10 takeaways from Day 3 of Patriots training camp

Patriots

The latest on Matthew Judon’s return, Rhamondre Stevenson’s response to Dalvin Cook rumors and more.

The Patriots remained fixated on the red zone during Day 3 of training camp in Foxborough.

They continued to practice with a heavy emphasis on passing from 20 yards and in, but mixed in a few run plays today as well.

New England’s defensive backs continued to impress. Matthew Judon returned to scrimmages after being a limited participant for the past two practices.

Here are 10 takeaways as the Patriots continue to gradually ramp things up in Foxborough.

Matthew Judon returns to scrimmages

Matthew Judon jumped in for a few snaps during the scrimmages.

There was some speculation that he could have been staging a “hold-in” in an attempt to secure a pay raise, but he said the situation was “nothing” like that.

“It’s just working on conditioning, working on running, making sure I am where I need to be,” Judon said. “Because I’ve come out here in shells in stuff, moving slow doesn’t look good but when we put on pads, I’ll be good.”

Judon declined to comment further on his contract, saying that the media are “some snitches.”

No turnovers for Mac Jones

For the first time all training camp, Mac Jones made it through all the sessions without throwing an interception.

DeVante Parker, who has been a consistent target for Jones throughout training camp, made a nice touchdown grab on one of Jones’ passes.

New addition JuJu Smith-Schuster has been finding ways to get open as well.

Rhamondre Stevenson wouldn’t mind if the Patriots got Dalvin Cook

Rhamondre Stevenson told reporters after practice that he’s not opposed to the idea of the Patriots adding Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook to the backfield.

“I’m totally confident in our room right now, but if we get another (running back) I’m with that too,” Stevenson said.

Stevenson was asked about the running back market after Cook was cut from the Vikings, Saquon Barkley returned to the Giants on a restructured 1-year deal, and former Steelers running back Leveon Bell compared being a running back in the NFL to being an ant in the Disney Film “A Bugs Life.”

Stevenson declined comment.

Belichick on Christian Gonzalez: “A pleasure to work with”

Now that he’s had a closer look at first-round pick Christian Gonzalez, Bill Belichick made some observations about the things you can’t see about a player during the pre-draft interview process.

“Anytime you work daily with a person, you get to see a lot of things that you don’t see in a short interview or even a one-day visit,” Belichick said. “Their daily preparation, attitude, responsiveness, ability to retain, ask questions, move ahead, all those things.”

“He’s been great to work with, very diligent,” Belichick continued. “He has done everything we’ve asked him to do, has improved every day. He’s still got a long way to go like every rookie does, but he’s been great to work with. The rookie class in general has been good. They’re really very attentive, good work ethic, they have been a pleasure to work with.”

Soft shells, and a few run plays

The first two days of training camp featured no pads, and almost exclusively red zone passing plays during the scrimmage portion.

The Patriots stayed in the red zone on Friday but had some players, including Judon, wearing soft shoulder pads. They also mixed in a few designed handoffs during the scrimmages.

Marcus Jones prepping for multiple roles

Marcus Jones continues to do it all in training camp, taking reps with the first team at cornerback, returning kicks, and preparing for some potential use on offense.

“I don’t really see it as a difficult thing,” Jones said. “It’s one of those situations where it’s like school, you’ve got to study over and over and over again.”

Red zone work: Not the best opportunity to showcase Tyquan Thornton’s speed

It’s been a quiet camp so far for Tyquan Thornton. He said he’s not concerned with his lack of touches so far, but the speedy receiver noted that the red zone isn’t necessarily the best place to show off his wheels.

“It’s a short area, so you can’t really use that much speed,” he said. “So sometimes, you have to come down with great catches, so I’m trying to work on making contested catches in the red zone.”

Cole Strange is “light years” ahead of where he was last year, Belichick said.

On Thursday, Bill Belichick gushed about what a great offseason Hunter Henry had.

The latest Patriot to impress Belichick with his offseason work? Second-year guard Cole Strange.

“He had a great offseason,” Belichick said. “Had an opportunity to train this offseason. He really took advantage of that physically. Obviously, mentally he is light years ahead of where he was, like all rookies are.”

“Knowing what they expect, knowing the offense, knowing defenses and can anticipate things better,” Belichick continued. “His communication is way better on the offensive line, experience. Yeah, he had a really good offseason, and it has been evident all through the spring, even a few days out here.

DeMario Douglas is carving out a role

Rookie receiver DeMario Douglas spent some time with the first-team offense on Friday.

The Patriots have a bunch of receivers ahead of him, namely JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, and Kendrick Bourne. But, the rookie appears to be making a strong first impression.

Christian Barmore might have had a good reason to miss practice

Defensive lineman Christian Barmore was not at camp on Day 3.

He posted a photo of himself kissing a newborn baby on his Instagram page with the caption “my heart.” Friday was also Barmore’s 24th birthday.