Sunday Patriots Notes: Under-the-radar players starting to emerge in training camp

The dog days of summer have arrived in Foxborough. The New England Patriots took the practice fields on five straight days between Monday and Friday, including four times in full pads.

The rhythm of this year’s training camp is going to change next week, with a joint practice and first game on the schedule. For now, however, let’s put a wrap on the week that was. Welcome to the latest addition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.

Under-the-radar players starting to emerge in training camp

Training camp is not just the time for a team to forge its identity before the regular season, it also is an opportunity for players to make a name for themselves regardless of their background. The Patriots have seen multiple of those starting to emerge over the last few days.

The obvious one is Tanner Arkin, an undrafted rookie who looks like the Patriots’ best blocking tight end and is on track to making the roster. Other notables are edge defender Xavier Holmes, who has had some flashes of disruptive play, as well as well as cornerbacks Karon Prunty and Channing Canada; both of the rookies are in contention for the fifth and sixth spots on the depth chart.

Among the more veteran players, Marcus Bryant emerging as the top backup left tackle was a surprising development considering the presence of first-round draft pick Caleb Lomu. The same can be said for third-year man Terrell Jennings immediately resuming the RB3 role upon his return from the non-football injury list.

The most notable development relative to his starting point, however, might belong to Khalil Jacobs. The undrafted rookie, who wasn’t even part of the first wave of signings, appears well-positioned to make the roster as a fourth off-ball linebacker.

“He loves football,” said head coach Mike Vrabel about the 22-year-old. “He’s here a lot. He was here in the offseason, through the minicamps, early, staying late. He stays late. I see him here all the time.”

Besides his work ethic, Jacobs also caught the eye due to his speed — a topic of discussion going all the way back to his pre-draft visit with the club.

“When you get to the team periods, you notice his play speed, and I think that’s a great thing to say,” Vrabel added. “He came here on a visit, and I was trying to just give him a hard time about his 40, and he was like, ‘Oh, that was the timing.’ I’m like, ‘Thirty-two teams timed your 40 wrong?’ Just giving him a hard time. But to his credit, he plays a lot faster than whatever his 40 was. … He has a play speed about him, and sometimes he knows where he’s going, and sometimes he doesn’t, but he still kind of goes pretty quick wherever he decides to go.”

For Jacobs, the speed element is important regardless of the 4.77-seconds he posted in the 40-yard dash during the draft process.

“The math wasn’t mathing,” he said. “We play football, we’re not track runners. I have tremendous game speed, so I won’t allow 40 times and things like that determine the kind of player I am. … I play extremely fast. Once I see ball, get ball. I try not to think so much, allowing myself to go make plays, and try to make myself be in positions where I can make those plays.”

So far this training camp, Jacobs has made his fair share of plays. It has allowed him to establish himself as a fourth linebacker behind Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss and Chad Muma.

And if his journey so far is any indication, he is not intent on giving it up.

“When my opportunity came, I just made the most of it,” he said. “I didn’t look back.”

Upward trajectory

Even though he has missed reps due to an apparent left arm injury, Will Campbell was off to a strong start this summer. His teammates noticed it too.

“Will has definitely gotten better from the last time I played him last year,” said offseason signing Dre’Mont Jones. “He’s definitely watched a lot of film and honed in his technique even more. It’s fun to watch and it’s fun to compete against him every day.”

“He just gets it,” added quarterback Drake Maye. “He gets how to practice, having to come here and show up every day because there are no days off. In practice and in this league, when you’re blocking guys in 1-on-1s, and you’ve got team next, and then we have two-minute. It’s constant, and I think that’s what Will is understanding: how it’s different from college. It’s constant, and you’ve got to train your body and train your mind to be out here each and every day, and treat it like, ‘Man, I’ve got to try to get better today.’ I think he’s learned that really fast, and I think he’s taking it head on, and I’m looking forward to seeing him this year do his thing.”

Mike Vrabel indicated on Friday that Campbell should be able to up his workload this coming week.

Summer camp vibes

When the Patriots drafted teams for their scrimmage on Friday, there were only two rules. The first was that Drake Maye and Jared Wilson had to stay together, an unsurprising decision considering the importance of the quarterback-center relationship.

The second was that Mack Hollins and Efton Chism also needed to be on the same team, an unsurprising decision considering the importance of bromance.

“It’s unbelievable. You come in there, and they’re in the pool, the rehab pool, and they’re playing like pool games,” said Mike Vrabel about Hollins and Chism. “It’s like summer camp. They’re throwing stuff and got goggles on, and they swim down and pick up things on the bottom of the pool. They study all the time. They work out. They train. They compete. They push each other.”

Hollins and Chism both arrived in New England last offseason. The former joined the team as a veteran free agency signing, the latter as an undrafted rookie.

“It’s a really cool thing to see,” added Vrabel. “A guy that had been in this league a long time, played with a couple different teams and a kid from Western Washington, a small school, and they come together, and I think they both help each other.”

List of 2023 first-round pick extensions keeps growing

While the Patriots and Christian Gonzalez still await a conclusion to their own contract extension saga, multiple other 2023 first-round draft picks have signed new deals of their own. Including Titans guard Peter Skoronski, who just signed a reported four-year, $100 million extension before the weekend, the list now looks like this:

OL Peter Skoronski (1-11): 4 years, $100M (reported)

What stands out is that none of the four cornerbacks selected in the first round in 2023, including Gonzalez, have been extended. The big name to watch in that regard is Seattle‘s Devon Witherspoon, drafted fifth overall. He very well could become the first domino to drop.

Versatility is key

The competition for the third safety spot is seemingly down to incumbent Dell Pettus and free agency signing Mike Brown, with both getting starer reps throughout the summer. For Pettus, who appears to have taken a slight lead over the last week, the secret to winning is simply being able to do whatever is asked of him.

“I’m just trying to continue to be consistent and continue to prove to the staff that I can wear many hats and also do one as equally as the other,” he explained. “Playing safety the same way, playing nickel, dime. Wherever they put me, I’m going to play it to my fullest potential no matter what. I just want them to be able to trust me and build confidence that no matter where they put me at, that I will continue to be a helpful part of our defense.”

The Patriots are seemingly trying to incorporate more three-safety looks this year, which means that the position has been in the spotlight all summer.

Preseason importance

While they do not count in the standings, NFL preseason games still have a significant importance for players. Among them are the rookies, who remain in the process of getting acclimated to the pro game and who are given an opportunity to get their feet wet in those games.

That is precisely what sixth-round selection Namdi Obiazor, who admitted he is still only getting used to NFL speed, is looking to do.

“I look at these preseason games as actual games,” he explained. “In college we didn’t have those. We’d have scrimmages maybe once or twice a week, but it wasn’t going to the stadium, getting dressed up, and stuff. That’s pretty much a big difference. I think that’s pretty cool.”

Former Patriots finding new homes

The Patriots have made some changes to their roster since the start of training camp, and two of the players they have parted ways with have found new homes this week. Second-year fullback Brock Lampe was signed by the Seattle Seahawks, while rookie tight end Jeremiah Franklin was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins following his release from New England.

In addition, another former member of the team also found a home this week: linebacker Jahlani Tavai, who was released in March after five years in Foxborough. Tavai was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars following a successful workout.

Former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri was officially enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, taking his rightful spot among the greatest to ever play the game. While that means he has now received the highest individual honor in the sport, another keeps eluding him: making the Patriots Hall of Fame.

A finalist two times before, he missed out to Julian Edelman in 2025 and Rob Gronkowski earlier this year. With Devin McCourty and Dont’a Hightower both entering the conversation in 2027, and Matthew Slater following in 2028, the road to the Hall will not become much easier for Vinatieri.

That being said, there is no denying he is deserving of the honor. And with the 25th anniversary of the Patriots’ first Super Bowl win coming up — one Vinatieri played an instrumental part in — maybe team owner Robert Kraft again uses his executive privilege to alter he voting process in a franchise legend’s favor.

Matthew Slater has a new job

Speaking of Patriots legends, longtime team captain, special teams ace and Hall of Fame aspirant Matthew Slater has found a new job. As was announced by Boston College High School, the 40-year-old has been hired as assistant head coach for leadership and player development.

“It is a privilege to work alongside a school that is deeply committed to developing young men of character and to partner with the families who have entrusted their sons to this community,” Slater said in a statement. “I have always believed that football is one of the greatest classrooms for teaching life’s most important lessons. It provides opportunities to develop leadership, discipline, resilience, humility, and a heart for serving others—qualities that extend far beyond the football field.”

Slater spent his entire 16-year career with the Patriots, and after his retirement joined the staff of then-head coach Jerod Mayo as a special assistant. However, he left the organization after one season in the wake of Mayo’s firing.

Week ahead

Can you feel it? Do you know what this is? That’s right, it’s game week in Foxborough.

On Thursday, the Patriots will host the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium for both teams’ preseason opener. Kickoff between the two teams is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 13.

There is a lot more on the itinerary this coming week, however. The Patriots also will hold four practices, including a joint session with the Colts that is open for the public. The full practice schedule this week looks as follows:

Monday, August 10: 10:15 a.m. ET (closed practice)
Tuesday, August 11: 10:15 a.m. ET (open joint practice with Colts)
Saturday, August 15: 10:30 a.m. ET (exclusive practice for season ticket members)
Sunday, August 16: 10 a.m. ET (closed walkthrough)

In addition, the Patriots will also celebrate the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new 160,000-square-foot training facility. The event, which is set to feature Patriots owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft as well as head coach Mike Vrabel, will take place on Wednesday afternoon.

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