It was clear to all observers of Wednesday’s Patriots-Eagles joint practice that the Patriots wide receivers were the best position group on the field.
The team’s wide receiver room continued its outstanding summer, adding another impressive day. Headlined by A.J. Brown's performance, every wide receiver stood out at some point.
Brown, facing his former team for the first time since he was dealt on June 1, had his most impressive day of camp. The former Eagle had seven catches in team drills. His best; a vertical route, where quarterback Drake Maye dropped the football right in Brown’s arms down the right sideline. Brown was ruled in bounds by the side judge.
We have seen Maye and Brown’s chemistry evolve over the summer, as the pair started out on completely different pages, but then started finding their connection on shorter routes. As camp went on, we saw the intermediate routes start to develop, and now Maye and Brown are starting to hit on routes down the field.
“[There have] definitely been some challenges, but [Drake Maye is] very special,” Brown said in his press conference after practice. “He makes my job a lot easier.”
If he and Maye can continue to create explosive plays, this offense should be able to play to its potential. That potential: an elite and high-flying offense. Something we haven’t seen in New England since the days of Tom Brady and Randy Moss.
The other new addition to the receiving core, Romeo Doubs, continued to make his presence known. After starting the summer slowly, Doubs has ‘stacked days’ over the last week.
The 26-year-old showed his versatility in two highlight plays. The first came on a short hitch route, where Doubs stuck his foot in the ground, causing Eagles standout cornerback Tariq Woolen to slip. He finished the play off with a leaping grab.
The fifth-year receiver then showed off his value down the field, winning on what appeared to be a ‘go’ and then re-adjusting to the football before making a contested catch over star cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.
Doubs showed his ability to win quick and deep all summer, but the timing routes and the over-the-middle connections with Drake Maye have not been a common sight. If Doubs wants to make a week-to-week impact in the offense, those passes need to be completed.
Maye and back-up quarterback Tommy DeVito, however, were able to connect on dig routes with former Eagle Mack Hollins. Hollins had a catch on a dig route in the Patriots’ one-minute five-second drill to end practice. The University of North Carolina product also won and hauled in a go ball from Maye in one-on-ones.
Similar to Doubs, the Patriots will be able to use Hollins in a variety of ways. The veteran has shown his ability as a blocker throughout his career, but last year we saw the connection with Maye on routes over the middle of the field.
Fourth-year pass catcher DeMario Douglas continues to show his improved connection with Maye. In the quarterback’s first two seasons the pair had trouble getting on the same page.
The two have been on the same page all summer long, and Douglas had yet another impressive day. The Liberty alum beat Cooper DeJean three times in one-on-one drills and on his second rep created north of ten yards of separation.
Douglas has been a favorite target of Maye during the Patriots’ one-minute drills, a trend which continued in Wednesday's joint practice.
While Brown, Doubs, Hollins and Brown were the best four receivers on the practice field, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III all had their moments.
Boutte, with his agent Drew Rosenhaus in attendance, had an up-and-down day. The deep ball threat made a few nice plays, high-pointing the football multiple times. However, we did see shades of 2024 Boutte, when the fourth-year pass catcher let a Tommy DeVito pass go through his hands and into the arms of Eagles safety Andre Sam.
It was a similar story for the two second-year receivers, Williams and Chism. Williams showed off his release packages and separation abilities in one-on-one periods, but when targeted in the Patriots’ one-minute drill, he generated almost no separation.
Chism, also separating with ease in one-on-ones, didn’t do much the rest of practice. He had a catch or two in team periods, but wasn’t a standout player.
The Patriots’ receiving core is set to get another opportunity to prove they are among the best in the league Thursday, as they once again take on the Eagles in a red-zone-focused practice.