The first day of Patriots training camp under new head coach Mike Vrabel is in the books, and one thing is clear: This team wants to get back to winning football games.

Vrabel inherited a team that has suffered back-to-back four-win seasons, and a group that is tired of losing. Quarterback Drake Maye only experienced one of those four-win campaigns, but he doesn't want to go through it again. He is far from alone.

It's the desire and eagerness to do whatever it takes to get a W that excites Maye the most about the 2025 New England Patriots.

"I think there are guys around here that are tired of losing. We wanna win," Maye said after the practice. "I think that's what I'm most excited about." 

Maye's strong arm and advancing leadership skills were on display throughout Wednesday's practice, and we once again saw Vrabel roam all over the field and stick his nose in everything everywhere. Here are some takeaways from the first day of 2025 Patriots training camp.

Drake Maye looks so much more comfortable

At this time last year, everything was new for Maye. This year, he looks more comfortable everywhere. 

He knew what to expect today on Day 1 of camp. He knows what to expect going forward, and knows what to expect when the Washington Commanders come to town for joint practices in a few weeks. Everything seems easier for the 22-year-old.

It should help him as he looks to take on a bigger leadership role with the team. Maye's already off to a great start after organizing an informal practice with several offensive players in North Carolina a few weeks ago. During those sessions, Maye and backup Josh Dobbs threw passes to Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Kyle Williams, and Ja'Lynn Polk, tight ends Hunter Henry and Jaheim Bell, and running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Terrell Jennings.

"You miss those guys for a month, and you just want to get back, get a refresher for them, whether it's route-wise, play-wise. I think the most important thing is just bonding together," said Maye. "I think getting the guys together, going out to eat, having some fun, getting some work in. I was glad that those guys came out and showed up."

Vrabel said Maye did roughly 95 percent of the planning for that trip, which included organizing travel, housing, and a location for the practices. The head coach said it's a big step for Maye toward becoming the team's leader.

As for his work on the field Wednesday, remember no one was wearing pads and sacks aren't a thing in practice. But Maye connected on eight of his nine attempts in 11 vs. 11 drills, including his first pass of the day to Stefon Diggs.

"I think we moved the ball well," Maye said. "I threw one ball I'd like to have back, but they played a good coverage for what we had. It's one of those things that we learned from it and not let those defensive guys get you."

The one throw Maye wanted back was an underthrow on a deep pass that should have been picked off by Jabrill Peppers. Maye also would have been sacked by Keion White on the play. 

Stefon Diggs was Maye's top receiver

Diggs has been fully cleared for practice, which is incredible considering he tore his ACL nine months ago. He was the first guy out in receiver drills, and had two receptions from Maye against New England's top defensive unit.

"It's awesome getting to throw to a player like that," Maye said of Diggs. "Even when you feel like he's not open, he's going to go make a play for you."

Fans went nuts when Maye and Diggs connected over the middle on the first pass of the day. The veteran wideout spoke of his speedy recovery after the session.

"I approached it like I wanted to get back as fast as I could. I was super serious about my rehab process," said Diggs. "I love football. If you really love football, you're putting that time in. Getting injured is part of the game, but getting back to playing football makes me extremely happy."

Kyle Williams turned some heads too

Third-round pick Kyle Williams also stood out at receiver with a pair of nice catches from Drake Maye, including a nice backside snag over star corner Christian Gonzalez. It was a big grab for the rookie, and an important test for Maye.

"I told Gonzo earlier, 'I'm going to come at Gonzo,'" recalled Maye. "I'm not going to leave him out here bored in practice. Good for a rookie to make a play like that, and I think he's gonna get better and better." 

Wide receiver pecking order

Diggs was the first receiver on the line in every drill he took part in, which is no surprise. But he was followed by Kayshon Boutte, Demario Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne.

Boutte was in on a lot of plays and I think he has a chance to emerge in McDaniels' offense and be even better than he was last season.

Kendrick Bourne had the Catch of the Day

Veteran Kendrick Bourne may be fighting for a roster spot, but he had the best catch of Day 1 on a deep ball by Dobbs. He really battled with rookie Craig Woodson downfield on the play and got up to pull down the contested catch. 

It looks like Bourne is ready to compete and in much better shape than last season when he was coming back from a torn ACL. It was also a cool moment for Woodson, showing the rookie he's going to have to fight through every play.

Patriots offensive line

Getting the line right is a massive storyline for the Patriots this summer. Unfortunately, we probably won't know much about the group until pads come one.

But it was the same group we saw all spring: Will Campbell at left tackle, Cole Strange at left guard, Garrett Bradbury at center, Michael Onwenu at right guard, and Morgan Moses at right tackle.

Moses alternated with Demontrey Jacobs, who was the last guy off the field after practice and signed autographs well after everyone had left. Rookie center Jared Wilson also rotated with Bradbury at times with Maye on the field. 

Defensive takeaways

I was focused mostly on the offense so I didn't get to see much of the defense on Day 1. But Gonzalez, Peppers, and Kyle Dugger led the charge for that unit. Free-agent prize Milton Williams also said that he and Christian Barmore know how important they are to the success of the defense, so everyone sounds locked in for 2025.

Fellow newcomer Harold Landry also had a couple would-be sacks on Maye. 

Patriots absences

The most notable absence on Day 1 was second-year receiver Ja'Lynn Polk, who spent his morning on the lower conditioning field. Polk isn't on PUP or NFI, so it's a situation worth monitoring as Polk has a lot of work to do to secure a spot on the roster.

As for returning players, Jahlani Tavai was off PUP and on the field, while corner Carlton Davis and receiver Jeremiah Webb were activated from NFI and practiced.  Austin Hooper, Vederian Lowe, and Josh Minkins remained out.

Mike Vrabel's training camp goals

Vrabel says urgency, organization, and communication are some of his top areas of focus in camp. The head coach wants to see  a clean operation on the practice field, so players are prepared when it's time to take real snaps.

What would be a successful camp in Vrabel's mind? He reiterated his three objections on Wednesday: Build a team, earn a role, and prepare to win. 

"If it looks like we build a team, and there's some cohesion, and guys are enjoying being around each other," he expanded. "Are they competing? Are they taking care of each other? And then are guys starting to figure out, hey, this is going to be my role, I'm going to go try to dominate that, whatever that may be. And then ultimately, are we understanding these situations, and can we try to win a football game? That's what would be successful."

• NFL
• New England Patriots