New England Patriots 2025 OTAs/Minicamp Takeaways

Just like that, the last section of the New England Patriots' offseason program is over, and the next time we see this team, it will be for proper training camp in late July. Once again, many familiar storylines follow this team, from yet another offensive system reset to getting acclimated to a new coaching staff, etc.

That said, there's some fun and interesting stuff as it relates to some risers trying to make a name for themselves and ultimately a roster spot; guys like Efton Chism and Len Larison jump out right away, and then an assistant coach who's had to take on a larger role this spring and has seemingly crushed it. Here are some of my biggest takeaways from this off-season program as we hit the midway point of June in a matter of days.

Efton Chism is No Longer a Secret

In a long, prestigious line of "shifty and scrappy" white wide receivers who are < 6'0" in Patriots history, Eastern Washington's Efton Chism III appears to be in line to take up that mantle for this team in 2025. The Monroe, Washington native, who went undrafted despite a first-team All-American (FCS) season, has been a consistent standout performer over these last few weeks, and Drake Maye went out of his way to sing his praises on Monday.

While he lacks reliable top-end speed (he ran a 4.7 40-yard dash for context), Chism is a guy who can undeniably get open with good start-stop ability, and you always need a few guys who can do just that. One thing that needs to be said is that the only thing you can use to compare him to ex-EWU wideout Cooper Kupp would be his agility metrics. The pair comes very close to having identical three-cone drill and short shuttle times, but is slower, a bit more explosive, and just not as big of a receiver. So keep that in mind for whenever those comps inevitably come up as we get deeper into the summer. As for his chances to make the team...

WR Log Jam

For starters, it isn't likely that some first and second-year guys like John Jiles, Jeremiah Webb, and DeMeer Blankumsee are facing an uphill battle at this point. I also don't believe veteran Kendrick Bourne, nor the aforementioned Efton Chism, are outright locks at this stage, but I'd bet on them making it if I had to give a hard answer today, although how Bourne's role/usage in camp with these newcomers is changed in the coming months will be a significant indicator on his chances.

What about second-year pass catchers Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker? Polk is hard to say right now, as he's still working his way back from an offseason shoulder surgery, and Mike Vrabel said that they're just trying to get him to camp when asked about his limited usage in the offseason ramp-up. Additionally, Jerry Thornton from Barstool claimed to have talked to people around the team, essentially believing that he was put in an awful spot last year, and had been picking up the McDaniels offense fairly well as of late May. As bad as it was last year, Polk was a great pass catcher on an excellent Washington team, so I wouldn't be super quick to cast him off just yet. Just a gut feeling here: Polk does make it, but it has to come with a strong August. There's not a lot of wiggle room with some notable guys on the bubble with him.

Baker, meanwhile, had a rough moment in OTAs, blatantly pushing off on a deep catch and then over-celebrating it, leading to him getting chewed out by Vrabel. Also worth noting was that he was very much not working with the top offense at that point, so make of that what you will.

Kicking Battle isn't a Forgone Conclusion, but Borregales Looks as Advertised

I wouldn't have expected the Patriots to cut a drafted kicker unless things went that badly, but Andy "Aurora" Borregales has looked the part with the media in attendance, going 19-of-20 this spring and a perfect 4-for-4 on the final day of minicamp. John Parker Romo hasn't been as consistent as the rookie out of The U, but he's keeping him honest, which is precisely why he's here at the end of the day.

Just to circle back to something that front office exec Ryan Cowden brought up after Borregales was drafted, I loved what he said about the mindset of bringing in someone who isn't a pure "cold weather kicker".

“I think the weather is one of those things where we all talk about it, but is there really a metric or a measurement that says, ‘What is the production in cold weather games?’ If I'm not mistaken, I think Nick Folk kicked at Arizona, maybe, and did OK for a long time here, to some degree. What you want to focus on is, what's the mindset and the makeup of the person? What's the talent level? How explosive is the ball coming off his foot? And then it's just like anything. I don't think we can base that on, you know, ‘This guy had this exposure.’ Not a lot of guys that you're gonna find - your pool would really shrink if you said, ‘Let me go find cold weather kickers and who are they?’”

Obviously, we haven't even gotten to preseason games yet, let alone the regular season. Still, the fact that he's been near perfect so far is something to be positive about. Just as a barometer, though, Borregales is 7-10 lifetime from 50+ in college, and he for sure made one 51-yard kick during these last few days. By the looks of it, they were progressively getting the kickers backed up as the days passed.

Zak Kuhr Holding Down the Fort Defensively (For Now)

An unfortunate but perhaps the most notable storyline through minicamp for these Patriots is the continued absence of defensive coordinator Terrell Williams due to a health-related issue. Now, the great news is this: we got an update from Mike Vrabel on Tuesday morning, and Williams is A) doing well and, better yet, B) should be back "soon." The well-traveled defensive mind, most recently with the Lions, has been in the Detroit area ever since a scare in March, so that's big.

In the interim, the DC duties have been handled by linebackers coach Zak Kuhr, a Vrabel guy who spent last year as an assistant with the Giants and, before that, four seasons with the Titans. A lot of the media session reports have indicated that Kuhr's unit has gotten the better of Josh McDaniels' offense if you were to keep score, and both Vrabel and Williams have spoken highly of him that you can read about here in an excellent Phil Perry profile from last week.

I imagine Williams won't be rushed into things whenever he arrives, but it's great to know the Patriots have a guy in Kuhr who can step in and orchestrate what should be one of the better defensive units in the NFL in the interim.

Drake Maye's Progression and the (Re) Implementation of Josh McDaniels' Offense

If you were among the people who didn't overreact to a slightly off day or two of OTAs/Minicamp for Drake Maye, congratulations. Obviously, there are going to be some hiccups in the offseason program, but in his own words, Maye was starting to feel good about himself at the end of things and was "bummed out" about having to leave. Granted, he's a few weeks off from getting married, so it's not all bad for him right now.

More importantly, we got to hear Maye's thoughts on acclimating to the more traditional Patriots offense under Josh McDaniels, and I thought these quotes were pretty interesting to hear, given the year's worth of quotes about the difficulties of picking up this system.

"It's all the same concepts in the league, but it's different words, different verbiage. It's mostly the same guys running [routes], but just feeling out how they run it and timing when you get into different concepts. It's been good."

"Coach [McDaniels] does a great job of getting guys in matchups and letting them win. I'm looking forward to doing that. I have to do my part of getting guys lined up, playing the right side [of the field], and just doing my part of taking what's open,"

While Maye's the most important cog here, and the fact that he seems pretty positive about things, he isn't the only guy on this offense we've heard from as it relates to this offense. Pop Douglas is someone you could naturally see fitting well here, given the past success of guys like Edelman, Welker, [insert literally any Patriots slot receiver from the past 25 years here], etc. Simply put, he seems on board with what McDaniels is selling.

Ultimately, as someone who's not exactly a McDaniels fan (wildly overrated play-caller, in my opinion; just wait for the return of the driving killing 3rd&Medium HB screens), the seemingly high buy-in on this offense from the key guys is exactly what you'd want to see, and if for nothing else, we're almost certainly getting the return of the fullback in Foxborugh (shoutout Northern Illinois own Brock Lampe).

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