You didn’t even notice Patriots starting left tackle Will Campbell during the team’s joint practice against the Washington Commanders on Wednesday.

… In a good way.

The fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft stood up to Washington’s pass-rush and fared just fine in New England’s most competitive session thus far. It was a stark contrast to last season’s joint practice against the Philadelphia Eagles, as some Patriots fans will recall.

“Will Campbell had what I considered a chaos-free, highly-capable, workmanlike, you wouldn’t even notice if you didn’t have to look at him, left tackle day,” Patriots insider Tom E. Curran said on the Patriots Talk podcast.

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Curran reflected on a 1-on-1 rep which featured Campbell against a Commanders pass-rusher, perhaps former Patriot Deatrich Wise Jr. Campbell countered an initial move from the long-armed defender and ultimately threw him to the ground, sat on him and “made him eat white turds,” Curran shared.

“It was a win for him,” Curran said. “It was a good development.”

Fellow Patriots insider Phil Perry credited Campbell for a nice day, as well.

There were a couple of pressures off of Campbell’s side, Perry said, but nothing so obvious to the point quarterback Drake Maye would have been decapitated behind the line. There were other reps where Campbell’s block in pass protection — including a specific snap against Commanders outside linebacker Frankie Luvu — provided Maye with an extra second of time. The second-year quarterback then stepped up and made a nice throw, Perry shared.

“I thought it was a good day, all in all,” Perry said of Campbell.

The LSU product has had a mostly positive training camp through two weeks. Sure, he was on the receiving end of a few rookie moments against Patriots pass-rusher Keion White and others, but overall Campbell has impressed teammates and brought welcomed stability to the blindside.

Wise, who went head-to-head with Campbell on a few occasions Wednesday, credited the first-rounder for his strength at the point of attack. Wise believes Campbell, despite his much-criticized lack of length, has a “very high ceiling.”

“I’ve faced tackles who have short arms before, long arms,” Wise said. “It’s not about the size of the tackle, but the heart. So he has that.”

Campbell and company have the opportunity to stack days with their preseason opener at Gillette Stadium on Friday night before traveling to the Minnesota Vikings for joint sessions next week.

Also in this episode:

Mike Vrabel breaks up fight, leaves bloodied

Drake Maye vs. Jayden Daniels

DeMario Douglas emerging as “hub of the offense”

Christian Barmore’s best day of camp