Perry: Patriots defenders can't put clamps on Davante Adams

HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Patriots had their hands full with the Raiders offense on Tuesday. Davante Adams caught everything. Hunter Renfrow looked too quick to be covered. Backs out of the backfield ran free at times.

Even with star tight end Darren Waller not available for the first joint practice of the week, it was a grind-it-out kind of day for Bill Belichick's club on the defensive side.

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"They're a solid receiving corps," Patriots safety Adrian Phillips said. "I guess they talk about them being one of the best in the league. Everybody knows who they have with their top three guys with Davante, Renfrow and Waller. Those guys are massive problems.

"You go one-on-one against them, more times than not, they're going to win. I think it was a good test for us to see where we're at and go against a solid core group like that and see how they work, how they go about their plays. It was fun to see that and go up against them, and kind of play that little chess match with them."

It was a chess match the Patriots were losing for the better part of the day. Adams couldn't be stopped. He caught a twisting, one-handed touchdown early. Later on, Derek Carr found him with Deatrich Wise bringing pressure. Two plays after that, Adams caught a filthy toe-dragging reception deep down the sideline.

But as the practice progressed toward the two-minute drill, the Patriots defense turned things around. They created sacks. They nearly created a turnover. As was the case with the offense, the last full-team period of the day helped salvage things on that side of the ball.

Here's a little more detail on how that period broke down in our Tuesday stock report...

Stock up: Adrian Phillips

Phillips nearly had an interception of Carr in the two-minute period. He told reporters after the fact that it was one he should've had, explaining why he forced himself to drop and bang out 25 pushups as punishment. But he was around the ball in a variety of ways on Tuesday, breaking up a pass in one-on-ones intended for tight end Cole Fotheringham, and coming up with a run stuff. He's a versatile piece in Brian Belichick's safety room, and he put a variety of his skills on display Tuesday.

Stock up: Matt Judon

Matt Judon almost single-handedly wrecked the two-minute period by drawing a hold, though Josh Uche would've had a sack on the same snap if the holding call hadn't been enforced. Then on the next play Judon forced Carr to step up in the pocket, and while Carr surveyed for an open receiver, Judon caught him from behind for a sack.

Judon continues to quietly make a play or two a day in practices, and it wouldn't be surprising if that trend continued Wednesday given some of the issues the Raiders are going through on their offensive line.

Stock up: DeVante Parker

While the Patriots scuffled offensively for the majority of the practice, Parker was targeted three times in team drills and caught all three. He connected with Mac Jones on the type of slant play they missed against the Panthers in last week's preseason game. He also reeled in a touchdown in a red-zone period, which was Jones' only completion of the period. And Parker was one of the reasons the Patriots hurry-up period ended up being well-executed. On a second-and-long play following a Jones sack, Parker got open on a corner route along the left sideline and dragged his feet in bounds for a chunk gain. Two plays later, the Patriots were in the end zone. 

Stock down: Jalen Mills

One-on-one drills are borderline impossible situations for defensive backs so it should come as no surprise that Adams got the best of Mills during their three one-on-one reps. But on one of those reps, Mills held Adams down the field, Adams broke free, and the former Packers star still caught a touchdown about 35 yards down the field.

It was Jon Jones who ended up seeing a lot of Adams in team drills, and he allowed a handful of completions, but he also managed to break up one Carr pass intended for the wideout who's arguably the best in the game these days.

Stock down: Patriots linebackers

While the Patriots defense did its thing during the two-minute drill, one throw could've changed all that. Carr had Brandon Bolden streaking down the field completely unchecked for a touchdown, but he overthrew his target. Raiders backs had room to operate for the majority of the practice. Bolden beat Ja'Whaun Bentley for a first down. Raekwon McMillan also had a hard time sticking to Bolden in the following period.

It wasn't all bad for this unit -- Bentley had a sack late in the practice and looks like he could spend some of his 2022 coming off the edge -- but running with Raiders backs down the field may come into focus on Wednesday.

Stock down: Damien Harris

Damien Harris, like Rhamondre Stevenson and Ty Montgomery, has been used plenty in pass-catching situations this summer. But those moments just have not seemed to yield much for him in terms of production. Harris ran a route out of the backfield in Monday's practice that led to an incompletion and seemed to lead to a lengthy conversation with Jones afterward. He was targeted again in the passing game Tuesday on an out-route that was not close to being completed. Miss on Jones' part? Miscommunication on the route? Timing was off? It's hard to tell, but there hasn't been much in the way of positive flashes from Harris as a receiver when targeted.

This isn't so much about the running game being stifled for the majority of the summer -- we've placed the offensive line in the "Stock Down" category for much of August -- but about whether or not Harris can be a serviceable pass-catcher.