Patriots training camp: 6 thoughts after the joint practice against the Colts

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — After Drake Maye’s rainbow pass fell into the hands of Rhamondre Stevenson in the end zone, coach Mike Vrabel jogged down to the New England Patriots players celebrating during Tuesday’s joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts.

Back when Vrabel was a player for the Pats, a friendly session with the rival Colts might sound unlikely. But all these years later, Vrabel invited the Colts to a practice on Tuesday, two days ahead of the teams’ preseason opener Thursday night.

Here’s what we learned in the Patriots’ first of three joint practices (a pair against the Philadelphia Eagles looms next week).

1. The top cornerbacks have to stay healthy

You could argue that’s the case for most teams, but the dropoff from Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis to whichever two cornerbacks might come after them is significant. And that was obvious on Tuesday.

Even though the Colts don’t have a scary wide receiver room, especially while Alec Pierce continues to sit out due to injury, the Daniel Jones-led offense moved the ball with ease against the Patriots. In fairness, that’s largely because Gonzalez sat out amid his continuing contract negotiations and Davis sat out due to an injury that has limited him the last two weeks.

What Tuesday revealed (or at least reminded me) is that the Patriots aren’t built to win without a great secondary. Their front seven is OK — not great. Their edge rushers are a massive question. They are built to win by eliminating things on the back end thanks to arguably the best cornerback in football (Gonzalez), a really good No. 2 (Davis), a really good slot corner (Marcus Jones) and a good group at safety behind them.

But if Gonzalez or Davis have to miss time this season, the defense could struggle.

The Colts ran the ball well against the Patriots and didn’t have much trouble finding consistent gains in the passing game. Their O-line also seemed to get the better of the Patriots’ D-line.

“We’ve definitely got some things we need to clean up,” defensive tackle Milton Williams said.

None of that really matters as long as Gonzalez and Davis stay healthy. If a deal with Gonzalez gets done in the next week and Davis recovers, this defense could dominate an Eagles unit that should be better than Indy’s. But Tuesday underscored the importance of New England’s secondary.

2. Gonzalez’s contract negotiations

Gonzalez hadn’t really gone out of his way to make life difficult for the Patriots or up the pressure during these contract negotiations, choosing to participate in practices rather than holding out.

But his absence Tuesday could up the ante a bit.

To play defense the way they want, it’s clear the Patriots need him. All signs have suggested that, at some point soon, a deal will get done, one that likely makes Gonzalez the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. But it’s always going to be noteworthy when the defense’s best player sits out amid contract talks.

3. A good practice spoiled

A really good day for the Patriots offense was ruined by a late mistake from Maye, who forced the ball downfield on second down of a simulated two-minute drill and was picked off by Camryn Bynum.

Before that, it had been an impressive session for Maye and company. Maye made A.J. Brown a consistent target, and Brown delivered one of his better training camp performances, finally freed from going up against Gonzalez on every rep.

The Colts didn’t come with a complex game plan and didn’t send Sauce Gardner to shadow Brown. So without a top cornerback opposite him, Brown did well, a positive sign as the regular season nears.

4. The second-team passing offense shined

Tommy DeVito, whom Vrabel referred to with a new nickname, continues to have a very good camp.

“Two Chains is doing a nice job,” Vrabel said of DeVito. “He did a nice job in the blue-white scrimmage, operating and doing things exactly the way that (quarterbacks coach) Ashton (Grant) and (offensive coordinator) Josh (McDaniels) are coaching those guys to do it.”

DeVito hit both Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams for big gains.

5. Plan for the preseason opener

The Patriots plan to keep Maye and at least a few other starters out of the preseason opener against the Colts.

This joint practice was an important first step. But the biggest portion of work will arrive when the Eagles come to town next week for two joint practices and the second preseason game, which is the game in which veterans tend to play the most.

6. The defense struggled against the run

It’s easier to excuse New England’s struggles in the secondary, but the Pats also got beat on the ground.

In fairness, Jonathan Taylor is one of the game’s best running backs, and the Colts have a good offensive line.

But the Patriots play with a style that invites teams to run on them. They’ll often play five defensive backs to ensure they can shut down the pass, even if it invites teams to run the ball.

Last year, they were able to do that in part because Khyiris Tonga was so good at stopping the run. But the Patriots didn’t find an external replacement for Tonga, who signed with Kansas City, and they need to get better on the ground before heading to Seattle for the regular-season opener.