Patriots Training Camp Day 2 Notebook: Parker, Bledsoe Star

FOXBORO — The first day was so nice, the New England Patriots decided to do it twice.

The Pats returned to the practice fields for day 2 of training camp practices in Foxboro. Under partly cloudy skies, New England continues to put in the work as they progress for the 2022 season.

Here are some of the highlights of the second day of Pats Training Camp practices:

Roll Call:

Defensive end Deatrich Wise was the only new absence on day 2. All other Patriots were present.

Rookie running back Pierre Strong, Jr. was once again a limited participant.

Safety Jabrill Peppers, running back James White, cornerback Jonathan Jones and center David Andrews remain on PUP (physically unable to perform).

Offensive linemen Chasen Hines and Andrew Stuber, as well as defensive back Myles Bryant are currently on NFI (non-football injury).

Punter Jake Bailey once again missed practice with a non-football illness designation.

Quarterback Snapshot:

After a stellar start to training camp, starting quarterback Mac Jones came back to earth a bit on Thursday. While he continues to develop a strong connection reciever DeVante Parker, Jones ended practice completing only one of seven passes. As a whole, Jones went 11-of-18 in 11-on-11 drills and 6-of-6 in 7-on-7s.

Rookie Bailey Zappe completed five passes on 12 attempts in 11-on-11 drills, while connecting on 3-of-6 in 7v7s.

Veteran Brian Hoyer participated in practice, but did not take any reps

Parker, TEs Make Impressive Catches:

Parker continues to endear himself to Patriots fans, his teammates, and most importantly to his quarterback. The Parker-Jones connection was on full display on Thursday, when the Pats signal-caller found Parker for the touchdown on his first pass in 11-on-11s. Parker made the athletic, back-shoulder catch on Jalen Mills, who provided stout congerage. Parker’s scoring grab produced one of the oldest crowd reactions of the day.

After a slow day on Wednesday, New England’s tight ends made their presence felt on the second day of team practices. Jonnu Smith hauled in a pass from rookie Bailey Zappe by leaping over safety Joshuah Bledsoe for the grab in tight coverage. .

Fellow tight end Hunter Henry made an impressive catch of his own, jumping over Kyle Dugger to haul in the touchdown from Jones. Through the first two days, New England seems committed to increasing their usage of two-tight-end sets, which the Pats utilized only 18.6 percent of the time in 2021.

Defense Bounces Back:

While New England’s offense had itself some fun to open training camp, the defense apparently took that personally. Thursday’s practice exhibited much tighter coverage, especially in the red zone. Toward the close of practice, New England’s defense forced 10 straight failed attempts by the offense.

With many of the defensive backs, including cornerback Jalen Mills, wearing mitten-like gloves over their hands [with the intent of limiting grabbing during coverage], members of the Pats secondary focused on footwork. As a whole, the unit performed well.

Defensive tackle Henry Anderson, linebacker Raekwon McMillan, safety Joshuah Bledsoe, and cornerback Terrance Mitchell were among the standout performers on Thursday.

Bledsoe Making His Case:

Bledsoe has been one of the pleasant surprises at the start of training camp. The former 2021 sixth-round pick out of Missouri has been competitive in coverage against the Patriots tight ends. He finished Thursday’s practice with three true passes-defensed, after logging two on opening day. His ideal fit would feature him in the D-gap/slot, in a big-nickel-heavy defensive scheme featuring man-to-man coverage assignments. Bledsoe could be an option as a third safety who subs in on late downs to play man coverage down closer to the line of scrimmage. While New England has a solid trio of safeties in McCourty, Dugger and Phillips employed in their base defense, Bledsoe could add some depth to the position as the Pats head into 2022.

The Patriots will return to practice on Friday, July 29 at 9:30 a.m. on the Gillette Stadium practice fields in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Once again, practice will be open to the public.