FOXBORO, Mass. -- The Patriots will take the field for their preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday.
How did they prepare to begin the week? Who looked ready for game action? Who didn't? We wrote down a few names throughout practice, with a number of guys standing out both positively and negatively.
Let's take a look at the biggest studs and duds of the day:
CB Christian Gonzalez
Gonzalez hasn't been quite as sticky as many of us expected he'd be early in camp, but Monday was a step in the right direction. He had a good day in the red-zone, breaking up a pair of would-be touchdowns.
CB Shaun Wade
Wade finally shed his red non-contact practice jersey, and took full advantage of his increased reps during team periods.
Wade nearly intercepted a pass along the sideline during short-yardage work, while adding a couple of wins during individual one-on-one drills with the wide receivers.
EDGE Keion White
White has been one of the best players on the field throughout camp, but the Patriots aren’t satisfied in just letting him make an impact on one side of the ball. He got a few reps at fullback during a red-zone team period Monday, laying into linebacker Jahlani Tavai on one touchdown run.
"We haven't talked about it yet," White said, "but I for sure will give him (expletive) about it."
TE Jaheim Bell
Bell missed four consecutive practices before making his return Monday. How did he perform in his first fully-padded practice? He didn't, spending all of his time during competitive team drills on the sideline -- which can't be a good sign for his chances at cracking the roster.
OT Caedan Wallace
Wallace bumped back down to the second offensive line grouping, with Calvin Anderson starting at right tackle in his return to practice. It's expected Wallace will get an extended look at both left and right tackle during the preseason, which might be his only shot at proving himself worthy of a starting job.
QB Bailey Zappe
Zappe didn't get to make a single (meaningful) throw during competitive team drills, being sacked on his lone drop back among the four total reps he received. Joe Milton III went 3-for-5 during his extended look at team drills, with one incompletion coming on a drop.
