Matthew Judon leaves Patriots practice and other takeaways from Day 5

Patriots

Judon was at training on Monday, but did not play.

The Patriots’ first padded practice of training camp brought some nerves, a surprise guest and several notable absences.

The offensive and defensive lines were hit hard in the middle with key players missing.

Defenseman Christian Barmore is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with blood clots over the weekend. Point guard Davon Godchaux was present, but without full protection.

Center David Andrews was also out and Nick Leverett replaced him.

There was some level of hitting, including 1-on-1 drills between linemen, but there wasn’t much tackling as New England continued to prepare for full practices.

Here are five takeaways from the action.

Contract negotiations between Judon and Godchaux intensify

Matthew Judon arrived at practice wearing his signature red sleeves, but was not wearing any protection.

He was seen talking to coach Jerod Mayo on the sidelines. He was then seen leaving the practice field, according to NBC Sports Boston.

Judon made it clear earlier in camp that he wasn’t happy with his contract, which has one year left with a salary cap hit of $14,675,848 according to Spotrac. He’s the Patriots’ highest-paid player, but his contract ranks 17th among players at his position in terms of average annual value.

Judon, who has appeared in four of the last five Pro Bowls despite missing last season with a biceps injury, previously said he would play under the contract even though he felt it did not reflect his value to the team.

Drew Rosenhaus, who represents Davon Godchaux, appeared at practice and spoke with Patriots executives Matt Groh and Robyn Glaser.

Godchaux arrived with shoulder pads but did not participate in team drills. He has one year left on his contract with a salary cap hit of $11.8 million. He said earlier in camp that the lack of guaranteed money on his contract was an issue, but he also said he wants to stay in New England long term if possible.

Tough day for Drake Maye

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye didn’t have a good practice Monday.

Kyle Dugger intercepted Maye during the 7-on-7 session, where Maye finished 2 of 6. The throw was short to the outside, and Dugger made a nice play by deflecting the ball toward himself.

Things didn’t go much better for Maye during 11-on-11. Maye went 1-of-5, with the only successful pass being a short pass to Javon Baker.

Jacoby Brissett had a good showing, completing all but three of his passes. Tyquan Thornton made a sliding catch over his shoulder that drew cheers from the crowd.

Game of the Day: Javon Baker — Again

For the third straight practice, rookie receiver Javon Baker made a jaw-dropping catch.

On Friday, Joe Milton hit Baker on a deep ball that traveled over 60 yards for a touchdown. On Sunday, Baker made a field goal-style catch on a deep ball, which he said helped him in his past experiences as a baseball player.

On Monday, Baker was able to adjust to a deep ball underthrown by Brissett and made a two-handed leap to catch the ball over a pair of defenders.

Uche leaves after a fight

Linebacker Joshua Uche left practice after a brief fight with offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor.

Okorafor was allowed to remain in the cabinet after the incident.

Leverett replaces Andrews

Leverett handled most of the snaps at center Monday with Andrews out.

Atonio Mafi, who played primarily at guard last year, also worked at center.

Aside from Andrews’ absence, the Patriots kept the same first-team offensive line they had the last two practices with Caedan Wallace at left tackle, Mike Onwenu at left guard, Sidy Sow at right guard and Okorafor at right tackle.