New England Patriots
“Everywhere he went, he was a guy you’d see on SportsCenter the next day.”
AJ Brown had another productive practice on Wednesday in New England. Daniel Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe
FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots returned to their practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Wednesday for the second day of the club’s mandatory minicamp.
After setting some intense red zone reps on Tuesday, Mike Vrabel and his staff opted for a lighter practice the following afternoon, with no competitive drills in what was little more than a detail practice.
“Maybe today will look a little different,” Vrabel said before practice. “It’s probably not going to be as much speed, but we’re going to come back and get the same speed we had yesterday in the red zone tomorrow. So, it’s going to look a little different today, just by design, as far as the pace you’re going to see.”
Even with an easier workload, there were several noteworthy developments on a muggy afternoon in Foxboro.
Here are five tips from Wednesday’s training:
May continues to target Brown hard
The early returns have been very promising for Patriots rookie wideout AJ Brown and his chemistry with them Drake May.
After hitting Brown with several impressive back shoulder shots during Tuesday’s 11-on-11 drill, Maye continued to target his new pass-catching weapon early and often on Wednesday.
Even during Wednesday’s easier lift as far as competitive drills go, Brown at one point managed to catch three straight catches from his QB during a red zone sequence.
Speaking after training, May did little to hide his enthusiasm for working with all-professional talent to move forward on a large scale.
“It’s hard not to be excited; what a player he is,” May said of Brown. “What a great teammate he’s been so far. He’s eager to learn. He’s great with the guys in the locker room, and we’re just looking forward to playing with a guy of that caliber. I know he’s been a great player in this league.”
Brown’s diverse skill set should be a welcome sight for a Patriots offense that — while explosive last season — still faltered during the playoffs.
Standing at 6-foot-1 and 226 pounds, Brown has the physical frame of smaller defensive backs and overpowers them from the outside as an “X” receiver.
However, the 28-year-old still has the skill and speed to cut inside and gain significant yardage on slopes, creases and other routes that Josh McDaniels and Co. will look to capitalize on this season.
After benefiting from last season while working alongside another established team player in Stefon Diggs, Maye is excited to see what Brown can bring to this team moving forward.
“Everywhere he went, he was a guy you’d see on SportsCenter the next day, you know, playing and scoring,” May said of Brown. “The best thing about him is that he was a winner.
“He knows what it means to win and he brings something in that room that we were kind of looking for. … I think Steve gave us last year, and there were guys growing in roles, but they came in with that stature and his ability and his size and the respect you walk in there with that type of Steve. AJ’s got it, too.”
Lomu steps in as a starter once again
For the second straight practice, Patriots 2026 first-round pick Caleb Lomu logged regular reps as the team’s starting right tackle.
Lomu was initially expected to serve as a backup/swing tackle this season — giving him plenty of time to work on his craft before eventually moving into a full-time role in 2027.
But New England right tackle Morgan Moses was absent during minicamp after appearing to suffer an injury during OTAs last week.
“We’re just managing Morgan, and we’re excited about his extreme commitment to our football team and the people here… It’s a long season,” Vrabel said Tuesday. “It’s been important to us, and it’s going to be very important to us moving forward. So, we’re just trying to make sure we’re managing it. I think every rep right now is probably less than what they would take in the season.”
Even if Vrabel doesn’t ring the bell with Moses, the 35-year-old tackle’s health will be worth monitoring this year — especially if it propels Lomu into a featured role as a starter.
“He’s been around a ton, and he’s been one of my biggest helpers, especially not knowing the ropes as a rookie,” Lomu said about working with Moses. He’s been through that [for] He’s been in the league for so many years, he knows what to expect, and now he’s been guiding me a lot during these practices and meetings that we have. He was a huge help, so it was great to be able to have him and his experience in the room so I could help me grow as a beginner.
Lomu — who established himself as one of the NFL’s top prospects while playing left tackle at Utah — says he’s found his footing at right tackle so far this summer.
“It’s just something you have to get used to [and] “He had some training,” said the 21-year-old Lomu. “The first training was a bit strange at first because I wasn’t used to it, but I feel very comfortable with the right approach now.”
Attendance report
Just like Tuesday’s practice, the Patriots had three absences on Wednesday — Moses, Gabe Jackass, and Harold Landry.
Similar to Moses, the Patriots appear to be limiting Landry’s workload this summer, with the veteran outfielder hampered last season by a nagging knee injury.
“Harold’s played a lot of football, so we’ve just got to try it — it’s all part of a little different plan for everyone. … For him to take reps now in the spring, I feel like it’s unnecessary,” Vrabel said Tuesday. “We will continue to work to make sure he is ready to go when we need him.”
Jackass — New England’s 2026 second-round pick — was also not present at both the OTAs and minicamp.
Vrabel noted Tuesday that Jackass had surgery earlier this season, but the talented edge rusher has yet to sign his rookie contract in New England.
After doing a limited number of competitive reps on Tuesday, Christian Gonzalez was a full participant during team practice on Wednesday.
But, with the final day of minicamp expected to be a higher-tempo, competitive session, it remains to be seen how well Gonzalez — who is still mired in a contract dispute with New England — will be at the next practice if the team holds 11-on-11 drills again.
Add a tight end?
The Patriots suffered a major loss before the 2026 season began in earnest, with Julian Hill suffering a season-ending injury during offseason workouts last month.
Hill — who signed a three-year, $15 million contract with New England earlier this offseason — was expected to play an important role as the Patriots’ backup tight end behind Hunter Henry in 2026.
The 25-year-old tight end spent the last three seasons with the Dolphins, making 15 catches for 140 yards over 11 games in 2025 while contributing to the pass protection and run game with some solid blocks.
But with Hill now out of the equation, Vrabel admitted Wednesday that New England could be in the market for another tight end this summer.
“Just from a numbers standpoint in camp, I think that’s where we probably have to evaluate the numbers,” Vrabel said. “I mean there’s 90 or 91 players on each team, so we’ll just have to take a look at that. But I would say that’s probably where we have to address it.”
After Henry, the Patriots still have Jack Westover, C.J. DePree, and rookies Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin on the depth chart at tight end.
While pass-catching targets like Darren Waller remain available in free agency, the Patriots will likely look to more of a run-blocking option as Henry’s backup for this season.
Competitive “family”.
The Patriots ended practice Wednesday in a unique way — with coaches and trainers bringing out several wooden sleds near the end zone.
In all, groups of seven different Patriots players across multiple position groups teamed up to try to push the sled 40 yards down the field, with coaches determining which group could finish first in practice.
Speaking after training, May said Vrabel and his staff have already incorporated several team-building exercises into this season – dividing the roster into random groups called “families” to build camaraderie across different sectors of the club.
“We split up into teams, separated into families at the beginning of the season. We had about 13 teams, we had some captains on each team, and we had about seven players on each team,” May said. “So we’re kind of keeping the points tally… I think my family might be in second place [place].
“We have some work to do… It’s just another way to build a team and compete and having to strategize and take something that might not be going well and try to fix it.”
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