FOXBORO —Maybe it was a blip.

Or a maybe a message sent. Or a nothing burger served at midfield during a steamy Sunday practice. Or perhaps it was a footnote that just happened to hang at the top of the page instead of the bottom.

But whatever it was, rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham taking snaps from David Andrews at the start of team periods was no accident.

After 20 minutes of warmups and fundamental drills, the Patriots broke into their first 11-on-11 period of a shorts-and-shells practice. Cunningham, who electrified the Pats offense late in the preseason opener with his lightning quickness and speed, dropped under center to begin work against the starting defense. Then, thunder rolled in the distance.

Bill Belichick blew his whistle, hustled the team off the field before real lighting could strike and trotted into the safety of Gillette Stadium. Thirty minutes passed, players and coaches reconvened under sunny skies, and Cunningham took over again.

He made a couple hand-offs, then later interrupted a Bailey Zappe-led period inside the red zone to replace Zappe at quarterback. He scored. What does it mean?

Time, and the Patriots coaching staff, will tell. Cunningham remains listed at quarterback, a position he played throughout college and has played more and more over the last five days. Cunningham originally signed in New England knowing the plan was to move him to wide receiver, something Belichick reiterated last Friday.

But have plans changed?

Elsewhere at the team’s 13th training camp practice, Mac Jones was on fire until his last pass of 11-on-11s, a starting offensive lineman returned and the tight ends couldn’t shake third-round rookie Marte Mapu.

Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations.

Returned: OL Cole Strange

Absent: CB Jonathan Jones, RB Pierre Strong, RB/WR Ty Montgomery, OL Bill Murray, OL Kody Russey

Limited: DL Trey Flowers, OLB Ronnie Perkins

PUP: OL Mike Onwenu, S Cody Davis

Non-Football Injury: OT Calvin Anderson

Notes: Strange participated in his first practice since injuring his left leg on July 31. Jones has missed more than a week of practice for undisclosed reasons. Strong was absent for the first time Sunday. He played 15 offensive snaps in the preseason opener. Flowers was present, but not in uniform while he worked on a separate field with Perkins and the specialists. Perkins was newly limited.

Mac Jones had completed all but three of his 17 passes in team periods before he uncorked a hurried long ball down the right numbers at the end of his 2-minute drill. The Patriots had been given seconds left to score, and Jones turned to JuJu Smith-Schuster to make a play.

Turns out, Jones completed his pass — just not to Smith-Schuster.

After running step for step with the Pats’ No. 1 receiver on a go route, Gonzalez crossed the goal line and turned back for the ball. With Smith-Schuster falling behind him, he gracefully threw on the brakes and skied for Jones’ pass. It took all of his 6-foot-2 frame to reach the ball, but Gonzalez picked it with both arms extended and landed with the Play of the Day.

He started 9-of-10 in team drills. He went a perfect 4-of-4 inside the red zone, hitting Hunter Henry, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Henry again for touchdowns. Jones threw with timing, clarity and accuracy.

Mac Jones, Jack Jones and 28 Patriots thoughts 28 days from the season opener

Gonzalez's pick may have soured his 2-minute drill, but that couldn't deny the fact Jones looked like one of the best players on the field over arguably his best practice of the summer.

Note: The passing stats below were tallied during competitive 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods only. The stats in parentheses represent the quarterbacks' camp-long performance.

Mapu has yet to engage fully in padded practices, as he continues to recover from a torn pectoral he suffered last February. But in a shorts-and-shells session like Sunday's, he dominated.

Mapu blanketed backup tight end Matt Sokolo for a pass breakup inside the red zone, then denied a completion to Hunter Henry three plays later. The rookie safety/linebacker continues to bounce around the first, second and third-team defenses. But wherever he's been, Mapu is perpetually around the ball.

Like Mac Jones, Gesicki had a blemish during the 2-minute drill. Gesicki committed a false start on the first snap. But you'd like to think the staff would forgive going five yards backwards for a player who carried the offense 60 yards downfield earlier in practice.

Gesicki caught three passes in 11-on-11s, two long seam throws and a corner route with backup safety Joshuah Bledsoe in his back pocket. He also drilled with Jones' group, while Hunter Henry ran with Bailey Zappe and Co. during team periods. Gesicki continues to build momentum in camp.

Jones allowed touchdowns on back-to-back plays inside the red zone, getting beat in the back corner by DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne on a whip route. The second-year corner

Zappe went 0-of-4 on passes inside the red zone, then failed to get much going on his 2-minute drill. After consecutive completions to Henry in the right flat, Zappe had one pass broken up and threw another pass away around a hand-off. Anything more dangerous than a checkdown was trying for the Pats' backup QB.

Patriots rookie Malik Cunningham still primarily working at receiver?