FOXBOROUGH — After a day off for the players on Saturday, the Patriots returned to the practice field on Sunday morning. It certainly wasn’t their crispest session of the summer, but a wide receiver popped, the kicking competition intensified, a key player left early, and a young cornerback delivered an eye-catching rep during 1-on-1 drills. Here are nine takeaways from a decaf Sunday session: 1.
Douglas a difference-maker DeMario Douglas was out of his red non-contact uniform — for real this time — and made life far easier for both Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye. The two quarterbacks looked Douglas’ way early and often with good reason. The speedy slot receiver caught six passes in team drills, drew a pass interference call, and won both of his 1-on-1 reps decisively, beating Isaiah Bolden and Shaun Wade despite a jersey pull.
Douglas boasts a quickness that nobody else on the roster has, and when he’s on the field, the offense is better for it. 2. Up-and-down day for Drake Still working with the second-team offense, Maye’s day could be best encompassed by one 11-on-11 sequence.
First, the rookie threw a strike to tight end Mitchell Wilcox, which was dropped. On the next play, he didn’t have any time and was sacked by a blitzing Brenden Schooler. From there, Maye delivered his best throw of the day, hitting fellow rookie Ja’Lynn Polk on the run as he rolled to his right.
Then he threw a screen pass to Antonio Gibson that would have gotten the running back s.