FOXBOROUGH, Mass – After a day off, the New England Patriots returned to the practice field for a session that was open to season ticket holders and the media on Sunday. 

The players were in full pads and it was a long session, but it was not one of their cleanest. Referees took the field and numerous penalties were called during the practice. 

There's a lot to cleanup before joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday, so let's get into the top takeaways. 

1. DeMario Douglas' impact is felt immediately 

The red non-contact jersey was no where to be found when DeMario Douglas took the field after the team's first preseason game. He didn't see any time against the Panthers, but got tons of reps during team drills on Sunday. 

He was a top target in team drills and was able to win both of his 1-on-1 reps against Isaiah Bolden and Shaun Wade early in practice. Not to mention, he also drew a pass interference call. He's small, but has impressive footwork and speed that makes him hard to defend. 

When he's on the field, you know it. 

2. Possible Hunter Henry injury

Henry was seen walking over to the trainers shed, but quickly left there to go into the locker room. The injury was not clear, so we'll have to wait and see what happens. 

As for other absences at practice, Marte Mapu, Sione Takitaki (PUP), Marcus Jones, John Morgan, Cole Strange (PUP), Kendrick Bourne (PUP), and Christian Barmore did not participate.

3. Top 5 Offensive Linemen set… but what about the depth?

Once again, the same five offensive linemen started practice with quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the pocket. 

Left Tackle: Vederian Lowe
Left Guard: Sidy Sow 
Center: David Andrews
Right Guard: Mike Onwenu
Right Tackle: Chukwuma Okorafor

However, the depth on the line is a real issue. Brissett always takes snaps with the presumed starting five, while Maye typically goes with the second-stringers. And that has effected the amount of time the rookie has in the pocket and his ability to make plays. 

This is something the team REALLY needs to figure out. 

4. The latest on the kicking competition

It was not a great day for Chad Ryland on Sunday, while Joey Slye had an impressive field goal during team periods. Slye went 4-for-5 on the day including a 53ish yard field goal. On the other hand, Ryland went 2-for-4. 

5. Jacoby Brissett has himself a day

The veteran quarterback shined during red zone drills. He hit K.J. Osborn and the receiver made a diving catch over CB Christian Gonzalez in the end zone. Brissett had some other plays. While people may not want to hear it, he is the very clear starter at the moment. 

Full Quarterback Stats

11v11s
Brissett: 9/12
Maye: 11/19, INT *Mitchell Wilcox and Ja'Lynn Polk dropped passes
Milton: 0/2
Zappe: 0/1

7v7s
Brissett: 6/10
Maye: 7/10
Milton: 3/4
Zappe: 3/4

6. Jerod Mayo opens up about JuJu Smith-Schuster decision

On Saturday, the Patriots made a surprising move, waiving wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster despite the contract repercussions. 

Last offseason, Smith-Schuster signed a three-year, $25 million deal with the Patriots, worth up to $33 million with incentives. But the main point is that it had $16 million in guaranteed money — a $7.9 million signing bonus, plus the base salaries in 2023 ($1.1 million) and 2024 ($7 million).

Prior to practice, Mayo fielded some questions about the decision. 

"Yeah, it was a decision between Eliot [Wolf] and myself, really to give the younger guys an opportunity to go out there and get more reps and show what they can do," Mayo said. 

"…We just want him to get healthy. He still has some good ball left in him and I wish him nothing but the best."

7.  Joint Practice with the Eagles 

The New England Patriots will hold one more practice with just the team on Monday at 11 a.m. before hosting the Eagles for joint practice on Tuesday. They will then face off against them in the second preseason game on Thursday