{"id":47202,"date":"2018-08-12T18:00:54","date_gmt":"2018-08-12T22:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=47202"},"modified":"2021-06-01T20:48:54","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T00:48:54","slug":"new-england-patriots-training-camp-takeaways-august-12-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/08\/12\/new-england-patriots-training-camp-takeaways-august-12-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots Training Camp Takeaways \u2013 August 12, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Following their 26-17 preseason win against the Washington Redskins, the New England Patriots returned to work. With several roster battles still remaining, the Patriots underwent the first of three consecutive open practices on Sunday. Here are the New England Patriots training camp takeaways from their August 12<sup>th<\/sup> practice session.<\/p>\n<h1>August 12, 2018 \u2013 New England Patriots Training Camp Takeaways<\/h1>\n<h2>Tom Brady Is Fine<\/h2>\n<p>Some minor panic surrounded Patriot Nation when it was announced that <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BradTo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong> was suffering from a minor back injury. However, Brady put all those fears behind him during practice.<\/p>\n<p>While the Patriots never officially gave an update on Brady\u2019s back, the actions spoke louder than words. Brady took a heavy workload today and reportedly looked like his typical self. As long as Brady is healthy, all is well in Foxboro.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I don\u2019t know how Tom Brady\u2019s back is doing, but he looked great today. He had a heavy workload and looked like Tom Brady. He was great.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ByMarkDaniels\/status\/1028747498964353025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Marcus Cannon Will Be Fine Soon<\/h2>\n<p>All the way back on August 1<sup>st<\/sup>, starting right tackle <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/CannMa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marcus Cannon<\/a><\/strong> was forced out of practice with an undisclosed injury. At the time, it wasn\u2019t seen as anything major, and ESPN\u2019s Mike Reiss stated that there was no reason for long-term concern.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Starting right tackle Marcus Cannon left Wednesday&#39;s practice, but I&#39;m told there is no reason for long-term concern, and it isn&#39;t related to last year&#39;s ankle injury.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeReiss\/status\/1024777975173136391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 1, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Fast forward almost two weeks, and Cannon still has yet to return to practice. The Patriots organization, unsurprisingly, has remained quiet on the state of his injury. However,\u00a0<em>The Athletic<\/em>&#8216;s Jeff Howe reported that Cannon is still on pace to return for the regular season opener, if not sooner.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Marcus Cannon is expected to return from his injury absence in time for the regular season, if not sooner, according to a source.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jeffphowe\/status\/1028756582211956736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Isaiah Wynn Drives Up the Depth Chart<\/h2>\n<p>In a somewhat related matter, first-round pick <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2018\/04\/28\/isaiah-wynn-fits-patriots\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Isaiah Wynn<\/strong><\/a> saw time with the starting offense at the right tackle position. While <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BrowTr02.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trent Brown<\/a> <\/strong>is firmly entrenched at left tackle, swing tackle <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/W\/WaddLa01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LaAdrian Waddle<\/a><\/strong> had seen the lions share of the right tackle snaps with Cannon sidelined.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Isaiah Wynn is getting some right tackle reps today. Trent Brown manning the left side as usual.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Kevin Duffy (@KevinRDuffy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KevinRDuffy\/status\/1028733237982625797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Wynn\u2019s ceiling is considerably higher than Waddle, but Waddle has shown the ability to get the job done in the past. If Wynn has already passed Waddle on the depth chart, it means that Wynn is ahead of schedule in his development. Even if Cannon can\u2019t come back soon, Patriots fans should rest easy knowing that the coaches trust Isaiah Wynn to keep Tom Brady upright.<\/p>\n<h2>A New Running Back Injury<\/h2>\n<p>The Patriots added a new name to the injury list, as running back <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BurkRe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rex Burkhead<\/a><\/strong> missed Sunday\u2019s practice session. Burkhead didn\u2019t see any snaps in Thursday\u2019s preseason game, so the source of this injury is unknown. Additionally, the Patriots have not released any information regarding the nature or severity of the injury.<\/p>\n<p>Burkhead and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2018\/07\/10\/new-england-patriots-x-factors-sony-michel\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Sony Michel<\/strong><\/a> entered training camp as the top two backs, and now both aren\u2019t practicing. This opens the door for players like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/H\/HillJe01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeremy Hill<\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2018\/08\/11\/a-closer-look-at-new-england-patriots-ralph-webb\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Ralph Webb<\/strong><\/a> to make their case for the roster. If these injuries are considered serious, the Patriots could carry an extra running back on their Week One roster.<\/p>\n<h2>A Series of Receivers Impress<\/h2>\n<p>Wide receiver is arguably the weakest position on the roster when factoring in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/E\/EdelJu00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Julian Edelman<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s four-game suspension. Fortunately, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BritKe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kenny Britt<\/a><\/strong> returned to practice and reportedly put on a good show. The 10<sup>th<\/sup>-year wide receiver started camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list but officially returned to action last Monday. Britt showed good chemistry with Brady in minicamp, and Brady could use every reliable weapon he can get.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2018\/06\/08\/braxton-berrios-new-england-patriots-x-factors\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Braxton Berrios<\/a>,<\/strong> meanwhile, reportedly had a good day as well. The sixth-round rookie has the opportunity to win the starting slot role outright with a strong camp, and he continued to help his case in Sunday\u2019s practice.<\/p>\n<p>According to reporters onsite, Berrios managed to haul in a difficult one-handed pass midway through practice. By all accounts, this wasn\u2019t an easy catch and was of the more impressive plays of the day. Additionally, Berrios dove out and caught two more difficult passes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Devin Lucien<\/strong> also made some impressive deep receptions from quarterback <strong>Danny Etling<\/strong>. Combined with his strong preseason opener, Lucien now has an outside shot of making the opening day roster. Another strong week or two of camp and he could earn one of the last spots.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Devin Lucien had two impressive catches where he had to track deep balls from Etling. Rookie Braxton Berrios laid out for two catches.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DougKyed\/status\/1028747443758878721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Eric Decker Struggles<\/h2>\n<p>While the aforementioned three receivers performed well, the newest Patriot receiver did not. Wide receiver <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/D\/DeckEr00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eric Decker<\/a><\/strong> reportedly had multiple drops and struggled with communication in a side session with the quarterbacks.<\/p>\n<p>Decker had a disappointing 2017 and isn\u2019t the player he once was. If he can\u2019t get on the on the same page with the quarterbacks, he doesn\u2019t offer any unique to the team. Despite the name recognition, don\u2019t count Eric Decker as a roster lock.<\/p>\n<h2>Ja&#8217;Whaun Bentley Shines<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2018\/04\/29\/how-jawhaun-bentley-fits-with-the-new-england-patriots\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley<\/strong><\/a> was one of the brightest stars in the Patriots first preseason game of the season, recording 11 total tackles. The Patriots rewarded this strong performance by rotating Bentley in with the first-team defense.<\/p>\n<p>While he was still third (at best) on the pecking order, this is obviously good news for Bentley. The depth behind linebackers <strong>Dont\u2019a Hightower<\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/V\/VanNKy00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Van Noy<\/a> <\/strong>is highly questionable, so there\u2019s certainly a spot available for Bentley should he continue to shine.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley is starting to get some reps with Hightower and Van Noy in the defense<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ByMarkDaniels\/status\/1028748151300272128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Jason McCourty Has His Best Practice<\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/McCoJa99.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason McCourty<\/a><\/strong> hasn\u2019t stuck out much during the early weeks of Patriots training camp. Acquired from the Browns for a seventh-round draft pick, McCourty has been outplayed by fellow cornerback <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RoweEr00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eric Rowe<\/a> <\/strong>for the majority of camp.<\/p>\n<p>However, McCourty had his best practice of the season on Sunday. The 10<sup>th<\/sup>-year cornerback broke up two passes during Sunday\u2019s practice, including a slant intended for wide receiver <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/P\/PattCo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cordarrelle Patterson<\/a><\/strong>. Hopefully, McCourty can continue to build on this positive outing.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">CB Jason McCourty had a pair of pass breakups. One on a slant to Cordarrelle Patterson<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Kevin Duffy (@KevinRDuffy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KevinRDuffy\/status\/1028748846434803715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Main photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"OfSZR8bUQT1h4cIae1Dsjg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1015081720\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'OfSZR8bUQT1h4cIae1Dsjg',sig:'yV9wpBAto5L6ioNe2XRs5C6d750Lpr4lV57-ejIQiO8=',w:'594px',h:'398px',items:'1015081720',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New England Patriots Training Camp Takeaways: Tom Brady is healthy, young receivers impress, and a whole lot more in today&#8217;s training camp update. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":47210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,2,5],"tags":[3922,61,1102,38,40,2769,3743,331],"class_list":["post-47202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-featured","category-patriots","tag-braxton-berrios","tag-football","tag-jason-mccourty","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-training-camp","tag-ralph-webb","tag-tom-brady"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}