FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In a nod to the Price of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, who died at the age of 76 on Tuesday, the New England Patriots began their first period of competitive drills with Black Sabbath’s infamous song “Crazy Train” blasting through the speakers. And Day 1 of training camp officially left the station.
With Ozbourne serenading, it didn’t take long for the numerous fans in attendance and the media alike to see one of New England’s prized offseason acquisitions, Stefon Diggs, make an impact. On the first throw of competitive 11-on-11 drills this summer, second-year quarterback Drake Maye dropped back and targeted the former All-Pro, who hauled in the shallow crosser for a sizable gain.
It appeared as if Maye was making it a point to get the ball to his new No. 1 wideout during these initial moments of camp, likely to fast-track building a foundation that’ll be vital to the offense’s success in 2025. During the quarterback’s second period of competitive drills, it was more of the same, targeting Diggs in the flat again for a completion, which also came against the presumptive first-team defense.
“He made some plays out here today, it’s awesome being able to throw to a guy like that,” Maye said of Diggs after practice. “And even when you feel like he’s not open, he’s going to go make a play for you in tight coverage. He’s a strong receiver, going to make plays.”
Those two completions were the only times Maye and Diggs connected on Day 1 of camp, but it was a rather light session with the quarterback throwing just nine passes total on the day. Really, it’s rather remarkable that Diggs, who tore his ACL back in October as a member of the Houston Texans, was even on the field to begin with. The wideout passed his physical leading up to camp, meaning he avoided starting on the physically unable to perform list, giving him a lane to be on the field come Week 1.
“I didn’t think about the timeline too much,” Diggs said of being on the field to begin camp. “Everybody kind of said I came back pretty fast, but it was a different journey for me. I kind of approached it like I wanted to get back as fast as I could, and I was just super serious about my rehab process. I love football, and if you really love football, you put in that time. Getting injured is a part of the game, but getting back to football, it just makes me extremely happy.”
While Diggs was on the field, he wasn’t exactly a full participant. He didn’t take part in all of the competitive team periods, which indicates he’s still being eased in. For instance, he was off to the side as a spectator during some one-on-one drills, which involved a lot of cutting and change of direction. For someone coming off an ACL tear, that seems like a logical drill to skip and avoid the risk altogether, at least for the moment. That said, Diggs admitted that he’s not thinking about the injury, feeling like he’s already crossed the mental hurdle.
“No, I feel like I already taken the test already,” said Diggs. “I wanted to take the test before I came out here, before everybody else saw me. I feel like you can lie to everybody else, but you can’t lie to yourself. I kind of took the test when I was away, when I was taking those reps like ‘I’m going to give it everything I got and see what happens.’
“I feel like the worst has already happened. I hurt my knee already. I went through that already. So, as far as taking those mental jumps, I took those in my rehab process. I took it that serious that, look, if something is going to happen, it’s going to happen right now and not when I get back to playing football. I’m not too concerned about, you know, the ‘What ifs?’ and all that. I’m just happy to be back to work.”
Here are some other notable observations from Day 1 of Patriots training camp.
How to bet the Patriots in 2025: Super Bowl odds, win total, props, best bets for New England
R.J. White
Kyle Williams flashes early vs. All-Pro corner
The Patriots have had a horrid history of drafting wide receivers in recent years, but they may have something in third-round pick Kyle Williams. The Washington State product popped on Day 1 of camp with a couple of notable receptions from Maye.
First, during one of the 11-on-11 periods, Maye hit Williams with a quick throw in the flat, and the rookie then showed his eye-popping speed. He caught the ball around the hashes and suddenly hit a new gear, easily scooting past his nearest defender to pick up a chunk of yards after the catch. Just two plays later, Williams made arguably the play of the day, beating 2024 All-Pro corner Christian Gonzalez on the sideline for a completion.
“I think he was backside one-on-one with Gonzo,” Maye said of his rookie wideout. “He made a big-time catch, strong hands. I told him to maybe sell it a little more, just try to give him a go-route feel. But I think he’s coming along. He’s looking good. I told Gonzo earlier, I’m going to come at Gonzo. I’m not going to, you know, backside. I’m not going to leave him out here bored at practice. So good for a rookie to make a play like that. And I think he is just going to get better and better.”
Leading up to camp, the Patriots listed several players either on the physically unable to perform list or the non-football injury list. Ja’Lynn Polk, who was limited throughout the spring, was not among them. Given that, it was curious not to see the second-year wide receiver participating on Day 1 of training camp. He was the lone nonparticipant outside of any PUP or NFI players, so this is something to keep an eye on.
Polk, a 2024 second-round pick, is coming off a disappointing rookie season, which has put him at legitimate risk of not making the 53-man roster this season. Missing a day of camp, even though it’s early, is not the best way to start things off, what is a do-or-die summer.
Mixing and matching along the offensive line
While there are some mainstays along this revamped offensive line for the Patriots, like first-round rookie Will Campbell at left tackle and veteran addition Morgan Moses entrenched at right tackle, New England did some mixing and matching along the interior. At center, veteran Garrett Bradbury is the presumptive starter, but rookie third-rounder Jared Wilson did get into the rotation. He was limited during the spring, but could state a case for snaps with a good camp. Meanwhile, 2024 third-rounder Caedan Wallace, who came into the league as a tackle prospect, did get some reps at left guard, which is another position somewhat up for grabs.
All that said, when Maye was under center, the offensive line was primarily Campbell at left tackle, Cole Strange at left guard, Bradbury at center, Michael Onwenu as the right guard, and Moses at right tackle. That should be looked at as the projected Week 1 line, but a lot can change between now and the start of the year, especially if someone like Wilson surges.
How Drake Maye looked
As we mentioned earlier, it was a somewhat light day from a passing perspective. Maye completed eight of his nine throws during competitive drills, but that comes with some caveats. Given that the pads have yet to come on, along with the fact that the quarterback is untouchable during practices, Maye’s numbers are a bit inflated. He likely would’ve been sacked on at least three of his dropbacks, including a would-be sack to Keion White. His lone incompletion, on a play where he was disrupted by White, was also a near interception deep down the middle of the field, but the ball was dropped by safety Jabrill Peppers.
“I threw one, kind of one ball, which I’ll have back, but they played a good coverage for what we had,” Maye said. “So, I think it’s just one of those things where you learn from it and try not to let those defensive guys get me.”
That said, it was an efficient and certainly passable day from the second-year quarterback, who is looking to take command of a new offense constructed by Josh McDaniels.