually upping his workload.

Javon Baker had the catch of the day.

Second-year receiver Javon Baker, who has had a quiet start to camp as the Patriots gave him occasional opportunities as a deep threat, made the play of the day.

He had a leaping two-handed catch over Marcellas Dial in the corner of the end zone on a throw from Josh Dobbs.

Honorable mention goes to Ja’Lynn Polk, who stretched for a one-handed catch near the sideline from Dobbs that drew cheers from the crowd, but Polk was unable to keep his feet in bounds.

Maye hit Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas,and Stefon Diggs for touchdowns. He put some heat on another touchdown throw to Kayshon Boutte in the corner.

There was a screen to Douglas that got stuffed by Marcus Epps. Williams dropped a pass from Maye. There was more than one occasion where receivers’ feet were – if not on the line, pretty close.

Overall, it was an uneven performance from the offense.

Josh Dobbs is using Josh McDaniels as a resource.

Josh McDaniels’ struggles as a head coach are well documented.

This summer, he finds himself in a familiar place working a familiar job as offensive coordinator of the Patriots.

As the Patriots continue to install his offense, McDaniels’s experience has been a valuable resource for players, quarterback Josh Dobbs said.

“Josh McDaniels is an endless well of knowledge. He does a great job of obviously pointing out Tom [Brady] film. Film from his success in Las Vegas with Derek Carr,” said Dobbs. “So we have a lot of good guys to watch in this offense. I think that’s what helps us play well.”

Perfect day for kickers

John Parker Romo and Andy Borregales both made all six of their kicks at the end of practice.

It’s been a fairly tight battle between the 27-year-old journeyman and the rookie sixth-round pick.

Remember Nick Folk, who has gone 50-for-52 with the Titans since the Patriots traded him? News broke during practice that the Jets picked him up.