New England Patriots
“I really think we challenged our guys to try to be consistent throughout the day, and I think they responded to that.”
DeMario Douglas was one of several Patriots wideouts who had impressive catches on Tuesday. John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe
August 11, 2026 | 5:07 PM
7 minutes to read
FOXBOROUGH — After weeks of battling one another on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium, the Patriots welcomed some new blood to the gridiron in Foxborough.
The Patriots battled the Colts during a competitive joint practice on Tuesday morning ahead of New England’s preseason opener against Indy on Thursday night.
It was a welcome departure for all parties, including a Patriots roster that both landed plenty of punches against the Colts — and found itself humbled during critical stretches of Tuesday’s session.
“I was proud of the guys for, first of all, the effort,” Drake Maye said after practice. “I think seeing somebody new for the first time and seeing some different things, I thought we did some good things. I think we’ve got to finish off better, and that’s speaking on my part, in the two-minute drill.
“But I really think we challenged our guys to try to be consistent throughout the day, and I think they responded to that. I think we have some things to work on. I know it’s a good defense over there and they do some good stuff, so I’m looking forward to watching the tape. But I’m proud of the guys and the energy, and sometimes even when we lacked it sometimes, I think the guys brought it back.”
Here are six takeaways from Tuesday’s competitive practice:
Drake Maye’s strong practice is marred by late error
All things considered, it was another encouraging performance from Maye and the Patriots’ offense — with NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry marking the Patriots QB down for 15 completions on 23 attempts during 11-on-11 drills, to go along with a 4-for-6 performance on 7-on-7 work in the red zone.
Maye spread the ball across his pass-catching corps, including a highlight-reel snag from Romeo Doubs in the end zone amid tight coverage, and a throw in the red zone that landed right in Rhamondre Stevenson’s bread basket for another score.
Maye and New England’s offense generated several explosive plays against the Colts, with A.J. Brown also finishing with multiple catches as the Patriots attempted to spread the wealth on offense.
“I think the best thing for that is winning,” Maye said of keeping everyone on offense happy when it comes to targets. “I think nobody really tries to complain when you win games. I think nobody’s really that prideful in this sport about personal stats or achievements when we’re winning games. … I think my job isn’t to try to make everybody happy. I think my job’s to have the offense move up and down the field and score points.”
A sharp showing from Maye and the Patriots’ offense did end with a bit of a dud, as New England’s QB was knocked for a critical miscue during a two-minute drill. While targeting DeMario Douglas in the end zone, Maye underthrew a ball that was picked off by Colts safety Camryn Bynum.
“I believe maybe it had been second down,” Maye said. “I got to protect the football. We were second and maybe 13. We had a false start, and you’ve got 25 seconds left. We got no timeouts trying to score a touchdown. So I gave a shot to the end zone and got to give our guys a chance.”
Gonzalez’s absence highlights attendance report
One of the top matchups worth watching entering Tuesday’s practice was how Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez was going to handle 1-on-1 matchups against the Colts’ top wideouts — especially after largely corralling Brown throughout training camp.
But, the Patriots star defensive back was nowhere to be found on Tuesday. Gonzalez was not even spotted in street clothes for practice.
It’s unclear what led to Gonzalez’s absence, although the lack of progress in his ongoing contract negotiations with the Patriots does loom large. He has been an active participant during camp, but sitting out a competitive joint practice could be a sign of the 24-year-old corner using a bit of leverage to pressure New England into a new deal.
It’s also worth noting that Gonzalez appeared to get banged up during Monday’s practice after hitting the turf hard while covering Romeo Doubs in the end zone, with his absence potentially being precautionary.
More clarity should be offered up on Thursday in Mike Vrabel’s next address with the media following the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Colts.
Along with Gonzalez, safety Mike Brown, long snapper Julian Ashby, and wide receiver Kyle Dixon were absent for Tuesday’s practice — while Harold Landry and Brenden Schooler remain on the PUP/NFI list.
Christian Barmore, Carlton Davis, and Charles Woods were limited in practice, with Barmore held to just individual drills as New England continues to limit the defensive tackle’s workload this summer.
”Just still trying to get him back knowing that we have some time, and it’s a long season,” Vrabel said of Barmore ahead of practice. “He’s played a lot of football, and he’s played a lot of football for us. He was disruptive for us. We just have to make sure that we are smart about what we are doing right now.“
Cornerback depth looms large for Patriots defense
Much like Maye and the Patriots’ offense, QB Daniel Jones and the Colts also left Tuesday’s session likely feeling pretty good about their game, with Indy routinely moving the ball down the field and capitalizing on several scores during red-zone drills.
With Gonzalez not present and both Woods and Davis limited, the Patriots’ cornerback depth was thin on Tuesday — with backups Kindle Vildor, Kobee Minor, Channing Canada, and Karon Prunty receiving a majority of reps in the secondary.
It didn’t go so well for New England’s defense, with Daniel Jones gashing the Patriots off of seams and crossing routes to tight end Tyler Warren, while Josh Downs was quick to get in Marcus Jones’ face after beating him in coverage in the end zone for a TD.
It wasn’t all bad for New England, with Elijah Ponder in particular having a strong game in the trenches with a pass breakup (while leaping over the line of scrimmage) and a strip-sack.
But, New England evidently needs its top corners back in short order, even if players like Prunty are looking like promising depth pieces.
According to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, the Patriots defense at one point allowed 11 straight completions to the Colts during a 7-on-7 red-zone drill.
Patriots wideouts continue to pop
Even with Maye’s costly turnover during that two-minute drill, it was a promising afternoon for several of Maye’s top pass-catchers — be it in one-on-one battles or during team drills.
Brown started off Tuesday’s practice with a bang, drawing plenty of cheers from the thousands of fans in attendance after beating Colts corner Sauce Gardner on a hitch and generating plenty of yardage, gaining clear separation from the star defensive back.
As much as Gardner might have disagreed on social media, it was a standout play by New England’s top wideout.
But, New England’s shiftier wideouts also impressed on Tuesday, with Efton Chism securing several 1-on-1 wins against Colts corners before Douglas — not exactly known for his vertical game — jumped up and hauled in a contested catch over Indy corner Justin Walley.
Strong day for “2 Chains”
Maye isn’t expected to play during Thursday’s preseason opener, with Tommy DeVito and Behren Morton standing as the next men up on New England’s QB depth chart.
Given that Morton — New England’s 2026 seventh-round pick — was largely on the sidelines for the joint practice, he could be due for the lion’s share of reps on Thursday. But, DeVito could also run a series or two, with the 28-year-old QB stringing together some strong practices as of late.
“2 Chains is doing a nice job,” Vrabel said of DeVito, bestowing him a new nickname, rather than his usual “Tommy Cutlets” moniker. “He continues to learn, and with it being a new system, I think it got his attention a little bit better, as opposed to saying, “Hey, I know what this is,” and kind of taking it for granted.
“I think he’s really done a nice job. He did a nice job in the blue-white scrimmage, operating and doing things exactly the way that Ashton [Grant] and Josh [McDaniels] are coaching those guys to do it. We’ll see how he responds today, but excited about where Tommy has been.”
DeVito once again drew plenty of cheers from fans on Tuesday, hitting wideout Kyle Williams for a major gain down the field before opening his two-minute drill with a 60-yard touchdown to Mack Hollins.
Now in his second year with the Patriots, DeVito seems to be settling in as Maye’s backup option.
As for the “2 Chains” nickname?
“Originally, he was calling me Cutlets,” DeVito said of Vrabel. “And then he saw me wearing two gold chains that I always have on. I never take them off, and that turned into ‘Two Chains.’ That’s good, and that’s how it is throughout the building now.”
A brief scuffle
Ahead of practice, Vrabel warned of the repercussions for any player who decided to fight during an expected competitive session on Tuesday.
“We don’t want to do anything that puts anybody in jeopardy,” Vrabel said. “We want them to compete. Obviously, there’s going to be some pushing and shoving. If you throw a punch, you just have to head over and run hills or do something with [Patriots director of sports performance] Frank [Piraino] and his crew because that’s what is going to happen in the football game, and I don’t anticipate that happening.”
It was a relatively drama-free practice, beyond just the usual trash talk doled out after the whistle.
But, tensions spilled over near the end of Tuesday’s practice during a kickoff return drill. After several Colts players knocked a Patriots player out of bounds, that expected jawing eventually led to Colts defensive end Durrell Nchami throwing a punch at someone after the play was over.
It’s unclear at whom the punch was directed, although Dre’Mont Jones and Namdi Obiazor were in the kerfuffle. It appeared as though Nchami left practice early after delivering the jab.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
