New England Patriots
While Drake Maye and Team White started slow, DeMario Douglas dominated for Team Blue on the sweltering practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots were back on the practice fields at a sweltering Gillette Stadium on Friday. (Lane Turner/Globe Staff)
August 7, 2026 | 3:35 PM
5 minutes to read
FOXBOROUGH — As the temperatures rose on Friday, so did the competition on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots switched things up to close out another week of training camp practices, with Friday’s session standing as an extended intra-squad scrimmage — with assistant head coach Terrell Williams and running backs coach Tony Dews standing as the two head coaches.
Wide receivers coach Todd Downing and quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant were the two offensive coordinators, while safeties coach Scott Booker and cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton were the defensive coordinators. Vrabel and vice president of football operations and strategy John Streicher were the officials.
Both Williams and Dews drafted their own teams — with Team White led by Drake Maye and Team Blue featuring Tommy DeVito and a veteran crew including A.J. Brown, Christian Gonzalez, Hunter Henry, DeMario Douglas, Kevin Byard, and others.
Ultimately, Team Blue got the better of Maye and Team White — leaving the practice fields with a 22-15 win.
Here are five takeaways from Friday’s scrimmage:
Tommy DeVito had a better day than Drake Maye.
Granted, Tommy DeVito had the stronger supporting cast in this head-to-head matchup.
But DeVito and Team Blue had a smoother showing on offense than Maye and Team White. According to MassLive’s Mark Daniels, DeVito finished 13-of-16 on throws with two touchdowns, while Maye was 10-of-19 with two touchdowns of his own.
Similar to Tuesday’s practice, it was a bit of a slow start for Maye on Friday — with Maye starting just 1-for-6 on Team White’s first two drives, both of which ended with punts.
Meanwhile, DeVito’s first two drives saw him complete 8-of-10 throws — with the first drive ending with a missed field goal from Andy Borregales and the second resulting in a touchdown snag from DeMario Douglas.
Maye settled into more of a rhythm as the practice went on, completing three passes to rookie tight end Eli Raridon and hitting Romeo Doubs and TreVeyon Henderson in the end zone for touchdowns.
Still, it was an uneven performance from Team White, with Maye regularly flushed out of the pocket and rushed into hurried throws due to pressure from the likes of Gabe Jacas, Xavier Holmes, and Khalil Jacobs.
Holmes — an undrafted free agent out of James Madison University — had a “sack” against Morton and also batted down a pass from Maye, while free agent corner Kindle Vildor had a strong afternoon with a pair of pass breakups against A.J. Brown.
DeMario Douglas pops
One of the reasons why DeVito and Team Blue managed to move the chains with some regularity was the play of DeMario Douglas out of the slot.
The shifty wideout was a menace on Friday, reeling in six catches and two touchdowns — with one of those snags going for over 50 yards after Douglas got behind safety Mike Brown and hauled in a deep throw from DeVito.
Be it short gains over the middle, out routes in the red zone, or using that stop-start cutting ability to shake free of defensive backs en route to some chunk yardage, Douglas has made his presence felt in a variety of ways so far during camp — and should be a useful asset in Josh McDaniels’s offense this season.
Play of the day
Douglas might have been the best player out on the field Friday. But the play of the day goes to running back Myles Montgomery.
During a drive where several third-team players were out on the field, QB Behren Morton (who took snaps for both teams) delivered a ball to wideout Tejhaun Palmer, who bobbled the catch while running a curl route.
But before the ball could hit the turf, it was corralled out of the air by Team Blue teammate Montgomery, who ran it back 40 yards and nearly made it to the end zone on what was an impromptu hook-and-ladder play.
Injury updates
Several roster fixtures weren’t on the field for Friday’s scrimmage, including starting left tackle Will Campbell.
Speaking ahead of practice, Mike Vrabel said that Campbell — who didn’t participate in team drills on Thursday while wearing a brace on his arm — “will be ready to go” after the weekend, with Caleb Lomu and Marcus Bryant standing as the starting left tackles for Team White and Team Blue, respectively.
The news is a bit more concerning for veteran cornerback Carlton Davis, who has been sidelined for over a week after appearing to tweak something during a 7-on-7 drill. Vrabel said that Davis is out “probably until the end of next week” — and likely won’t play in New England’s preseason opener against the Colts next Thursday.
Patriots wideout Romeo Doubs also returned Friday after missing the previous two practices, with Vrabel noting that his absence didn’t have anything to do with an injury.
“It was a personal thing,” Vrabel said. “I don’t know if he wants to address it. It’s all very positive. But he’s back and ready to work.”
Vrabel also provided an update on special-teams ace Brenden Schooler — who has been on the non-football injury list since the start of camp.
“I think it’s hard to tell (when he’ll return),” Vrabel said. “I think it’s one that we just want to be very cautious with. He’s got such a specific, unique role. Yes, he wants to be involved in defense and use those reps to improve what his No. 1 role is on our football team, which is to be an elite special teams player, which he did last year. … Until he’s back, I don’t think there’s any real reason to push that or force that issue.
“We make sure that he’s healthy. He’s still a large part of what we want to do and what we’re planning on doing. I just don’t think there’s any reason to rush him back right now until he’s as close to 100% as possible.”
Along with Davis and Campbell, cornerback Charles Woods, defensive tackle Christian Barmore, fullback Reggie Gilliam, offensive lineman Caedan Wallace, and wide receiver Cameron Dorner all didn’t participate on Friday.
Gonzalez … the trash talker?
Beyond his growing status as one of the top shutdown corners in the league, Christian Gonzalez has earned the reputation as more of a stoic, silent assassin of the gridiron — rather than a true trash talker.
But Patriots wideout A.J. Brown doesn’t see that being the case — at least not when he’s in a one-on-one matchup with Gonzalez during camp.
“He’s going a little bit more,” Brown said with a smile of Gonzalez ramping up his trash talk during one-on-one reps against him.
“Every day is a battle with him, man, and it’s nothing but respect,” he said. “And ultimately, it’s not about me and him. We’re out here competing. All of us are challenging each other, and ultimately for the greater good of the team. So it’s nothing. We’re guys going back and forth. Guys are trying to play hard and compete. That’s all.”
Gonzalez and Brown’s 1-on-1 bouts have been appointment viewing so far during camp, even if Brown said that he doesn’t usually like to talk trash when he gets the better of his now-Patriots teammate.
“I’m not really sitting here trying to talk,” Brown said. “I want my play to speak for me. I actually talk to myself, so he may hear me talking to myself, and he may take it like I’m talking to him. We’re teammates at the end of the day, and we’re just competing.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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