Patriots Minicamp Recap: Cam Newton Finishes With Strong Final Practice
FOXBORO (CBS) -- The Patriots held their final practice of mandatory minicamp on Wednesday. It was the final time that the team will practice together until training camp starts sometime in late July.
The quarterbacks remain the focus, and on Wednesday, New England's starter had a solid day while the young pup struggled. Here are some of the biggest observations from the final day of minicamp in Foxboro.
Good Day For Cam Newton
It has been an up-and-down summer for Newton, who struggled at times, looked great at others, and also dealt with a hand injury during OTAs.
Jones got most of the reps on Tuesday, but Newton was the lead man on Wednesday. He responded with one of his best days of the offseason and finished minicamp on an extremely positive note.
Not So Much For Mac Jones
Meanwhile, Jones had a tough day to end his first career minicamp. He completed just three of his final 10 passes of the session, according to NESN's Zack Cox, one of which was picked off. Jones has been pretty calm and cool throughout camp, but was visibly upset after that interception.
The rook showed a lot of progress through OTAs and minicamp, and hiccups are to be expected. Jones has a lot to think about -- and work on -- leading up to his first training camp.
Plays In The Secondary
It sounds like the New England secondary took advantage of Jones' struggles during the session. In addition to Virgin's interception (his first of minicamp), there were a number of deflected passes in the secondary.
Chase Winovich's Absence NBD
Winovich did not participate this week, but NESN's Doug Kyed is reporting that the reason for the linebacker's absence is not considered major and that Winovich will be ready for training camp.
Agholor Didn't Finish
One of New England's big free agent acquisitions in the receiving corps did not make it to the end of practice, as Nelson Agholor sat out the second half of Wednesday's session.
Fellow receiver N'Keal Harry was back on the field though, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic. Harry appeared to tweak something on Tuesday, so his availability on Wednesday was some good news on the injury front.
Tight end Jonnu Smith was present at the session, but he was just a spectator after suffering an injury on Monday.
A Moment For Ernie Adams
Wednesday was Ernie Adams' final day before he retires after a 21-year career with the Patriots. The team huddled and gave him a grand sendoff after practice:
Adams had a chance to chat with reporters Wednesday morning, and said that he'd always be available if Belichick has a new project for him.
What's Next?
Next up is training camp in July. Bill Belichick said Wednesday morning that plans are still being finalized, including potential for a few joint practices with teams on New England's preseason slate.
"We're still working through some details and logistics on training camp and that includes whatever we might do with another team. We still really don't have any or a great direction from the league on training camp," said Belichick. "We have some information, but there's still some other information that is outstanding and so, when we get everything, we'll put it all together but we're not quite there yet."
The Patriots kick off their preseason slate by hosting Washington on Aug 12, before hitting the road for games against the Philadelphia Eagles (Aug. 19) and New York Giants (Aug. 29).
