FOXBORO — The Patriots’ best offensive training camp practice in almost two years was a big day built on small moments.

Mac Jones hitting four different receivers in rhythm to open team drills. Bailey Zappe completing the longest pass of the summer. Overmatched, backup offensive linemen powering through difficult assignments, and through it all helping restoring a pulse to the Patriots’ once lifeless offense.

But one play, which set off an extended end-zone celebration replete with dancing and shouting and more dancing, captured how lively the unit has become under Bill O’Brien.

Dropped at the 5-yard line on his final snap of an 11-on-11 period, Jones studied the Patriots’ proud, prowling defense opposite him and called a new play. He gestured to JuJu Smith-Schuster split out wide right, flipped running back Kevin Harris from his left hip onto his right in a shotgun formation and looked left at Kendrick Bourne. Jones barked for the snap.

He took a one-step drop and flicked a soft pass to his right that looked destined to soar out of the end zone. Except, right on cue, Smith-Schuster emerged all alone, leapt, snatched the ball and tapped two feet inbounds.

Touchdown.

Jones’ audible, Smith-Schuster later revealed, defeated a special coverage the defense had called to corral most two-man route combinations near the goal line. That is, except the one Jones’ dialed up with his new No. 1 receiver.

What does this ultimately mean? Who’s to say.

The Patriots are barely one week into training camp. They’ve completed just two padded practices. Football truths emerge through trends, not a highlight play or two or three. The Pats will learn much more about themselves in the weeks to come, particularly over joint practices at Green Bay and Tennessee.

But over the last four days, Jones has completed better than 77% of his passes in team periods and owned the red zone after he started camp with a completion percentage below 50. Noteworthy? No doubt.

Elsewhere, the Patriots continued to rest their biggest stars, rookie receivers dominated 1-on-1 drills, the Marte Mapu Show rolls on and the starting offensive line saw a shakeup.

Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations.

Returned: S Brad Hawkins, OL Chasen Hines

Absent: OL Cole Strange, RB/WR Ty Montgomery, LB Terez Hall

Limited: OLB Matt Judon, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, OT Trent Brown, WR Tyquan Thornton, S Brad Hawkins, WR Ed Lee, Hines

Non-contact jersey: LB/S Marte Mapu

PUP: OL Mike Onwenu, S Cody Davis

Non-Football Illness: OT Calvin Anderson

Notes: Stevenson joined the offense for a 2-minute drill run at walkthrough pace toward the end of practice. Judon and Brown have been held out of both padded practices thus far. Brown was a non-participant for the third straight day. Judon didn’t even don full pads, and he worked on a separate field with Stevenson, Montgomery and Hawkins for most of practice. Thornton joined the rest of them after initial drills. Strange has been out for back-to-back practices.

The longest completion of training camp was a simple play.

Tre Nixon, a career practice-squad receiver with plus speed, dusted talented corner Jack Jones off the line of scrimmage during an early 11-on-11 period. He continues sprinting down the right sideline, Zappe spotted him and uncorked a perfect 35-yard pass downfield. Nixon shot out both arms, caught the ball and kept on running.

For an offense that has largely been living within the first 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, Zappe’s strike was a thing of beauty.

Jones’ best completions were some of his finest in camp, from finding Smith-Schuster on a 15-yard in route with Jonathan Jones trailing in tight coverage, the aforementioned touchdown, an 18-yard touchdown to DeVante Parker and deep out that hit rookie Kayshon Boutte on the money. He hasn’t thrown an interception in a week and finished 13-of-15 on the day.

Jones took all of the starting reps and looked like the quarterback the Patriots will need him to be.

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.

There’s the sixth-round rookie sleeper that had everyone excited after the draft.

Boutte caught his first pass from Mac Jones during competitive team drills this summer — one more than Tyquan Thornton has — and won both of his reps during a 1-on-1 drill that pitted pass-catchers against defensive backs. He beat first-round rookie Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones, the team’s presumed starters at outside cornerback.

Unlike the previous three practices, Mapu did not run regularly with the starting defense at linebacker and play safety with the third-stringers. He did, however, continue to make plays.

Eyeing Bailey Zappe from his underneath zone at the linebacker level, Mapu reached back to break up pass intended Demario Douglas in team drills. He also deflected one throw during 1-on-1s and registered a would-be tackle for loss inside the red zone.

With starting right guard Mike Onwenu on the Physically Unable to Perform list, Murray had been the Patriots’ top option to replace him. Until Wednesday.

Murray lost his starting spot to second-year guard/center Kody Russey in team drills. He also went 0-for-2 during an 1-on-1 blocking drill against defensive lineman.

Jones got smoked by Tre Nixon on the longest reception allowed in training camp and lost both 1-on-1 reps to Kendrick Bourne. He edges out Christian Gonzalez for this dishonor because the rookie’s only allowed catch in team periods was a jump-ball touchdown to jump-ball specialist DeVante Parker.

Patriots’ O-line already dealing with injuries, load management early in training camp

The Herald's Doug Kyed contributed to this report.