By admin 
FOXBORO — For the last few practices, it’s clear that the New England Patriots were getting tired of hitting each other. They finally got the opportunity to hit another team Tuesday, as the Indianapolis Colts came to town for a one-day joint practice.
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It was a good day of work, with both sides getting plenty of reps on each of the two fields next to Gillette Stadium. It also gave us highlights for both sides on offense. The passing attacks looked good and it gave the fans in attendance a lot to cheer about.
Here’s what stood out from the Patriots’ 14th training camp session of the summer, including how one backup quarterback continues to launch the football through the stars.
Attendance
The Patriots got some good news on the defensive front, seeing defensive tackle Christian Barmore and cornerback Charles Woods return to the field. Barmore, who had missed the last two practices, was a limited participant and didn’t partake in any team drills. Neither did cornerback Carlton Davis, who was working his way back from a hamstring injury.
Wide receiver Kyle Dixon, cornerback Christian Gonzalez, safety Mike Brown and long snapper Julian Ashby were all absent, as were edge rusher Harold Landry (PUP) and safety Brenden Schooler (NFI).
Gonzalez’s absence was not surprising. As he continues to work his way through contract negotiations, the player so willing to play in pads with his teammates was not spotted during today.
Passing Stats
There were some really good moments from New England’s two quarterbacks (Behren Morton didn’t take a team snap). Drake Maye went 4-for-6 in 7s and 15-for-23 in 11s. He looked sharp across the middle, and did have a nice scramble out of pressure, but his day ended with a tough interception to Colts safety Camryn Bynum. He was looking in the direction of DeMario Douglas in the end zone, but an underthrown ball allowed Bynum to leap up and pick it off.
Backup Tommy DeVito aired the ball out all morning. He finished the day going 2-for-6 in 7s and 11-for-16 in 11s. DeVito had the confidence to launch some passes, including touchdowns to Mack Hollins and Eli Raridon. He’s continued to be one of the biggest risers throughout camp.
For the receivers, A.J. Brown (five catches), Hunter Henry (four), Raridon (four) and Hollins (three) all had nice days. Hollins was on the receiving end of a 50-yard touchdown from DeVito — where he pretended to spike the ball through the goalposts after burning the Colts secondary. It looked like DeVito connected with Raridon on the ensuing two-point conversion.
1-on-1s Kick Things Off
The practice began with 1-on-1s between New England’s receivers and Indianapolis’ defensive backs. Everyone’s favorite drill of training camp started off with a bang: Brown vs. Sauce Gardner. The route, a quick comeback on the outside, was won by Brown after the cornerback slipped and the Patriots fans erupted.
Here you go (via @PatriotsCLNS): pic.twitter.com/aDNGYx0IcFhttps://t.co/0sLZqMd8h8
– Ethan Hurwitz (@HurwitzSports) August 11, 2026
It was the only rep between the two stars, with Garner taking to social media after practice to write “all this from a 1on1 rep? & a 8 yard sit route at that? its a reason that’s the only one yall saw.”
Other winners including wide receivers Kobe Prentice, Efton Chism III and Cameron Dorner, each with a pair of wins. For the Colts, Josh Downs beat Marcus Jones (who was flagged for holding) and began jawing at the Patriots cornerback after the play.
Hunter Henry Shines On Two Units
Henry’s four catches were the second-most on the entire team, and those came with both the first- and second-string offenses. Henry caught his first two passes of the day in 11s, connecting with Maye down the seam for the practice’s first chunk play.
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He also got several snaps with the backups, hooking up with DeVito for a pair of grabs, including a touchdown in the back of the end zone.
Defense Looked Behind
For both sides, it felt like the offenses had the better results. Yes, there were two interceptions thrown (Bynum’s on Maye, and Patriots safety John Saunders Jr. picked off Riley Leonard on the day’s final snap), but overall, the offenses won the day.
New England’s run defense and pass defense had cracks, both for different reasons. The Colts ran behind Jonathan Taylor for a lot of their 11s plays, putting pressure on a Barmore-less defensive front. In the passing game, Kindle Vildor, Karon Prunty and Channing Canada got extended look as starters, which didn’t go too well for the Patriots.
There was some nice plays, including pass breakups from Bradyn Swinson, Elijah Ponder and Marcellas Dial. Ponder also added a strip-sack during 11s, one of the biggest plays of the day for the Patriots.
Nearly A Fight
The Patriots have been very disciplined during the start of camp, but there was a clear message drilled into them from the coaching staff.
“Obviously, there’s going to be some pushing and shoving,” head coach Mike Vrabel said prior to practice. “If you throw a punch, you just have to head over and run hills or do something with Frank (Piraino) and his crew because that’s what is going to happen in the football game, and I don’t anticipate that happening.”
There was almost a fight, however. On a special teams drill, Colts defensive end Durell Nchami was in the middle of a little skirmish. It didn’t seem like any Patriots players were escorted off the field, but edge rusher Quintayvious Hutchins and Dre’Mont Jones both appeared in the middle of the pile. Nchami spent the rest of practice walking with a member of the Colts staff witih his helmet off.
“They Said It”
“It’s different, but it all goes back to how we want to play as a team, man, and how we want to do things. We can’t worry about how they practice or how they run their plays or whatever. We gotta stick to our details.” – defensive tackle Milton Williams on maintaining structure in a less-structured practice.
What’s Next?
The Patriots will have a walkthrough tomorrow that is closed to both the public and the media. In the meantime, the team will host an official ribbon-cutting event for the recently-built New Balance Athletics Center at 2 p.m.
On Thursday, the Patriots will host the Colts for their first preseason game of the summer. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. from Gillette Stadium.
Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!
Today’s best reads
- Patriots Training Camp Notebook: Intrasquad Scrimmage Offers Plenty of Highlights
- Three Things To Watch When Patriots Host Colts For Joint Practice
- Patriots Training Camp Notebook: Prepping For Joint Practices
- Updated Patriots 53-Man Roster Projections 2.0: RB, TE Taking Shape
- Patriots Training Camp Notebook: High-Intensity Indoor Practice, Young RB Returns
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Patriots, Colts Joint Practice Notebook: Backup QB Goes Deep, Nearly a Fight.
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This story was originally published August 11, 2026 at 11:05 AM.