FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Campbell's truth: To prepare for his second NFL season, Patriots starting left tackle Will Campbell leaned into the advice of veteran Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson.
"Lane told me, 'You have to be very honest with yourself about the season.' I felt like it was," Campbell told ESPN.
"I felt like before I got hurt [Nov. 23], I was playing some solid ball. And after that, I didn't play the way I needed to play. So just learning from it, fixing it. After the season, I was just worried about getting healthy, building my strength back to where I knew it needed to be and coming into [spring practices] ready to go, trying to do everything I can to put myself in the best position possible to help the team."
Since the Patriots' loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, and perhaps even before that, there hasn't been a more scrutinized player than Campbell, the No. 4 pick in the 2025 draft.
Some wondered if the Patriots would consider moving him to guard, especially after selecting Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round (No. 28 selection). But Campbell has remained a fixture as quarterback Drake Maye's blindside protector through 20 training camp practices as he's fully recovered from tearing a ligament in his right knee in late November.
A key part of his preparation for the 2026 season was spending a week with Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins and Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey. They were joined by a former Navy SEAL, a former champion in the "World's Strongest Man" competition and celebrity chef Robert Irvine (a close confidant of Johnson's).
In 2025, Dawkins (95.9%) and Wirfs (95.5%) were the top- and third-ranked tackles, respectively, in pass block win rate. Humphrey led all centers in the metric (98.5%).
"[Lane] reached out to me about coming out there; I was super grateful to be able to be around him, Tristan and Dion -- those guys were all super nice to me and welcoming," Campbell said.
"They've played a lot of football at a high level. Lane and Tristan have both won Super Bowls, so they have everything a young, aspiring tackle in this league wants by the time they're that age. It was not only being able to hang out, but seeing how they work, and just to get in there and compete and soak up anything I can from them."
The 36-year-old Johnson has taken the 22-year-old Campbell under his wing. Campbell also attended Johnson's "OL Masterminds Summit" in the offseason, while working out in Dallas.
"Will kind of reminds me of myself in a way -- country kid, drafted first round, so I know the kind of pressures that are on guys like that. I thought he had a really good rookie season," Johnson said following Patriots-Eagles practices. "You can see him getting better. I was watching him [Wednesday]; he looks thicker and bigger. He's healed up from his knee injury."
For Campbell, it all comes back to Johnson's advice to honestly assess his body of work.
"In this game, if you're not honest with yourself, you won't make it long. Because there's always room for corrections, no matter who you are. There's always room to get better and grow," Campbell said. "So I don't think it's very hard to be honest at all."
2. Maye's preseason: Does Maye play in the preseason finale Thursday in Cleveland?
That's one hot-button question after the quarterback didn't play in each of the Patriots' first two preseason games. Coach Mike Vrabel said practices with the Indianapolis Colts and Eagles gave Maye ideal work while also creating situations that couldn't be guaranteed in a preseason game.
At the same time, the idea that Maye could benefit from feeling game speed -- when defensive players can finish the play with a tackle unlike practice -- has merit with the regular-season opener at Seattle fast approaching on Sept. 9.
"I do not think we have a very deep team, so I think we have to make sure that we are preparing our football team and that we are doing everything that we can to keep our best players available," Vrabel said late Saturday when asked about Maye & Co. playing in the preseason.
"And if that means playing Thursday as part of preparation, then that is what we will do. I have not made that decision yet, but I would say that that is something that I am confident in with where we are set up currently."
3. Gonzo update: In a halftime interview during the Patriots' preseason game against the Eagles, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf was asked where things stand with cornerback Christian Gonzalez on a potential contract extension. Gonzalez hasn't practiced since Aug. 10 when he landed hard in the end zone.
"Each side is trying to do what's right for them," Wolf told Devin and Jason McCourty. "Christian is a tremendous player that we've been on record multiple times saying we want him to be here, and that hasn't changed. We're going to continue working with his representation to try to get something done."
4. OL injuries mount: The preseason hasn't been kind to the Patriots' offensive line depth.
In Saturday night's game against the Eagles, third- or fourth-string offensive tackle Marcus Bryant sustained a left ankle injury in the first quarter and was quickly ruled out, highlighting the importance of Lomu's development (the rookie struggled on a couple stunts in the game). This came a week after top backup center/guards Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich were knocked out of the opener with injuries that are expected to sideline them for multiple weeks.
5. Kendall's take: Longtime former NFL offensive lineman Pete Kendall (1996 to 2008) of Boston College watched Patriots-Eagles practices last week since his son, Drew, is a backup in Philadelphia.
"My biggest takeaway is that both fanbases have good reason to be excited for the season," he said. "The other takeaway is how productive those two days were. Very professional. Very little of the extracurriculars, and it looked like both sides got a lot of good work in. And another good thing is we didn't see a cart come out as it didn't look like there were any significant injuries. I think both teams will be happy."
6. McDaniels' insight: Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels hit on two timely topics in his interview on sports radio WEEI on Friday.
Kayshon Boutte's potential contributions: "It's a really, really good [receiver] room. We have a lot of guys that have a lot of different sets of skills, and KB has certainly done a great job for us ... the reality is they all have different roles. ... There's so many variables that go into what somebody may end up doing during the course of the season or a month, or what have you. It's hard to predict all that. But I know Kayshon has had a great approach, has made a bunch of plays ... and continues to show up and do his job. Love KB and love that group."
Impressions on A.J. Brown: "He's really a smart player. I had an interaction with him before he was drafted and had a brief chance to get to know him when he came in on a '30' visit for us [in New England in 2019] but just seeing the wealth of knowledge that he has now. The wisdom he gives to some of the other guys in the room, the way he sees the game -- very similarly through the quarterback's eyes -- it's really cool to see how that can impact your room. ... He's been awesome. Love every day working with him. Really enjoy his personality -- he's a mature guy that wants to do the right thing, help the team get better, help his teammates and perform and do his job. Couldn't ask for anything more from A.J. than that."
7. Van Roten intel: When the Patriots signed center/guard Greg Van Roten last week to serve as their top interior backup with Ben Brown sidelined indefinitely due to injury, they increased the age of their roster. Van Roten, 36, is now the team's oldest player, but coaches who have studied him believe he has played some of the best football of his 12-year career in recent seasons. He's considered a stronger pass protector than run blocker.
8. Farmer's offseason: Defensive tackle Joshua Farmer, the 2025 fourth-round pick from Florida State who missed the final six games last season on injured reserve (hamstring), said he spent the entire offseason in New England instead of returning home to Florida. He worked year-round with Patriots director of sports performance Frank Piraino.
"I made the decision to stay up here, wanted to take advantage of it," Farmer said. "I think it helped."
Another developmental step for Farmer (6-foot-3, 312 pounds), who projects as a top backup to Milton Williams, Christian Barmore and Cory Durden, could help the Patriots alleviate the free agent departure of Khyiris Tonga (Chiefs).
9. They said it: "That's why you pick teams like this to go against. Can't say enough about coach Vrabel and the Patriots and how good that [first] practice was." -- Eagles coach Nick Sirianni on practicing with New England
10. Did You Know: The Patriots' game against the Eagles was their first home preseason contest played on a Saturday since doing so against the Cardinals on Aug. 19, 2006.
