FOXBORO — Less than an hour before the Patriots opened their mandatory minicamp Monday, Bill Belichick described the upcoming three-day stretch as an extension of OTAs.

Meaning the Organized Team Activities the Pats conducted over the previous month-plus featuring non-padded practices, team drills usually run at less than full speed and players mostly in attendance, but not always.

Turns out, Belichick was right in every sense — for better and worse.

Offensive tackle Trent Brown missed Monday’s practice after missing a flight, according to MassLive, while star free-agent addition JuJu Smith-Schuster remained sidelined as an injury precaution. Brown’s absence during the regular season would leave the Pats paper-thin at his position. But in a non-padded OTA — er, minicamp — practice, that doesn’t matter.

Yet.

What did matter was the timing and organization of the starting offense, which again leaned heavily on tight ends Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki. Both veterans caught six passes across team drills conducted at various speeds. Mac Jones went 16-of-18 in the only competitive team periods, two 7-on-7 drills and one 11-on-11 period.

After practice, Jones declared the Patriots offense had made progress despite a rough finish. His confidence, he said, derived mostly from Bill O’Brien’s system; how the pieces all fit and how answers to all of Bill Belichick’s defensive problems were at his disposal. It showed.

Here are the rest of the Herald’s observations from practice:

Absent: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, OT Trent Brown, OL Mike Onwenu, DL Lawrence Guy, WR Tyquan Thornton, DB Quandre Mosely, WR Kayshon Boutte

Limited: S Cody Davis

Non-contact jersey: LB Marte Mapu, OL Atonio Mafi

Dress code: Helmets and shorts

Scotty Washington goes skyward

You are forgiven if you do not recognize he name of the Patriots’ third-string tight end, a former wide receiver who appeared in one game last season: the sad Christmas Eve home loss to Cincinnati.

But there was nothing sad about Washington’s appearance Monday, especially his first catch. Washington flew upfield on a go route during the opening rep of a 7-on-7 drill led by third-string quarterback Trace McSorley. Spotting reserve safety Joshuah Bledsoe in Washington’s back pocket, McSorley lofted a long ball a touch outside the left seam.

It landed more than 30 yards downfield, where Washington had slowed slightly, leapt and high-pointed the ball off Bledsoe’s head. Securing his catch with two hands, he turned and spun back toward the end zone with his prize.

CB Jack Jones

Jones’ two pass breakups led all defenders, and he was in the area of multiple other incompletions. Between him, Jonathan Jones and Christian Gonzalez, the Patriots may well have a good problem on their hands picking two starting outside cornerbacks from that group.

Note: The passing stats below were tallied during competitive 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods only.

Mac Jones: 16/18

Notes: A solid, but unspectacular day from Jones. He completed close to 10 checkdowns across team drills, while backups Bailey Zappe and Trace McSorley both attacked deep more frequently. Jones did deliver the best passes of the day, and played with superior command and efficiency, but there’s more meat on the bones of this new offense under his direction.

Let’s see what the next two days have in store.

TE Mike Gesicki

Most of Gesicki’s catches came at the end of short, safe routes (curls, drags, stick routes, etc.), but the timing and chemistry between him and Jones is undeniable. It’s striking how quickly they’ve developed a rapport coming off two years of the failed and pricey Jonnu Smith experiment.

WR Tre Nixon

Call him minicamp Randy Moss.

A year after looking like was on the precipice of a breakout (spoiler alert: he wasn’t), the 2021 seventh-round pick sizzled again at minicamp. Nixon caught his last five targets in team drills, including a perfect post route throw from McSorley against cornerback Shaun Wade. If the season was ever moved up to July, Nixon might make the team.

DT Carl Davis

The 320-pound nose tackle replaced Lawrence Guy in the starting lineup during team periods. His most memorable play was jumping offsides.

WR DeVante Parker

Parker and undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham tied for being the intended target on a team-worst two pass breakups. But as a college quarterback learning a new position, Cunningham gets a pass here. The nine-year veteran does not.