FOXBOROUGH — Notes and observations from Tuesday’s Patriots-Colts joint practice, Day 14 of training camp …
1. For the first time this summer, Patriots star cornerback Christian Gonzalez did not participate in practice — perhaps signaling a change in his approach amid the ongoing negotiations for a potential contract extension.
Until Tuesday, Gonzalez had not missed a day of camp. He previously said he planned to “be out here” for both the padded practices and joint practices.
Coach Mike Vrabel has noted that certain veteran players (e.g. fullback Reggie Gilliam, right tackle Morgan Moses) would receive rest days as part of their individual load management programs, so it’s possible Gonzalez received the day off. He also came down hard on a completion to Romeo Doubs in the final team period of Monday’s practice.
But it’s also possible Gonzalez decided not to practice because he has yet to finalize an extension, while several of his peers from the 2023 draft class have across the league. His participation levels will be worth monitoring moving forward.
In addition to Gonzalez, the Patriots were without starter Carlton Davis and backup Charles Woods at cornerback, so Kindle Vildor and rookie Karon Prunty played significant snaps. Prunty, drafted in the fifth round out of Wake Forest, has strung together some nice days.
“As great as Gonzo is, we have an expectation, just on our team in general, that there’s no drop-off,” safety Dell Pettus said. “Everybody’s expected to come in and be able to compete at the highest level that they’re able to compete against. We love having Gonzo out there. He’s just not able to go for whatever reason it is. Whoever comes in next is supposed to be held at the same level as he is.”
2. An end-of-practice interception marred an otherwise productive day from quarterback Drake Maye. During the two-minute drill, Colts safety Cam Bynum picked off a badly underthrown pass intended for wide receiver DeMario Douglas at the goal line. Bynum proceeded to celebrate in front of the Gillette Stadium bleachers, prompting boos.
“It was one of those things where we just showed man [coverage] and ended up running zone,” Bynum said. “I think it was a good opportunity for us to mix up the looks on the quarterback. Me and [Drake] had a little staring contest for two seconds. He thought he could throw the ball over me. I didn’t know if he was going to throw it or not.”
According to Maye, the play came on second and 13 with no timeouts and 25 seconds on the clock. He stressed the importance of protecting the football, especially in those situations.
3. Maye is unlikely to play in the preseason opener on Thursday, Vrabel said. It also would not be surprising if backup quarterback Tommy DeVito did not play or took an extremely limited number of snaps. (DeVito said after practice he didn’t know what the plan was.) Third-stringer Behren Morton did not take any reps during the team periods on Tuesday, so it seems likely he’ll play the majority, if not all, of Thursday’s game.
4. The bleachers erupted early in practice, when wide receiver A.J. Brown beat Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner during a one-on-one rep. Brown did not speak after practice, but Gardner responded on social media. Less than an hour after practice ended, he wrote on X, “All this from a one-on-one rep? And a 8-yard sit route at that? It’s a reason that’s the only one y’all saw,” including a laughing face emoji, sleeping emoji, and lock emoji. Gardner later deleted the post.
5. Before practice, Vrabel acknowledged “pushing and shoving” often happens during joint practices but made it clear that the coaches will eject any player who throws a punch. Only one scuffle broke out on Tuesday — on a kickoff play, thanks to some prolonged blocking, where Colts defensive end Durell Nchami ended up throwing a punch and getting escorted off the field by a Colts staffer. Later, Marcus Jones and Colts receiver Josh Downs seemed to have a heated exchange, but the interaction did not escalate physically.
6. Almost four months after Vrabel said he would be seeking counseling amid a series of off-the-field headlines, a reporter asked Tuesday what he learned from the counseling.
“I think we always look at improvement,” Vrabel said. “As we talk about getting ready for the next season, we always look at improvement and ways that we can improve individually and how we can improve as a team. It’s really critical that we continue to do that on and off the field. I believe in that. I believe in everything that we can do to help this football team, to help our coaches, to help myself and everybody else included.
“This journey that we are going to go on is going to be completely different than the one we went on last year. That’s all of our jobs, is to prepare for it now. So, really focused on our improvement individually and as a team, and that’s something that we can do today.”
Asked if the counseling would continue into the season, Vrabel would not say.
“We are always going to try to find ways to prepare and focus on our mental fitness, and that’s going to continue with me, the coaches, the staff, and our players,” he said. “So, I love what Dr. JJ [Jonathan Jenkins] does for our football team and our ability to use that as a resource.”
7. Former Patriots captain and three-time Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty was in the house because he and his twin, Jason, will join Scott Zolak to call Thursday’s preseason game. The brothers, who both work in media, also will call the Patriots-Eagles preseason game.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.