Seven Takeaways From Patriots-Eagles Joint Practice: What a Difference Two Years Makes

Two years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles came to Foxboro for a joint practice and thoroughly embarrassed the Patriots.

New England's offense could barely function. Jacoby Brissett was the starting quarterback, Drake Maye was a rookie trying to find his way, Jerod Mayo was in his first training camp as head coach, and Alex Van Pelt was running the offense. The offensive line was overwhelmed to the point where one practice chart had the Patriots allowing more sacks (15) than passes completed (14).

Here is an excerpt from the article I wrote following that disastrous practice:

What I saw on Tuesday was disturbing. What I saw was an offense that has no clue. What I saw was an offensive line that was, well, offensive. They were, somehow, worse than advertised. By some reports, they gave up 15 sacks on 42 pass plays during 11-on-11 drills. That means over 33% of the pass plays would have ended in sacks. There were at least two fumbled snaps. There were nine penalties. And here we are about three weeks into camp. This is stuff you might expect on day one, never mind day thirteen or fourteen.

Click here for the full article I wrote from two years ago after that joint team practice with the Eagles

That was then. This is now.

The Eagles returned to Foxboro Wednesday, and this time the Patriots looked like a completely different team.

Drake Maye is a far cry from Jacoby Brissett. New England's defense looked like the Eagles defense did two years ago. These Patriots looked far more like the team that reached the Super Bowl last season than the rebuilding mess Philadelphia saw in 2024.

Here are my six biggest takeaways from the first Patriots-Eagles joint practice.

1. Where is Christian Gonzalez?

It has become a training camp ritual.

Step one: Find a spot in the shade to watch practice.

Step two: Look for Christian Gonzalez.

Once again, Gonzalez was nowhere to be found Wednesday. He hasn't practiced since August 10 and has now missed joint practices against both Indianapolis and Philadelphia. Mike Vrabel continues to insist that the absence is injury-related.

Maybe it is, indeed, an injury. But the timing certainly is curious.

Seattle just gave Devon Witherspoon a four-year, $132 million extension with more than $101 million guaranteed. The $33 million average makes Witherspoon the highest-paid cornerback in football. Gonzalez and Witherspoon were both first-round picks in the 2023 draft — Witherspoon went fifth and Gonzalez 17th — and, perhaps most importantly, they are represented by the same agent.

There is no evidence that Gonzalez is holding out, and Vrabel has specifically said Gonzalez has been professional and is undergoing treatment and conditioning.

Still, until Gonzalez returns, the situation is impossible to ignore. The longer this drags on, the more this situation will become a distraction. For a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, it is imperative the team keeps their collective eyes' on the singular prize of winning a championship.

2. Kayshon Boutte and Drew Rosenhaus Meet In Person

One of the more interesting things I saw Wednesday actually happened after practice ended.

As players were leaving the field, I noticed Kayshon Boutte having what appeared to be a fairly animated conversation with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. I obviously couldn't hear what was being discussed, and an animated conversation doesn't necessarily mean there was a disagreement, but considering everything surrounding Boutte right now, it certainly caught my attention.

Boutte enters the final year of his rookie contract and has been surrounded by trade speculation since the Patriots added A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to an already crowded receiver room. There were reports, early on, that Boutte had asked for a trade out of New England to some place he could get more opportunities.

That makes Rosenhaus' presence especially interesting.

Boutte is coming off the best season of his career, with 33 receptions for 551 yards and six touchdowns, but the additions at receiver have made his long-term place in New England much less certain. He has also performed well throughout much of training camp, which only increases his potential value to another team looking for receiving help.

Maybe Rosenhaus was simply checking in with his client after practice.

Maybe they were discussing Boutte's contract.

Or maybe the conversation involved the possibility of playing somewhere else.

There is no way to know based simply on watching the conversation from a distance. But with roster cuts approaching and Boutte's name already firmly planted in the trade rumor mill, seeing him engaged in a lengthy, animated discussion with one of the NFL's most prominent agents was certainly something worth filing away.

The Boutte situation may be one of the most interesting Patriots storylines to watch between now and final cuts.

3. Drake Maye Just Keeps Getting Better

I haven't written much about Drake Maye during training camp.

That's actually a compliment.

There hasn't been much to say because Maye has reached the point where playing well is not newsworthy.

Wednesday was different. Watching him operate against Philadelphia, it was impossible not to notice just how much command he has of Josh McDaniels' offense.

Reporters charted Maye at 20-of-25 between 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods, including a stretch of 13 consecutive completions. He moved the ball to A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, and DeMario Douglas and routinely looked comfortable alternating targets and working through the Eagles defense.

Two years ago, one of the questions surrounding Maye was how quickly he could handle everything that comes with playing NFL quarterback.

The physical attributes and talent were obvious. The concerns were all about the mental aspect—grasping the playbook, processing defenses, calling protections, commanding a huddle, and—oh, the big one—his footwork.

Jerod Mayo preached patience during his Maye's rookie season. The one-and-done coaching staff were afraid of the long-term effects of putting Maye in before the team was ready for him.

Read my article on that by clicking here.

Now Maye is running one of the NFL's most demanding offenses under McDaniels and already looks as comfortable as—dare I say—Tom Brady at his peak.

In only his second season as a full-time starter, Maye looks totally at ease in the pocket.

Maye's body has also taken an obvious transformation. He looks more bulked up and toned. The added muscle will help him withstand the pounding of an entire season—especially considering how important his running with the ball is.

If there was ever any doubt about it, Maye is already a perennial MVP candidate—and he's getting better and better.

4. Christian Barmore Makes His Presence Felt

It was also good to finally see Christian Barmore involved again.

Barmore walked off the practice field on August 6 after slamming his helmet to the turf, with trainer Jim Whalen following him toward the facility. He subsequently missed time and was unavailable for the Colts joint practice before gradually returning to work this week.

Wednesday he was still limited, primarily working in passing situations rather than early-down running periods, but you could immediately see the difference when he was on the field.

Barmore won a one-on-one rep against Eagles guard Tyler Steen with a bull rush and appeared to get to Jalen Hurts for a sack during Philadelphia's final two-minute period.

What was especially interesting was seeing New England experiment with where Barmore lined up.

At times, he was moved outside rather than being planted next to Milton Williams on the interior. That allows the Patriots to potentially get Barmore, Williams and another defensive tackle onto the field together.

That's a lot of size and interior-pass-rush ability to deal with.

The Patriots still need to improve against the run — Saquon Barkley found too many openings early Wednesday — but getting a healthy Barmore back into the rotation changes the entire defensive front.

5. John Saunders Just Keeps Making Plays

Another practice. Another play by John Saunders Jr.

Saunders jumped a crossing route Wednesday for an interception of Eagles backup quarterback Cole Payton. It was part of a huge takeaway day for New England's secondary, which came away with five interceptions during team periods. Hurts himself reportedly threw three.

At this point, Saunders' production shouldn't be surprising.

He was a turnover machine in college.

In five seasons between Miami (Ohio) and Ole Miss, Saunders finished with 11 interceptions, 25 passes defended and five forced fumbles. During his final season at Ole Miss, he led the SEC with seven forced turnovers — three interceptions and four forced fumbles.

That doesn't happen by mistake.

The Patriots suddenly have an interesting situation at safety. Kevin Byard III is obviously on the roster, and Craig Woodson continues to establish himself as a starter — including two more interceptions Wednesday.

Behind them, I'd currently have Saunders ahead of Mike Brown.

Saunders' instincts around the football give him something you simply can't teach. Combine that with Byard's ball-hawking ability and watch out!

6. Kyle Williams May Be a Lock — But I Still Think Efton Chism III is Better

I continue to hear that Kyle Williams is a lock to make the team. In years past, I'd readily agree.

But this year's team is stacked at the wide receiver position. It may be the deepest wide receiver corps of any team in the NFL right now.

The Patriots seemed determined to get Williams involved Wednesday, but during the team portions I watched, too many opportunities ended with slips, drops or an inability to create enough separation.

Meanwhile, Efton Chism III just keeps making catches. Most of the catches aren't exciting. A short slant here. A quick out pattern there. But he has also had contested red zone catches in the back corners of the end zones.

Bottom line—Chism keeps making plays.

He has received work with the first-team offense and has also been given important special teams responsibilities. Even during Tuesday's walkthrough, he was working with Maye's group and added personal protector on punts to his resume.

7. Don't Forget About Jam Miller in the RB3 Battle

For most of camp, I've viewed Lan Larison as having the inside track to become the Patriots' third running back behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.

I'm not quite as sure anymore—and I've been the leader of the Lan Larison Fan Club since Day One.

Rookie Jam Miller continues to make this a legitimate competition.

Miller was New England's seventh-round pick this spring, selected 245th overall out of Alabama. In the preseason opener against Indianapolis, he received 14 carries and turned them into 55 yards, including a 15-yard run.

Wednesday, I saw more of Jam Miller than in any other practice.

At 5-foot-10 and 209 pounds, Miller brings a little more traditional running-back size than Larison, while Larison's versatility as a receiver will end up being his calling card.

Larison continues to catch passes out of the backfield. Wednesday was no exception. Ultimately, the question will be if the Patriots want to carry a third running back who will be able to serve as a third down receiving back, or do they want a more traditional early-down running back who can take some of the ball-carrying workload in order to keep Rhamondre Stevenson fresh and healthy throughout the grind of a long season.

Or maybe the Patriots carry four running backs... but they shouldn't.