EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe 2026 NFL training camps have kicked off around the league, and our team reporters are on the ground each day following all the action. The New England Patriots camp is taking place in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and Patriots reporter Mike Reiss has the latest intel on standouts, highlights, position battles, depth chart movement, cut decisions and of course the quarterback room.What follows is everything we are seeing and hearing at Patriots camp. We will update this file often. Will Drake Maye start another MVP-like campaign in Year 3? Who are the breakout players to watch, especially for fantasy football? And which players on the roster bubble could make the final 53?Dive in to all the updates and be sure to check back for more information until the first full week of the preseason begins Aug. 13.Camp previews for all 32 NFL teamsLatest news from Patriots campKraft: Patriots' Gonzalez has offer to be 'highest-paid' CB everFull Patriots training camp previewSaturday, July 25When QB Drake Maye arrived at the interview podium following Saturday's opening practice, he smiled and said to reporters: "All right! We're back!"It was a perfect New England morning, with sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70s, which filled the bleachers and hillside with a standing-room-only crowd."It was great to be back out here. Shoutout to the fans," Maye said. "I thought the guys had some energy."Maye shared that his hope was to start off with fireworks, so he targeted WR A.J. Brown in the first play of full-team drills. But the pass was incomplete, with Pro Bowl CB Christian Gonzalez in coverage."I think I had to -- one-on-one over there with Gonzo," Maye said with a smile. "I tried to start off camp with a bang, but I have to make a better throw for him."Maye finished 6-of-9 in full-team drills. The highlight play was a deep ball to WR Kayshon Boutte, who got behind the defense and dove to haul in the 35-yard pass. More observations from the day:Veteran WR DeAndre Hopkins, who is a guest of the team as he works with the offensive coaching staff, created disruption for receivers in a low-tempo drill as they had to catch the ball with him creating a distraction.WR Mack Hollins, barefoot and without a shirt on, was the final player to leave the field after signing autographs. As he ran back to the locker room, he shouted playfully in the direction of reporters, "We're going back to camp! Let's go to work!"Owner Robert Kraft and his wife, Dana, hosted the second annual "Pawtriots" dog adoption event, which had players arriving to the practice field with dogs and pairing them up with their new families.RB James White, who played for the team from 2014 to 2021, was an alumni guest and signed autographs for fans.OLB Gabe Jacas, the second-round pick from Illinois, agreed to terms on Saturday, according to a source close to the negotiation. He hadn't been with the team since rookie minicamp May 7-10.Friday, July 24On the day the New England Patriots officially reported for training camp, they were joined by veteran free agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who for now is exchanging his playing helmet for coaching gear.Coach Mike Vrabel and Hopkins have a connection from their time together with the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans."DeAndre Hopkins is here with us, just to kind of check things out as far as what he wants to do as far as coaching. You'll see him on the field, whether that's [coaching or] personnel," Vrabel said in his opening press conference."Him and I talked and he asked if he could hang out for a couple days, and be around the coaches and be around the personnel department. I called the league and made sure that was going to be OK, and then I invited him back. That's where he's been the last couple days and he'll be here for the next couple days."Hopkins, 34, played for the Baltimore Ravens last season. He appeared in 17 games and totaled 22 receptions for 330 yards and two touchdowns.Over his 13-year career, he's amassed 1,006 receptions for 13,295 yards and 85 touchdowns."Unbelievable player," sixth-year Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones said. "The expertise is much respected by everyone in the DB role, so having him in the building means a lot. That's a guy, whenever we have questions, we can actually ask them and learn about the knowledge of how guys think about running routes and also being a receiver."The Patriots have a crowded receiver room headlined by A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, DeMario "Pop" Douglas and Efton Chism III, and Vrabel made it clear Hopkins wasn't with the team in a playing capacity."He has coaching gear on and is helping out the offensive coaches, meeting with our personnel guys," Vrabel said. "He loves football. People that love football that played the game for the length of time he did; wants to explore the opportunities and what that looks like after his playing career is over."
