Training camp stock watch: Young pass-rusher pops in Judon’s absence

Training camp stock watch: Young pass-rusher pops in Judon’s absence originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

FOXBORO — You won’t find Matthew Judon in the Stock Up or Stock Down categories for Day 6 of Patriots training camp.

Not only did he not practice, he was also not planning to be in the facility for meetings on Tuesday. A Patriots spokesperson was asked if it was the team’s decision for Judon to remain away from the facility and declined comment.

Here is where things stand after his on-the-field back-and-forth with (first) Jerod Mayo and (later) Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh on Day 5.

The Patriots have made Judon an offer. He has been looking for something deemed to be more in line with his production based on the ballooning market for pass-rushers, and he’s commented publicly on the amount of cap space with which the Patriots are currently operating.

There is a sizable gap between where the two sides sit as of Tuesday. And yet, even after Judon appeared frustrated on Monday during animated conversations with some of the top decision-makers in the football operation at One Patriot Place, both parties maintain they hope to reach some common ground.

The question now is this: How do the Patriots proceed from here?

Those who know Eliot Wolf believe he won’t allow Monday’s on-field, in-public conversations to push him to make a rash decision on his star pass-rusher.

Judon will be 32 this season, coming off a biceps injury that limited him to four games last year. He felt late in the 2023 season that he might’ve been able to return, but he was never activated after suffering the injury in Week 4 in Dallas. He has 32 sacks in 38 games since arriving to New England in 2021.

That level of production would suggest Judon could be making somewhere in the range of nearly $20 million per season as a top-15 player at one of the most valuable positions in the sport.

The Patriots, however, haven’t appeared to be willing to go to those lengths in the short term.

Would they prefer to do something along the lines of what the Buffalo Bills have done with veteran pass-rusher Von Miller before this season, dropping Miller’s guarantees to about $9 million and offering more than $10 million in incentives?

Or could the team find some middle ground by providing Judon with an extension into 2025 that would guarantee him a higher amount than the $6.5 million base salary he’s currently due for 2024?

With other pass-rushers around the league getting paid, and with other Patriots getting extensions before this season, it makes sense that Judon would be looking for a raise. And it would make sense that the Patriots would want him; he’s one of their top playmakers when healthy, and they look like a team that needs to lean on its defense to compete.

But with Judon staying home from Tuesday’s work, and with a gap in expectations that needs to be bridged between the two sides, it’s unclear when this situation will be resolved.

Here’s our Stock Watch from Day 6…

Stock Up

Keion White, defensive end

Given their contractual standoff with Judon, the Patriots may be further encouraged by what they’ve seen from second-year pass-rusher Keion White. He won both of his one-on-one reps today, including a decisive win over the best offensive lineman on the field Mike Onwenu.

White also had two pressures, and a powerful run-stuff in an 11-on-11 period that had his unit fired up. With the pads on, his impact has been noticeable.

Ja’Lynn Polk, wide receiver

Polk made the catch of the day, leaping and high-pointing a Jacoby Brissett offering in the back corner of the end zone during a 7-on-7 period. Polk put his impressive vertical leap on display on the play — he recorded a 37.5-inch vert at the combine, placing him in the 75th percentile among combine participants over the last two decades — and out-jumped corner Marco Wilson to make the play.

Polk also had a bulldozing touchdown reception from Drake Maye on a crossing route, and he celebrated a score on a pass from Joe Milton by finger-rolling the football up into the air once he crossed the goal line. He brings a fire to the receiver position that has him looking like one of their best players there already.

Patriots linebackers

There were all kinds of splash plays submitted by this group on Tuesday.

Ja’Whaun Bentley recorded a sack as an up-the-gut blitzer. Steele Chambers picked up a sack of his own on a similar pressure going against Joe Milton. Outside ‘backer Josh Uche sacked Jacoby Brissett getting around Caedan Wallace on the left edge. Christian Elliss broke up a pass from Maye to Mitchell Wilcox, and Joe Giles-Harris recorded a run stuff — powering through rookie lineman Layden Robinson — that had the entire defense celebrating loudly.

Stock Down

Offensive operation

One day after Patriots players openly lamented their sloppy play, there was more of the same on Day 6.

On two separate occasions, once with Brissett and once with Maye, the Patriots needed to re-huddle. With Brissett on the field, the entire offense — coaches included — took a lap. Neither quarterback threw a pick, but when Maye tried to hand off to Kevin Harris late in the practice, it was promptly fumbled away and recovered by the defense.

Offensive line

The Patriots allowed multiple “sacks” right up the gut in 11-on-11 work Tuesday. While Layden Robinson and Sidy Sow continue to work well in one-on-one situations, the team allowed three sacks with Brissett behind center and five pressures with Maye taking snaps.

Atonio Mafi — in as the backup center behind Nick Leverett — continues to have some trouble snapping the football to the No. 3 overall pick. This group has missed David Andrews over the last two days.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, wide receiver

The veteran did reel in a touchdown pass from Joe Milton in 11-on-11s, and he caught a decisive slant in the red-zone period from Drake Maye for a score. But he also appeared to have a miscommunication moment with Bailey Zappe that led to an incompletion, and he committed an ugly drop on a Jacoby Brissett pass early in the practice.

He left the action late in the session with an apparent injury. He told reporters after that he tripped on a rock and was dealing with some discomfort as a result.