Patriots minicamp observations: Mac Jones in command of offense

FOXBORO -- The Patriots held the first session of their mandatory minicamp on Monday on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. Bill Belichick describes these periods as more for learning and installation than they are for evaluating players. Nevertheless, there's plenty to glean from the session on Monday.

--Matthew Judon and his trademark red sleeves were in attendance. He hadn't been present at optional OTAs, and Belichick was a bit cagey when asked before practice if Judon would be present and active. But the Patriots' best defensive player -- and best player? -- was good to go on Monday.

--Trent Brown, Lawrence Guy, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton were absent. The receivers were not a surprise absence, considering their injuries had been reported. Trent Brown? Well, we will see. One report said he had a weather issue that delayed his arrival. Guy was also reportedly holding out.

--Joe Judge was doing a lot of coaching with the punt team. He was also running the show for the kickoff unit, too. It's very clear he'll be heavily involved in that phase of the game after special teams let the Patriots down so many times in recent years.

--It was interesting to see (and hear) Mac Jones take command of the offense during a 7-on-7 hurry-up period. Between snaps, Jones was not shy while barking out orders and calls, making sure everyone involved knew what they were doing. Again, last year is going to be on everyone's mind at the start of this year, so seeing the offense have some level of competence and functionality is a major step forward.

That's obviously important from a team sense, but it should not be missed that Jones is entering an absolutely critical season for his own career arc. A solid bounce-back season will solidify him as an NFL starter for years to come. A repeat of last year could put that in jeopardy.

--Mac also dropped one in the bucket on an intermediate crosser to Hunter Henry during that 7-on-7 period. Accuracy has never really been Mac's issue, but that was a nice throw.

--There's always that one play that gets everyone excited, and on this day it was a long bomb from Trace McSorley to Tre Nixon. Now, will there be many plays this year where Trace McSorley throws deep to Tre Nixon? Probably not. But the whooping and hollering after that play was pretty significant.

That matched the overall tenor of the day. Spirits and energy were high.

--Kendrick Bourne was also heavily involved, and having a good time. After a catch-and-run for a touchdown (they're not wearing pads, so maybe a real play would have been different) he went running through the end zone with his arms spread wide. He did have to run a lap at one point, but overall he looked more like 2021 Bourne out there.

--There was one collision over the middle, which is inevitable, even with guys trying not to hit each other. Fortunately for the involved parties, nobody was shaken up.

--The fluidity of rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez came as advertised. We needn't make grand projections for the scope of his career or anything, but if you dropped an alien down from outer space and asked the ET to identify the first-round talent on the field, it wouldn't be difficult for the space creature to point out Gonzalez.

--Malik Cunningham spoke after practice (along with several other rookies) and he spoke about how he had never played receiver until now. He's embracing the challenge of transitioning from QB, though, and he says the story of Julian Edelman's career arc helped him decide that working with the Patriots was the best opportunity for him.

--Patriots alums James White and Devin McCourty were on hand, as were LeGarrette Blount and Aaron Dobson. Belichick was asked about Blount and Dobson before practice and said the retired players are participating in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.