Second Day of Patriots-Eagles Joint Practices: Marcus Jones Steals the Show
I wrote about my biggest takeaways from Day One of Patriots-Eagles joint practices yesterday, so rather than rehash the same observations, I wanted to focus on some different things that stood out Thursday.
If you didn't read yesterday's article, I mentioned there are generally two things I do when I arrive at Patriots practice.
The first is look for a shady spot to watch the practice.
The second is to try and find Christian Gonzalez.
Thursday, at least the shade part was a little easier. Wednesday's crowd was enormous, with some estimates putting attendance around 15,000. There weren't quite as many people Thursday, but considering the blistering heat, it was still an amazing turnout for the final public practice of Patriots training camp.
Here are seven things that caught my attention on Day Two.
1. Marcus Jones
There has been plenty of discussion about the big contracts the Patriots eventually will have to negotiate with Christian Gonzalez and Drake Maye.
One quietly overlooked investment occurred last year. That's when the Patriots took care of business last October by signing Marcus Jones to a three-year, $34.98 million extension that keeps him under contract through the 2028 season.
That deal is looking better and better as times go by.
Jones established himself as one of the NFL's most explosive punt returners almost immediately upon entering the league, but his development at cornerback has been a beauty to behold. He has improved every season and now seems to be transitioning from simply being a good slot corner into a legitimate playmaker.
Thursday was another example.
Jones intercepted Jalen Hurts twice. One of the interceptions would have gone the other way for a touchdown.
Imagine how dynamic this secondary will be when Gonzalez eventually returns.
You've got Gonzalez and Carlton Davis on the outside, Jones inside and safeties Kevin Byard (led the NFL with 7 interceptions in 2025) and Craig Woodson behind them. Then you have a young journeyman player like John Saunders Jr. fighting his way onto the roster by seemingly intercepting everything thrown his way this summer.
There are ball hawks everywhere. There is the potential for this defense to be a turnover machine. Not only that, the Patriots will have the added bonus of being able to score on defense at least once every game.
2. Craig Woodson
Craig Woodson might get overlooked when people discuss the best personnel moves Eliot Wolf and Mike Vrabel have made, but he shouldn't.
The Patriots selected Woodson in the fourth round of the 2025 draft, 106th overall. He went on to start 15 regular-season games as a rookie and all four playoff games.
Now he looks like he's taking another step.
Woodson had an easy interception early in Thursday's practice after picking off two passes Wednesday. More importantly, he's starting to look like the quarterback of the secondary.
That shouldn't necessarily be surprising. Communication was one of the traits the Patriots loved about Woodson coming out of Cal. Woodson talked after being drafted about making defensive calls, audibles, ensuring everyone was lined up correctly and understanding everybody's role and responsibilities.
You can see some of that beginning to translate at the NFL level.
Woodson is no longer the unknown young safety who was viewed as a reach in the 2025 draft. He is now emerging as the quarterback of the Patriots' defense.
3. Milton Williams
I just want to give Milton Williams his flowers.
Williams carries the largest 2026 salary-cap hit on the Patriots roster at roughly $28.4 million, and he signed a four-year, $104 million contract when New England brought him over from Philadelphia last year.
Yet watching practice, you'd never know he's the guy with the massive contract.
Williams seems to be on the field constantly. He's working his ass off. He's not acting like a prima donna who got paid and can take plays or entire practices off.
To me, that's the embodiment of what you want from a captain whether somebody has a "C" stitched onto his jersey or not. He leads by example.
I mentioned in yesterday's article that I haven't written about Drake Maye much this summer because it isn't newsworthy anymore when Maye has a good practice. The same applies to Milton Williams.
It goes without saying that Williams is a force during these practices.
It does deserve saying that Williams is a role model.
4. Jared Wilson
Jared Wilson is finally back where the Patriots originally envisioned him playing: center.
New England brought in veteran Garrett Bradbury before last season, which allowed the Patriots to give Wilson time to develop after drafting him in the third round.
The problem was Wilson was so impressive right away as a rookie that the Patriots had to find him a starting position on the line.
There was an opening at starting left guard so the Patriots switched him to guard for one season.
With Bradbury traded to Chicago this offseason, Wilson has returned to his natural position at center.
One concern I've had is whether Wilson can hold up physically against some of the NFL's massive interior defensive linemen.
Well, there aren't any better tests than Philadelphia. The Eagles have Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter in the middle of their defensive front. They are the most formidable duo of defensive tackles in the NFL.
Wilson has held his own these last two days.
But the center position involves more than physically blocking the guy in front of you. Center is a very cerebral position. Wilson will be responsible for protection calls and keeping everyone on the same page.
It is usually a responsibility you'd only give to a veteran. The true test will be if you don't hear Wilson's name much this season. If that is the case, that means he is doing his job.
5. Will Campbell
I've been pretty vocal about Will Campbell.
I've said before that I believe Campbell eventually could become a borderline Hall of Fame-level left guard. When the Patriots drafted tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round this year, my reaction was simple:
Why wait?
Move Campbell inside and potentially give yourself an elite guard for the next decade.
I also wasn't overly impressed with Campbell after he returned from injury last season. I heard the excuses that he wasn't completely healthy, and I'm sure there was truth to that, but I still didn't love what I saw.
This summer has been different. Campbell looks different.
Last year, he didn't always pass the eye test for me. He didn't "look" like a tackle. This year, he carries himself differently. I even notice it when he's walking around after practice.
He looks confident. He looks bigger. He looks stronger.
He looks like a veteran NFL player rather than a young player trying to figure everything out.
Wednesday wasn't his finest practice, and he had some difficult reps Thursday as well against an excellent Eagles front.
But looking at the summer as a whole, Campbell has been very good.
He might be a stalwart at left tackle, after all.
6. Mack Hollins
We hear plenty about A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas having their moments in camp.
Then there are Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III, who get plenty of attention because of the upcoming roster cuts.
Somewhere in the middle is Mack Hollins.
Hollins just keeps catching footballs. Five catches here. Six catches there. Another touchdown. Another third-down conversion.
Nothing particularly flashy. He is just always there when they need him.
There was a point this summer when I viewed Hollins as a possible trade candidate. I'm not in favor of trading Boutte, and I'd love to find a way to keep both Williams and Chism.
But every time I start thinking about how the wide receiver room is going to shake down, Hollins reminds me why he needs to be on this team.
He's a security blanket.
It doesn't seem to matter whether Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito or another quarterback is throwing the ball. Hollins gets open, presents a big target and catches the football.
He caught one of Maye's red-zone touchdowns Thursday. Ho-hum.
Sometimes being reliable is underrated.
7. Andres Borregales
There have been a lot of eyes on Andres Borregales this week after his ugly performance against Indianapolis in the first exhibition game.
Borregales missed three of five field-goal attempts in the preseason opener, including kicks from 55, 56 and 49 yards, with the final miss costing New England a victory.
The Patriots didn't bring in legitimate competition for their second-year kicker this summer after John Parker Romo pushed him hard for the job as a rookie. I, actually, wrote that I thought Romo should have won the job.
Borregales has responded well in practice. On Wednesday, after missing his first attempt, he reportedly made six straight, including three from beyond 50 yards.
Borregales is a terrific kicker. We see it every day in practice.
The question is what happens when the lights are brightest and the spotlight is on him on the big stage.
If Borregales struggles again in the game on Saturday, there are some good kickers sitting at home on their couches waiting for a phone call.
Daniel Carlson remains an unrestricted free agent after spending the previous eight seasons with Las Vegas. Carlson connected on 26 of 30 in 2023, 34 of 40 in 2024, and 22 of 27 in 2025, with a long of 60 yards.
Then there is Jake Moody, who was released by Washington this week.
Moody is particularly intriguing to me because San Francisco selected him in the third round with the 99th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. That's extraordinarily high for a kicker.
Moody has struggled with consistency during his young career. But kickers don't get selected 99th overall for no reason.
I'm not saying the Patriots should give up on Borregales. But there are viable options out there.
Final Thoughts
One thing really occurred to me while watching these practices is how few starting jobs are actually up for grabs. That's the sign of a good football team.
I'm particularly encouraged by the offensive line. I honestly can't remember the last Patriots training camp when the offensive line looked this locked in.
Think about some of the starting offensive linemen the Patriots were using the years prior to Mike Vrabel's arrival:
Sidy Sow. Cole Strange, Layden Robinson, Vederian Lowe. Demontrey Jacobs. Caedan Wallace. Riley Reiff. Calvin Anderson. Conor McDermott.
I am, especially, impressed with how quickly they've solidified the offensive tackle position. You've got Will Campbell and Morgan Moses at their starting tackles.
Behind them is first-round pick Caleb Lomu, second-year tackle Marcus Bryant and sixth-round rookie Dametrious Crownover. Lomu was selected 28th overall this spring, while behemoth Crownover has been viewed as a steal when he was drafted in the sixth round. Bryant continues to develop and might be viewed as the top swing backup tackle right now over Lomu.
Within the two years the Patriots have gone from having no legit starting offensive tackles to having legitimate depth at the position.
After watching Patriots quarterbacks spend several seasons running for their lives, it is exciting to think what Maye can do with time in the pocket.
Get Ready For Some Gadget Plays
My last observation is to be ready for some trickery this season. I've seen a flea flicker in camp. I also saw a wide receiver double pass today.
I also saw defensive alignments yesterday where the Patriots didn't have a single traditional defensive lineman lined up on the line of scrimmage. It was just eleven linebackers and defensive backs roaming around when Jalen Hurts lined up his offense.
Vrabel said last year that he wasn't going to give his players more than they could handle. He kept things simple.
That made sense for the time. He and his new coordinators had just come in and were implementing new systems on both sides of the ball.
Now the corps of the team has a year under their belt. They are ready for more and the coaches seem to be ready to give it to them.
Will the fans be ready?
That should make the upcoming season a lot of fun.